Clarksville Town Council raises rate

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August 1, 2012

Clarksville Town Council raises rate

Unanimous vote will raise tax about $28 per year per $100K valuation

By MATT KOESTERS matt.koesters@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Wed Aug 01, 2012, 08:34 AM EDT

CLARKSVILLE — The Clarksville Town Council raised the rate on its cumulative capital development fund at a special meeting Monday.

The fund’s rate went from $0.022 to $0.05. Clarksville residents who have not yet reached the circuit breaker property tax cap can expect their town taxes to go up about $28 per $100,000 of assessed property valuation.

The rate increase passed unanimously, with Councilman Tim Hauber absent from the meeting.

The cumulative capital development fund is used for major capital purchases like police cars and garbage trucks. Council President John Gilkey said the council has received requests from its police and street departments for several new vehicles, including a garbage packer that will cost “a couple hundred thousand dollars.”

“It’s a pretty expensive piece of equipment,” Gilkey said.

The police department is looking to replace several Ford Explorer sport utility vehicles in its fleet. Clarksville Police Chief Mark Palmer said the Explorers in the fleet are getting about 11 miles to the gallon.

“It’s been my recommendation that we get rid of those as soon as possible just to save gas or the cost of gas,” Palmer said in a phone interview Tuesday. “We did a study, and some of the other departments have put together numbers that show that by switching to the V6 or even the V8s that have the capability of going down to [four cylinder at times]. With normal wear it will save gas. It’ll pay off in the long run.”

Palmer said he wasn’t sure what the exact cost savings would be, as he’s not sure yet what the council will give him. He said he requested 13 new vehicles for the fleet. Also, the intense summer heat has had a skewing effect on gas usage within the department this year, Palmer said.

“With the way the heat has been this year — of course, these guys are running around with full gear and protective vests, so the air conditioner is on — we’re going to have to wait until the end of the heat wave to hit before we can give a projection for next year.”

MONEY ON THE MOVE FOR FIRE FUND

The council also devised a plan to move about $400,00 into the fire department fund from the town’s insurance fund and local option income tax money.

Gilkey said the fire department fund was underfunded by the previous council. The town is self-insured, and Gilkey said there was enough revenues to divert some of the insurance money.

“There’s actually enough money to carry the town for three years,” Gilkey explained.

CLARKSVILLE WEIGHS OPTIONS ON FLOOD CONTROL

The council will meet in executive session Thursday night to discuss issues the town has with a proposed plan by the Jeffersonville-Clarksville Flood Control District for pumps that will deal with the outflow from Jeffersonville’s new wastewater treatment plant. The plant’s outflow will go into Cane Run Creek, and the flood pumps the district is looking at installing are inadequate, according to a hydrological study contracted by the town.

“They think our data’s wrong. We think their data’s wrong,” Gilkey said. “We’re looking at the options that are available at this point. Nobody’s publicly threatening to sue anyone, but we need to know what our avenues of legal recourse are if they proceed with the course of action that we think is inadequate.