Lexington Aldermen to Discuss Budget, Charter and More June 13th
FILE PHOTO/The Lexington Progress
Article by Steve Corlew
Now with a new Certified Tax Rate has been issued for Lexington, aldermen will have a clearer picture of what it will take to fund the city’s budget when they meet July 13th, at the Lexington Utilities Operation Facility, 180 Maple Street.
The meeting is set for 6:00 p.m. and will include a variety of city business from the second reading of the FY 2026-27 budget, water agreements with the towns of Sardis and Scotts Hill, and changes in how the city conducts business. The board will also hold meetings of the city gas, water, and electric system boards.
The city has set a public hearing on the budget and tax rate for that night, and according to the notice published in the July 1st edition of The Lexington Progress the city plans to fund the “proposed General Fund Budget using the current city Property Tax Rate of $1.1929 per $100 of assessed value as estimated while the city awaits the state assessed Certified Tax Rate.”
Multiple sources tell The Lexington Progress that the city may be looking at a tax increase again this year, just how much of an increase is yet to be determined. One possible move will be to leave the city property tax rate at $1.1929 per $100 assessment and not accept the Certified Tax Rate of $.9707 per $100 assessment. If they do that, property taxes will increase 22.99 percent.
A deeper look into the budget published by the city shows an increase of $864,738 in local tax revenue, which is a combination of property and other local taxes, to help fund the new budget.
Also, the new notice shows three new city employees added to the general fund budget. A previously published notice failed to show the number of employees. The budget also showed an increase of two employees for the Solid Waste Department.
Monday night is the normal meeting night of the board for discussing the Lexington-owned utilities business, but the Board of Alderman will also hold a special called meeting that evening.
Mayor Gordon Wildridge has stated any proposed tax increase would have to come from the Board of Aldermen, that it is their sole responsibility to approve a budget. Wildridge has said during recent budget discussions that there may need to be a slight tax increase to fund the budget.
During the month of June, the Board has been meeting to look for ways of balancing the budget, with discussion centering around such things as delaying step-up raises, employee bonuses, and longevity pay.
Since the June 9th budget workshop, department heads have been meeting with city hall looking into ways to trim the budget.
Since the city has not approved a 2026-27 budget it automatically is under a continuing budget which allows it to operate until a new budget is approved.
In July 2024, the Lexington Board of Aldermen approved a 15-cent property tax rate hike, and they still had to use funds from the city’s savings to balance the budget. That increase was only approved after months of debate where the board considered various proposals including one as high as 74 cent property tax rate increase.
