The Vandalia City Council approved its tax levy resolution for the fiscal year that began on May 1st of this year and runs through April 2019. Prior to its regular scheduled council meeting, the council held a Truth in Taxation hearing Monday night as is required by law of the proposed levy increase amount is more than 5%. To open the hearing, Mayor Rick Gottman addressed the council and the visitors attending the meeting and again reminded those in attendance that the problem the city faces with the police pension funding, which is the only fund that would see an increase for the tax levy, is a problem that is widespread across municipalities in the state due to the state mandates for funding police pensions.
Last fiscal year, the council approved to subsidize the tax levy with a little over $53,000 from the general fund in order to not raise taxes. Mayor Gottman brought up again setting money aside for subsidizing the fund and alderwoman Dorothy Crawford said she believed the council said last year that they would not continue to do that year after year.
After hearing from city residents Joan Siebert and Jerry Swarm about their thoughts with the issue, the public hearing was closed. The tax levy resolution including a 10.87% increase for the police pension fund wwas then brought up for a vote during the full city council meeting. A roll call vote was taken with aldermen Ken Hubler, Dorothy Crawford, Andy Lester, B. John Clark and Mike Hobler voting in favor of the tax levy resolution and alderman Steve Barker and Joel Rebbe voting against the resolution. Alderman Russ Stunkel was not present for the vote.
