Hamilton County Trustee Bill Hullander said assessments went up an average of 18.26 percent in Collegedale this year. Residential and farm properties are taxed at 25 percent of the assessed value, commercial property is taxed at 40 percent and public utilities at 55 percent. In Collegedale, there are 3,424 properties. City assessments go from $340 million in 2020 to $402 million in 2021.
The county also collects taxes from hotel-motel, Airbnb and VRBOs on behalf of Collegedale.
Those taxes will bring the city $12,500 this year. If everybody pays their property taxes, said Mr. Hullander, Collegedale will receive $5.5 million in 2021, which is an increase of $63,988 over 2020.
The city is receiving revenue above the budgeted amount from sales tax and hotel and motel taxes, said Finance Manager Michelle Toro, and in September, a large building permit revenue of $178,000 came from Mckee Bakery for its next phase. She told the commissioners that things are looking optimistic for Collegedale at this time of the year.
The commissioners approved an agreement that permits the parking lot at Scooters Coffee to be placed over a gas line.
Johnson Service Group, a head-hunter firm that specializes in technical businesses, will be used to help hire a staff engineer for Collegedale. The commissioners agreed to pay 20 percent of the first year’s salary, around $15,000, for finding the new employee.
The cost of paving Swinyar Drive was also given approval. The total expense came in at just under $15,000.
Mayor Katie Lamb told the commissioners that at the next workshop the city’s noise ordinance will be discussed. The commissioners have been receiving complaints about noise after 10 p.m. She wants to make sure that the ordinance is applied equally to all neighborhoods, including noise coming from The Commons, on the pickleball courts, and on the city streets where there have been complaints of noise from four-wheelers after 10 p.m.