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Final ACC budget meeting today

ACC Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks at a Mayor and Commission meeting on September 15, 2022.
ACC Mayor Kelly Girtz speaks at a Mayor and Commission meeting on September 15, 2022.

ACC commissioners will hold their final budget hearing for fiscal year 2024 today at 5:30pm.

In the new budget, the mayor has proposed maintaining the current millage rate. Along with property value, this is one of the main factors that affects property taxes, which have increased by about 13% over the last year.

Community members opposed to these rising taxes voiced their concerns at recent commission meetings with public hearings.

“I’ve read your budget, mayor, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s dead on arrival. It’s irresponsible, and it’s unaffordable. I think most people in this room would attest to that.” one community member said.

“Increasing property taxes in this economy is untenable. We are headed towards a recession and a crash,” one community member said.

Other speakers addressed the mayor’s allotment for special events, such as the Wild Rumpus Parade. The founder and director of this event, Timi Conley, made an appeal to the commission to increase funding for such events by $130,000.

“$250,000 as an annual overall events budget will do wonders for our event’s sustainability, our safety, and our cultural and economic impact in the city,” Conley said.

Tax assessors found an additional $3.7 million not included in the original estimate that may help address some of the community’s concerns.

Not all speakers offered critiques about the budget. The mayor included $15,000 for Spanish language accessible voter information, for which many community members voiced their support.

“I have firsthand witnessed the struggles Spanish-speaking individuals experience when voting. This is very discouraging for these individuals, and overall leads to the lower voter turnout of minorities,” Kelly Medina said.

The commission will propose changes and vote on the budget on June 6.

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