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Frisco property tax rate to stay at 2012 level
By Anthony Tosie, atosie@starlocalnews.com
Frisco residents won't see a property tax hike in 2013, as the city council voted to maintain the current property tax level for the upcoming year. The vote came in the city's annual budget work session on Monday, a step in the process of finalizing the city's 2013 budget.
Though the city won't increase the property tax rate, it will still receive a significant rise in property tax revenue because of an increased amount of taxable property in the city as well as increasing property value. This year, the city's average home value is $288,978; the city projects the average home value for 2013 will be $291,431.
Frisco Mayor Maher Maso believes the proposed budget represents a positive sign for taxpayers, as the city has shown financial restraint while improving services, he said.
The proposed budget calls for the addition of 20 new or previously frozen positions, many of which come in the area of public safety. The police department is requesting funds for four additional jobs, while the fire department is requesting three new positions be funded.
Because of the new positions, the police and fire departments represent the largest increases in the city's proposed budget for the 2013 fiscal year. The police department's proposed budget represents a 10.46 percent increase in comparison to its current budget, and the fire department's proposed budget represents a 12.9 percent increase compared to its budget this year.
Frisco Police Chief Todd Renshaw said the department's positions are vital to ensure the safety of Frisco residents.
"The requested positions -- three public safety dispatchers and a records clerk -- are sorely needed because of increasing activity and growth in the city," Renshaw said. "Since the economic downturn we have been unable to add these vital civilian positions to our staff. This ensures we have adequate resources available when citizens call for assistance, and we are glad to see these positions may be funded."
To make room for the new or unfrozen positions, the city plans on eliminating many of its currently frozen positions.
Maso said many of the tasks assigned to the frozen positions have been met by the city's current personnel. While some of the frozen positions are proposed to be refunded, many will no longer exist, he said.
"There's really nothing common about today's economic climate, so we're being very cautious. Because of that, many positions have been frozen for several years," the mayor explained. "Part of what we've done with several of those positions is retrained employees to do more with less. Positions are now being taken care of by other employees, so there's no reason to add them back [which resulted in] the positions being eliminated."
The city will hold public hearings for the proposed budget on Aug. 27 and Sept. 4. Following those hearings, the city council will decide whether to approve the proposed budget or not at a regular city council meeting on Sept. 18. A new budget will then go into effect on Oct. 1, the beginning of the city's fiscal year.
Maso doesn't expect much opposition to the proposed budget; instead, he thinks Frisco residents will be proud of the job the city has done with its proposed budget.
"I thought it was a very positive [work session] -- I think our taxpayers are going to be very happy with the results," he said.
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