JACKSON — With a temporary tax cut coming for the school system, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is expected to propose an equivalent one-time tax hike to pay for “high priority” projects in the city.
The Clarion-Ledger reports the net result would keep city residents’ tax bills the same in 2014, but the Jackson City Council would have to swallow a vote on a 5.53-mill tax hike nonetheless.
“We’re using it for high-priority projects — one-time expenses,” said Rick Hill, the deputy city administrator. But it’s not clear yet what those projects will be.
As of Thursday afternoon, Hill said Lumumba had not finalized his budget proposal, which is expected to be presented to the council on Monday. At around $1.2 million per mill, the additional taxes would be worth about $6.5 million.
Council members have said they will lobby for at least some of the money to be spent on infrastructure.
The council this year passed a measure that would have taken out a $10 million bond for street paving but rejected a later measure to move forward with the bond issue, effectively killing the proposal with an election looming.
Unlike his predecessor, former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., Lumumba opposes using bond money for streets, because debt payments can sometimes persist beyond the lifespan of the roads themselves. But with a street bond unlikely under the new administration, Budget Committee Chairman Tony Yarber said he wants to see the city use some of these dollars for repaving.
