BENTONVILLE — When the Benton County Quorum Court meets Thursday, justices of the peace will levy property taxes for 2009 to be collected in 2010.
The proposed millage rates will result in a small tax break for Benton County residents, County Judge Dave Bisbee said.
A mill is one-tenth of a cent, and each mill produces $1 of tax for each $1,000 of assessed valuation on property. A property’s assessed value is 20 percent of its appraised value.
Should the new rates pass, the county road tax will be decreased from 2.2 mills to 1.9 mills, and the county general tax will be raised from 4.8 mills to 5 mills, the maximum allowed by state law.
“We are giving the taxpayers a tax break, even though it is a small break, about 1/10 of a mill,” Bisbee said.
Changing the millage rates means the county will be able to keep more of the dollars it collects, Bisbee said, noting the county must share money collected from the county road tax, keeping only 36 percent of the tax, while 100 percent of the county general taxes collected benefit the county.
While all of the county’s cities will be affected, Siloam Springs, Bentonville and Rogers will be the most affected by the proposed millage changes.
With the new rates, Siloam Springs will receive between $50,000 and $55,000 less in tax revenue, Bentonville will receive $250,000 less and Rogers will receive $325,000 less, Richard McComas, county comptroller, said.
The Quorum Court will also vote on an ordinance to increase fees charged to cities for housing prisoners in the county jail from $5 per day to $20 per day.
There also will be a vote on Bisbee’s appointments to the county dive team board. If Bisbee’s recommendations are approved, Chief Don Townsend of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office will serve a five-year term on the board; Jimmy Thompson, president of the Benton County Fire Association, will serve a four-year term; Rogers Fire Chief Thomas Jenkins will serve on the board for three years; Marc Trollinger, chief of the Hickory Creek Fire Department, will hold a two-year term and Capt. Mike Jones of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office will serve on the board for one year.
The Quorum Court meets at 6 p.m. at the Benton County Administration Building, 215 E. Central in Bentonville.
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