The 2022 municipal budget was introduced last month. A public hearing and adoption of the spending plan is scheduled during a special meeting of City Council tonight at 6:30 p.m., to be held via Zoom.

Revenue from the foreclosure registration fee peaked in 2017 and 2018, eclipsing $600,000 each of those years and has since declined each year, down to $313,000 in 2021. In its first year, 2015, the registry generated $322,500. This year’s budget anticipates $297,000.

In an effort to get dormant properties active, the city established a foreclosure registry, with an initial registration fee for properties of $500. The fee would increase each year that that a property was still on the registry: $1,000 after two years, $3,000 for the third year, and $5,000 in each subsequent year.

The $61.8-million municipal budget for 2022 will raise some $38.3 million via property taxes. The average assessed home ($133,000) is expected to see a $3 decrease in the municipal portion of their property taxes. The complete 89-page budget can be accessed here.

Last year, the budget was introduced in May and approved in June. Municipal taxes remained roughly the same for the average home, at about $3,611, with a municipal tax rate of $2.72 per $100 of assessed value. The municipal budget is one of three parts of the property tax bill and comprises about a quarter of the total. The school portion of property taxes accounts for about half and the county another quarter.