Curtiss residents to pay similar taxes in 2023

The village of Curtiss increased it’s proposed budget from last year to this year by over $50,000 due to the ability to tax the Abbyland apartments that went up last year.

The 2023 budget included a total revenue line of $313,326 with $150,950 coming from the village tax levy. That is up 17 percent from the estimated 2022 total of $259,131. Likewise, the levy is up 24 percent over the 2022 estimated total of $114,419.

The rise in tax levy and overall revenues comes in large part due to the addition of $9.5 million in estimated assessed value of the Abbyland Apartments that were completed in 2021.

Board member Jonathan Unruh said the addition of the apartment buildings allowed the city to increase their levy and in turn, will help pay for a city-wide assessment in the coming years.

“Residents really shouldn’t see any increased taxes,” he said.

The extra revenue was budgeted to go towards a police officer fund which would allow the village to have a part time officer from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office patrol the area in the future, a city wide assessment, and other various maintenance and street budget items.

Unruh said the line item for the sheriff’s deputy might not take effect for this upcoming year but the village hopes to have a deputy there part time in the near future.

The village-wide assessment planned for 2023 would cost the village $13,000. The village was notified by their appraiser that the Department of Revenue would be reaching out to require a village-wide appraisal. Preliminary field work for the appraisal could begin as early as November 2022.

The water budget will see about a $3,000 decrease in its income for 2023. The water department has been able to save $62,603 and $59,404 over the past two years but that money has been placed into an expansion fund that will be used for the upcoming water and sewer plant expansion that is on the horizon for the village.

Other business

n The village ran through a series of zoning issues that they would want to take care of. Instead of doing them one at a time, the board elected to gather what areas needed to be re-zoned and plans to do them all at once to save on public notice fees.

n A number of items were tabled as Department of Public Works director Larry Swarr was on vacation for a period of time leading up to the meeting. Those items will be addressed at a later meeting date.