Tax levies, mill rates not the same

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Three Marion County towns — Durham, Lehigh, and Goessel — will see no tax increases in 2022 if budgets they propose are passed.

For three others — Ramona, Lincolnville, and Tampa — taxes will go down slightly.

Tax collections in Marion, Hillsboro, Peabody, Burns, and Florence will increase between 0.8% and 3.8%.

Marion County, for its part, is proposing to increase its total tax levy 12.9%.

Tax rates are a different matter.

Property tax rates in Marion, Ramona, and Lincolnville remain essentially the same.

Hillsboro will see a tax rate decrease of 0.4%, and Florence’s tax rate will decrease by 11.5%.

Lincolnville, Ramona, and Tampa will see slight tax decreases with 2.5%, 1.1%, and 0.5%.

Lehigh, Burns, Peabody, and Tampa will have tax rate increases, with Lehigh increasing $9.1%, Burns increasing 6.4%, Peabody increasing 4.2%, and Tampa increasing 4.3%.

Marion County’s tax rate will decline 1.4%.

Instead of a lid on tax rates this year, state law requires taxing districts like cities to levy no more money than they did last year or conduct a special hearing to allow objections.

Only Durham, Lehigh, and Goessel will avoid such hearings.

All cities still will have regular public hearings before their budgets are adopted.

Marion is the only city that will see its debt increase in 2022. Figures provided on the city’s published budget summary show the city’s debt will more than double next year, with a debt increase of 127.7%, to $6.46 million.

Florence will see the biggest decrease in debt at 29.5%, to $86,912.

Lehigh’s debt will decrease 9.4%, to $175,241. Lincolnville’s debt will decrease 5.9%, to $177, 492.

Goessel’s debt will decrease 8.7% to $1.79 million; Hillsboro’s debt will decrease 8.1% to $12.13 million; Peabody’s debt will decrease 4.9% to $1.07 million; Burns’ debt will decrease 4.5% to $32,484.

The county’s debt will decrease 14%.

Durham and Ramona report no debt.