ROANOKE, Va. – More than a dozen people spoke at a public hearing before Roanoke City Council over the proposed Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget.
A number of items were discussed when it came to talking about funding for next year. The two common topics were Roanoke City Public Schools and the Mill Mountain Zoo.
10 News previously told you about the budget battle between the schools and the city.
It was brought up again during the public hearing by multiple parents including Emily Casey.
“I would propose that if the school system is not receiving 40% of the actual revenue, that the city reabsorb the six line items that the schools have been paying back to the city,” Casey said.
The other topic multiple people spoke about was the proposed tax rate.
However, there was some confusion from people over an agenda line item saying the city was raising the tax rate. It’s not the case.
Since revenue is expected to be up since property assessments are up, the council is required by state law to advertise the rate going up. The rate will stay at $1.22 per $100 of assessed value.
People still want the rate to go down though.
“Maybe you should think about lowering the rate a little bit, from a $1.22 down a little bit, to make it fair for everybody, if you’re getting an increase already,” Ronald Bailey said.
City Council is set to vote on the budget and tax rate at their May 13 meeting.
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