Town Council Special Meeting

Tyrone Town Council Meeting Minutes August 16, 2021 5:00 P.M. Present: Mayor, Eric Dial Mayor Pro Tem, Gloria Furr Council Member, Linda Howard Council Member, Melissa Hill Council Member, Billy Campbell Town Manager, Brandon Perkins Town Clerk, Dee Baker Finance Manager, Sandy Beach Town Planner, Phillip Trocquet Town Engineer / Public Works Director, Scott Langford Mayor Dial called the meeting to order with limited seating and broadcasted on YouTube Live at 5:00 pm, this was followed by the invocation and the pledge of allegiance. The public was invited to watch. Approval of Agenda Council Member Campbell made a motion to approve the agenda with the inclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance. Council Member Hill seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Consent Agenda: All matters listed under this item are considered to be routine by the Town Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately. Consideration to hire candidate Devon Boullion for the Environmental Specialist position. Sandy Beach, Finance/HR Manager Council Member Furr made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Howard seconded the motion. Motion was approved 4-0. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live August 16, 2021 5:00 pm Page 1 of 4 Public Hearing 1. Discussion on the millage rate of the Town for the fiscal year 2021-2022. Brandon Perkins, Town Manager Ms. Beach educated everyone regarding the millage rate. She stated that currently, staff suggested keeping the millage rate at 2.889 mills for the fourteenth year in a row. She explained that as the economy rises and falls, the Town had kept the millage rate the same, which was assessed by the County. The County takes the collective home values and multiplies that by our millage rate, which calculates citizen’s property taxes. The millage rate is currently 2.889 mills, the assessed value of homes in Fayette County and Tyrone have increased. The County takes the Town’s millage rate and multiplies it by the average cost of a home in the County, including Tyrone, this becomes your taxes. This would raise your taxes by 6.78%. She added that although we were not changing the millage rate, homes as a whole had increased causing the tax rate to increase. The average home in Tyrone costs approximately $350,000, some being higher, some lower. Last year the average for Tyrone was $325,000. She gave the example that if your home cost exactly $325,000 this year and the previous year, then you would pay $398.68 which was calculated to be $21.94 more than the previous year. The remainder of your tax dollars goes toward the County’s various services and departments. Ms. Beach displayed an example of a pie chart to better explain. Council Member Hill clarified that the $21.94 was the yearly increase. Ms. Beach agreed and added that it calculated to just over $2 per month to Tyrone only. Ms. Beach shared that the actual tax bill included many other fees that would be allocated to the County. She explained that 61.3% was allocated to the Fayette County Board of Education (FCBOE), 3.8% goes to the School Bond (FCBOE), 13.7% goes to Fayette County, 9.8 % goes to Fayette County Fire for Tyrone, 1.5% was allocated to EMS, and 7% goes to E-911. The last 9.2% is the Town’s percentage that comes to the Town to pay for staff, the police department, recreation events, road paving, new roads, and golf carts, among many other costs. Council Member Campbell clarified that the 9.2% came from $398.68, and the $21.94 increase was from last year. Ms. Beach shared that yes, that was the average. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone that wished to speak in support of maintaining the millage rate. No one spoke. Mayor Dial opened the public hearing for anyone that wished to speak in opposition to the item. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live August 16, 2021 5:00 pm Page 2 of 4 No one spoke. Mayor Dial asked if anyone had questions. Ms. Sharlene Alexander who lives on Anthony Drive spoke. She asked if the Town had a pie chart for the breakdown of the Town’s portion of the taxes. Ms. Beach stated that she did not, but she could assist her by looking at the budget. She added that the budget was on the Town’s website, however, not in pie chart form. Ms. Alexander stated that a pie chart would help the citizens understand how their taxes were being allocated. Mayor Dial shared that the material Ms. Alexander was requesting was discussed during the budget meetings. Ms. Beach stated that the preparation would take some time and added that although taxes were the main source of revenue, it was not the only source the Town utilized. There were also sales taxes, and business taxes coming in. Mayor Dial shared that Ms. Beach could provide some information to Ms. Alexander by the department. Ms. Beach stated that she could provide the information. Ms. Alexander inquired about the 13.7 % large section allocated to the county, and asked if the Town provided most of the services? Mayor Dial explained that the public hearing portion was not intended for a back-and-forth conversation, only comments. He requested that she stay after the meeting for a more one-on-one discussion. Mr. Danny Dolan who lives on Taylor Ridge Ct. spoke next. Mr. Dolan stated that he did appreciate the stability of the millage rate remaining the same for fourteen years. He also appreciated the measures that staff and Council took toward frugality. He then laid out some items for Council’s consideration before they considered adoption. He shared that based on the data from the past twelve months from the United States Labor Department, the inflation rate had risen by 4% since last year, from 1.4% to 5.4%. The highest since then was in 2011 at 3%. These are tough times for families. He stated that the Town pays the County for fire services, as the Town does not have a fire department. The County’s bill for our fire service is more than what we pay for the whole Town budget. This makes Tyrone the most taxed jurisdiction in the County. Mr. Virgil Fludd who lives on Castle Lake Drive stated that the Town’s budget was approximately $8.5 Million, and asked how much was allocated for reserves. He also added that after reviewing the budget online, was unable to locate how much the Town was investing in economic development. Mayor Dial suggested he stay after the meeting as well to discuss more at length. The public hearing was closed. Council Comments Council Member Campbell gave a shout-out to the Planning Commission Members, Chairman David Nebergall, Vice-Chairman Dia Hunter, and Commissioners, Carl Schouw, Jeff Duncan and Scott Bousqet. He added that Mr. Trocquet was an excellent Planning Commission administrative leader. They do a wonderful job; we all appreciate them. Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live August 16, 2021 5:00 pm Page 3 of 4 Adjournment Council Member Furr made a motion to adjourn. Motion was approved 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 5:19 pm. By: __________ ________________ Attest: ________________________________ Eric Dial, Mayor Dee Baker, Town Clerk Council Meeting – Social Distancing/YouTube Live August 16, 2021 5:00 pm Page 4 of 4