Mayor Tim Kelly has knocked several cents off the certified tax rate he will submit to members of the Chattanooga City Council for their approval in the coming days.
Kelly is now proposing a finalized certified tax rate of $1.93 per $100 of assessed value, a slight drop from the $1.99 his office initially brought forward. The proposal resolves an accounting error, removes money for technology licenses and professional testing and cuts a $5 million contribution to the police and fire pension fund.
The new rate would raise $44.8 million in additional revenue, a drop from the roughly $50 million generated by the $1.99 rate. Officials will hold a public hearing about the plan Tuesday.
Kelly’s amended rate would still enable the city to fund raises for police and firefighters while setting aside $7.5 million for paving, $5 million for eviction prevention resources and affordable housing, and adding staff to boost efforts like road paving and retiming traffic signals, Kelly’s office said. The proposal would also fund 15 new firefighting positions and a new fire truck for Station 21 in East Brainerd.