A state law called the Headlee Amendment protects reduces the amount of tax a city can levy over time.
Now city leaders in Holland say the reduction is getting close to going below the rate the city has operated with for 14 years at just under 14 mills, well below the city charter's limit of 17.5 mills.
They’re asking voters to approve an override to keep current levels.
“What would happen if this increment keeps going down is at some point then we'd be forced to levy less than what locally elected leaders have decided, So, although we're not looking to increase the mileage rate, we want to at least maintain the mileage rate that we've had historically.”
Holland City Manager Keith Van Beek says this is not a tax increase but an effort to avoid having to cut services in the future.
“We pass balance budgets every year. We come in under budget every year. We know we can continue to operate with the mileage rate that we currently levy, so we're just being proactive about this so that we can continue to provide efficient, effective services.”
The city is hosting open house presentations to help the public understand their positon on the Headlee Override Proposal; the first is this Wednesday.
Details on the meetings and the ballot issue are on the City of Holland website.
