Examples of tax rate’s impact
The combined impact of reassessment and Marion’s proposed higher tax rate would be substantial, according to a Record analysis of official tax records.
Although city council member Zach Collett said Monday that revenue neutral rates have “nothing to with the mill levy,” the revenue neutral rate is in fact expressed as a mill levy.
And any tax rate above the revenue neutral rate, when coupled with higher appraisals even if no improvements have been made, mean larger tax bills.
A typical downtown business — Lanning Pharmacy — would see its city property tax bill swell by 13.4% — the combined impact of 2.469 more mills and reappraisal of the pharmacy’s building and lot, now regarded as worth 9.6% more than they were a year ago.
Other businesses, selected at random, would face similar increases.
Continuing west on Main St., County Seat Decorating Center would see its city property tax bill swell by 10.1%. Wagon Wheel Express, which has had several tax delinquencies, would have to pay 16.7% more. Bradbury Co. would pay 7.4% more on its main facility.
To the east, Cady Insurance would pay 9.0% more, That One Place would pay 11.9% more, Tampa State Bank would pay 4.5% more, and Subway would pay 6.8% more.
Despite being closed and its building scheduled to be razed, Ampride would pay 3.8% more.
Away from Main St., Dollar General would pay a whopping 24.3% more, Rhino Car Wash would pay 11.6% more, and Marion Manufacturing would pay 8.0% more on its primary facility.
Residential properties would face similar increases. Even council members would be impacted.
Mayor David Mayfield would pay 11.7% more; vice mayor Ruth Herbel, 9.1% more; councilman Jerry Kline, 5.4%; Collett, 13.8%; and councilman Kevin Burkholder, 11.6%.
Retired judge Mike Powers, unopposed to replace Mayfield in city elections this fall, would pay 14.2% more.
Properties targeted by the city as inadequate and needing mandatory repair also would be impacted.
The home of Linda Brewer on W. Santa Fe St., where required repairs have been delayed because homeowners say they don’t have money to pay for them, would face a 10.6% increase in city property taxes even without repairs being completed.
A residence at 202 Miller St., which the city hopes to raze because of what it terms unsafe and unrepaired code violations, would face an 8.1% increase in city property taxes after being reappraised as being worth 4.5% more than it was last year.
These increases are just for the city’s share of property taxes, which accounts for only about a third of the total tax bill Marion residents receive.
Reappraisals also mean such things as a school bond issue to support new locker rooms and a concession stand will increase tax bills even though the tax rate is the same as an expiring rate for a previous improvement project.