Decatur City Manager Nate Mara presented a rough draft of Decatur's FY 2025 budget Monday night, as well as the city's proposed 57.75 cent per $100 valuation property tax rate.

The proposed levy is a .35 cent-decrease from its current 58.11-cent property tax rate. The maintenance and operations portion of the proposed levy decreased slightly to 39.91 cents, while the debt service rate increased to 17.84 cents.

With $729,559 in additional revenue projected, the tax rate is higher than the no new revenue rate, but Mara said would not be subject to a recapture since it's below the voter approval tax rate.

The average homestead value in Decatur decreased 12 percent from $267,094 to $256,939. But with $19 million in new construction, the city's total total taxable property value increased to $1.37 billion from $1.24 billion.

Additional city revenue projections include $6.9 million in sales tax collections and additional revenue from permits, fees and Decatur Conference Center receipts. The budget would fund two new police positions and one new position for the fire, emergency communications and public works departments.

Other budget highlights include the creation of an employee merit program and implementation of public safety step pay.