The Electric - City of Great Falls Discusses upcoming Public Safety Levy

City Commissioners resumed their discussion of potentially sending a $21.175 million public safety infrastructure bond to the November ballot

The Electric - City of Great Falls Discusses upcoming Public Safety Levy
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Read the article at The Electric by Jenn Rowell
“City Manager Greg Doyon said that they’ve been having this discussion and have recognized there were additional needs for infrastructure above the needs being asked for in the operational levy.
Doyon said the city has used voted general obligation bonds in the past, including in 1969 for about $1.9 million for four stations.
The city also used some general obligation bonds for library facility improvements in 1988 and two mills for library operations in 2000.
The community also approved a bond for the soccer park in 2003 and a neighborhood pools bond in 2006 for about $2.2 million.
The city asked the voters for a public safety levy in 2008 that failed.
Doyon said the city has the capacity for about $159 million in debt capacity, but that no responsible city manager would advise putting that much into debt service.
The city also has the ability to use about $3.1 million in non voted general obligation debt.
If the commission sends the infrastructure bond to the ballot, it’s separate from the operational levy.
The operational levy commissioners already voted to send to the ballot would, if passed, authorize the city to levy permanently up to 103.75 mills per year, to raise approximately $10,717,305. Based on the current taxable value of the city, the property taxes on a home with an assessed market value for tax purposes of $100,000 would increase by $140.06 per year and property taxes on a home with an assessed market value for tax purposes of $200,000 would increase by $280.11 per year,” according to the ballot language commissioners approved in March”

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