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ALTON - The Alton City Council members had a thorough discussion and vote on an amended tax levy ordinance, and a decision was made to retain the present levy for the upcoming budget year.
The amended tax levy ordinance would have resulted in a slight increase but the council voted to retain the number used last year.
“The comptroller recommended a slight increase in the tax levy to generate some new revenue,” Mayor David Goins said. “It would have raised taxes one-tenth of one percent. On an average household, it would raise taxes $26 a year or $2 a month and the average for businesses was $100-something a year. There was quite a bit of discussion and in the end, the council vote was to keep the rate the same as last year.”
During some of the discussions, Mayor Goins thanked his department heads for their hard work and constant watch on the budget and expenses.
In regard to the $20 million in funds to come from the American Rescue Funds Act, the council voted to move forward to develop a plan with how that will be spent.
Mayor Goins said the city has until the end of December 2024 to determine how the funds will be spent and that projects had to be completed by the end of 2026. Goins said now the council will determine where they can best invest the funds and formulate a plan.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden to speed up the country’s recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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