After introducing a tax rate of $0.8375 per $100 of assessed valuation on April 8, Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall instructed staff to plan on adjusting the rate to the current rate of $0.8275 before a public hearing set April 22.
From left, Berlin Council Vice President Dean Burrell, Mayor Zack Tyndall and Councilmember Jay Kerr discuss the town’s tax rate during a work session April 8.
Charlene Sharpe / Bayside Gazette
By Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
Berlin officials have made it clear they are not planning to increase the town’s tax rate.
After introducing a tax rate of $0.8375 per $100 of assessed valuation on April 8 through first reading ordinance, Mayor Zack Tyndall instructed staff to plan on adjusting the rate to the current rate of $0.8275 before the public hearing April 22. He said adjustments had been made by the council during last week’s budget work session to address the majority of the projected fiscal year 2025 shortfall.
“I think the public hearing should reflect the discussion from the general fund work session so it should be .8275 per $100 of assessed value,” Tyndall said.
In a lengthy budget work session last Tuesday, elected officials reviewed a proposed $13.5 million budget. Though the discussion started with a $161,000 shortfall, adjustments were made to eliminate the projected deficit. Tyndall noted revenue had not been identified, however, to cover the additional funding request made by the Berlin Fire Company for fire and EMS.
“We will consider that during our next work session which is next Monday,” he said. “We have asked the fire company and EMS to provide some supplemental information.”
Tyndall said while the town had advertised for a potential one-cent increase, there was now no need for the tax hike notion to move forward at this time.
“This is just a draft ordinance, it is not written in stone,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said.
Finance Director Natalie Saleh expressed concern, however, since the town already advertised the higher rate and was required to advertise multiple times before the public hearing on April 22. She said the rate should be adjusted during the public hearing.
Tyndall disagreed and said he’d like to see the advertising adjusted to the public would know the actual tax rate being considered. Councilman Steve Green said the town could likely adjust the advertisement and have it run in the newspaper twice before April 22, thereby satisfying the advertising requirement. Saleh said she’d check with state officials to ensure the rate could be changed prior to the public hearing.