What local government might run a mill levy request of the voters and when? That seemed to be one of the top concerns of local government officials during a luncheon discussion last week at the Lincoln Center among a broad range of civic leaders, including those from the City of Billings, Yellowstone County and School District 2.
The question was raised following a presentation about the Code Red emergency alert system by Emergency Services Director KC Williams. He urged everyone who is not connected to the system, in some manner, to do so and explained how the system may be expanded in the future to serve other community needs. It is by far the most effective means to notify the public of any kind of emergency, although traditional means, such as the sirens and media will continue to be used.
To avoid running mill levies at the same time, improves the possibility of success for any entity of local government, it was explained. Local government officials compared notes about what they see as potential levies in the near future. Both the City and the School District are looking at proposing mill levy increases. Mayor Bill Cole pointed out that the city’s proposed mill levy in 2014 was defeated. The result was not as serious as was predicted, he said, “because we got a reprieve from changes in the reappraisal cycle.” It went from six years to two years and resulted in property value increases that generated additional revenues for the city. “But expenses continue to go up and appreciation of the mills have not kept up,” he said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
