The city

of Palmetto passed its customary property tax rate Monday night, but

not before Mayor Clark Boddie told residents why the city had conducted

recent public hearings on the issue.

Under the

new Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, cities are required to have public hearings

if the value of local properties increases, bringing in more revenue,

and cities choose not to roll back the tax rate to return the windfall

to the taxpayers.

"New

developments and reassessments are the two items that cause the tax

digest to increase," Boddie said.

When the

numbers had been crunched this year, City Administrator Bill Shell said

the city would collect just over $5,400 more in revenue this year.

The city

decided to set the tax rate at 4.5 mills, which has been the same for

the last nine years, and have the public hearings instead of adjusting

the millage rate downward, Boddie said.

A mill is

one dollar per thousand dollars of a property's assessed value, which

is 40 percent of its market value minus any exemptions. A mill usually

produces about $38 in taxes on a $100,000 home.

Boddie threw

open the meeting to comments from the residents, but with the audience's

silence as an affirmation, the council passed the millage rate unanimously.