Centerville Tidbits
2007 Budget/Levy Approved
As expected, a $2,357,900 city budget and a $1,915,900 tax levy have been approved by the Centerville City Council for 2007.
Approval came December 13 on a unanimous voice vote after no one objected during the November 29 Truth in Taxation hearing at City Hall.
The budget and tax levy, which will translate into a 45.963 percent 2007 tax rate in Centerville, also was the topic of several council work sessions earlier this year, noted City Administrator Dallas Larson.
The lower-than-expected 2007 tax rate compares to a 50.47 percent city tax rate in 2006, a 52.84 percent tax rate in 2005 and a 54.21 percent tax rate in 2004, so Centerville officials were not expecting a groundswell of opposition to this year's figures.
The city's 2006 operating budget was $2,200,500, with $1,809,431 coming from a local property-tax levy.
When Centerville's 2007 figures were unveiled before the council November 8, Mayor Mary Capra emphasized a recent development surge and the council's commitment to budget restraint as key components in the unexpected drop in the city's share of local property tax bills.
"We had been expecting it to be in the 50s again," Capra said of the 2007 tax rate. "But growth in Centerville resulted in the city tax rate dropping, so we're very pleased about that."
Hanzal Honored
Centerville developer Jeff Hanzal was formally recognized by the council for his service on the city Planning and Zoning Committee.
"You did an outstanding job," Mayor Mary Capra told Hanzal after a resolution of appreciation was adopted on a unanimous voice vote.
Replied Hanzal, who resigned from the committee earlier this year, "It's been an honor to work with the group of intelligent people I served with on the Planning and Zoning Committee."
Later, the council also directed City Engineer Mark Statz to update cost estimates for Old Mill Road street and utility improvements as a prelude to a decision on how assessments should be distributed among affected property owners.
Hanzal's plans for a new residential development on Old Mill Road were a driving force behind the road- and utility-improvement project, Statz noted shortly before the council's unanimous voice vote seeking the cost update.
Kudos For Giovinazzo Agency
Also honored December 13 was Centerville's Michael P. Giovinazzo Agency, an American Family Insurance affiliate that recently won the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Insurance Agency Award.
A resolution adopted by the City Council on a unanimous voice vote cited the agency's "unparalleled service," as well as the "principles, work ethic and professionalism" of its employees.
"The city is proud to have American Family Insurance, Michael P. Giovinazzo Agency operating in its community," the resolution concluded.
Added Council Member Jeff Paar, "Any time you have a business in the city that's honored like that, it's nice to keep them here and give them a little recognition."