Fayetteville

residents will see another reduction in their

city tax bills this year, according to city

manager Mike Bryant.

City

Council will get its first look at the proposed

fiscal year 2000 budget during a work session

tonight, and Bryant said the finance staff is

projecting a slight tax reduction of less than a

tenth of a mill.

mill is one dollar per thousand of a home's

assessed value. A reduction of one-tenth mill

would save less than $4 in taxes on a $100,000

home.

"We're

not sure of the amount yet," Bryant said,

adding that the final budget numbers wouldn't be

ready until Tuesday or today. But when council

votes on the rate at which it taxes local

property late this year, the actual tax reduction

might be bigger than the budget anticipates

anyway.

For

instance, taxes in fiscal 1999 were reduced by

almost a third of a mill, though the budget

approved by council in August anticipated a

smaller increase, about two tenths of a mill.

"We

always take a very conservative look at the

revenues," he said.

"We

won't really know until the final digest [the

listing and valuation of all taxable property in

the city] is approved at the end of the

year," he added.

City

Council has not yet approved the tax decrease

projection in the budget, but since the group's

stated goal is to reduce taxes every year until

the city has no property taxes, Bryant said he

feels certain the group will approve the

recommended reduction.

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