City councilors last Monday discussed the 2009 budget and tax levy, and as proposed there would be a slight increase in the city portion of a property tax statement.

For a home with the estimated market value of $234,000, the increase would be between $2.50 and $5. For a home with an estimated market value of $330,600, the increase would be between $4 and $7. A home with an estimated market value of $708,500 would have an increase of between $9 and $17.

The city's finance director, Greg Sticha, submitted a report to councilors recomending a total preliminary levy of $10,174,565. He maintains in the report that it "is extremely fiscally responsible and maintains all current services and adds 1.75 full-time or equivalent deputies to the cities contract with the Carver County Sheriff's Department.

The property tax increases as a result of the city's tax levy would be between 0.5 percent to less than 1 percent.

The council is set to approve of a preliminary levy at their next council meeting, scheduled for Sept. 8. Once set, they may not go above this levy but can adopt a final levy below it. Sticha assured in the report that during the review of individual department budgets in Oct. and Nov., city staff sould look for opportunities to lower the levy by the time the council sets the final levy in December.

"If we could find about $100,000, the average value home would see their tax rate decrease," he told councilors.