Ecklund Proposes 7.4% Property Tax Hike in Jamestown's 2027 Budget

Jamestown Mayor Kim Ecklund has proposed a 2027 city budget that increases property taxes by 7.39% and includes no layoffs. Ecklund took the wraps off her tentative $47.3 million spending plan Thursday afternoon at City Hall. Even though grant funding is going away for 12 firefighters, Ecklund is proposing that the city pick up that additional $1.5 million dollar cost. She explains why no layoffs are being proposed...

Kim Ecklund: attrition, ambulance revenue and personnel management

Ecklund says other costs are also going up significantly. She listed at least five... including state pension costs for Tier 6 employees increasing by 47%. Ecklund adds that both fuel and road salt costs are projected to be much higher in 2027. However, the tax base has basically remained flat. Ecklund's proposal increases the tax rate to $27.63 per thousand...

Kim Ecklund: increasing by $1.87 per thousand

Ecklund is proposing using $2.77 million in undesignated fund balance to offset the increases. She's also increasing sales tax revenues by 4%. The City Council will begun budget reviews on October 19th. A final budget is due December 1st.