Sanger city officials expect to see an increase in the city’s property tax revenue, which they plan to use to help make purchases that were deferred because of a poor economy and tight budgets.
Sanger’s property tax rolls received a boost after a 10-year tax abatement for the Walmart Distribution Center ended, resulting in about $150,000 in additional funds, City Manager Mike Brice said.
This year, Brice said, Sanger expects a total increase of about $180,000 in property tax revenue.
“We’re finally going to see the full impact the distribution center will have on our revenue,” he said. “Now that the tax abatement is off our tax rolls, we can take care of some things we’ve had to put off.”
With most of the new revenue streaming from the distribution center, Sanger officials said they look forward to putting the money to use to serve the taxpayer.
The city will use some of the additional funds to hire as many as two full-time firefighters and two full-time police officers.
“We’re also going to buy some equipment for the police and fire departments,” he said.
Brice said that for 10 years the city had to postpone major purchases and expansions because of the local and national economies’ lackluster performances.
The recent increase in funds has also given city officials reason not to pursue a tax rate increase. Officials said they will stick with the current rate of 66.304 cents per $100 valuation.
The city will schedule two public hearings on the proposed tax rate for residents to give their thoughts on the matter.
Though many purchases were on hold, Brice said the city has been fortunate to maintain its ability to strengthen city infrastructure.
The city contracts with outside engineering firms to help with various projects, such as replacing aging water and sewer lines.
City officials said they usually work with a pool of several firms to ensure they receive the best service available.
“When we say we’ve had to hold off on some purchases, capital improvements aren’t one of them,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to increase the improvement [projects] over and over. However, there always seems to be more projects than funds available, so we have to prioritize.”
JOHN D. HARDEN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is jharden@dentonrc.com .
