Nothing changing on Rogers property taxes

ROGERS — City Treasurer Jerry Hudlow will ask the Rogers City Council at its meeting Tuesday to approve this year's property-tax rate. It's the same rate he's been asking the board to approve since he arrived in Rogers seven years ago.

If approved, and the council doesn't have a lot of choice in the matter, the city will levy a 4.8 percent property-tax rate, broken down the same as last year:

◊1.4 percent will go to the city'sgeneral fund;

◊0.5 percent will go to the local fire pension;

◊0.5 percent will go to the local police pension;

◊0.9 percent will go to the library; and

◊1.5 percent will go toward improvement bonds.

Hudlow said the city will budget about $1.5 million for the general fund from that 1.4 percent slice.

It is too early to determine how much the city received in property taxes this year. Many people, including Hudlow, wait until closer to the Oct. 10 deadline to pay their property taxes to the county, from whichRogers taxes its 4.9-percent share.

There is one way the tax rate could decrease, Hudlow said, but it looksunlikely in this economic climate. If the total collections increase more than 10 percent, the county would have to roll back the tax rates, Hudlow said.

The only other item on the council's agenda is an ordinance authorizing a contract with Landers Auto Group of Benton for the purchase of two pickup trucks for use by the Street Department.