SHELBY — Eligible Shelby voters will be met with six city issues to decide on when they visit polling locations.
Four charter amendments and two renewal levies are featured on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Property tax issues for the city’s health and parks departments are both renewals, meaning the levies will not result in tax increases for residents.
If passed, both five-year, 1-mill renewals would each continue to generate about $127,000 annually for the respective departments, according to Brian Crum, Shelby’s director of finance and public record.
Each levy costs property owners approximately $35 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised property value.
If renewed Nov. 5, both taxes would commence in 2025 and expire in 2029. Collection would begin in 2026 and run through 2030.
Levies assist both departments with general operations
One of the Shelby Parks Department’s biggest expenses is Seltzer Pool.
Despite nearly breaking even this summer, which Crum said is abnormal, the city pool typically operates at a loss.
“The levy does supplement that income, to make sure that (pool) happens,” he said.
Funds from the taxes also support projects taken on by the parks department — such as the recent installment of new playground equipment at Seltzer Park.
“We’ve gotten a lot of donations for those, to help with the costs,” Crum said. “But levy money is going to that (park projects) too. We’re planning some more improvements.”
Past spending of levy funds have also gone toward completing costs of projects such as Shelby’s pickleball courts and disc golf course.
Tax dollars also assist with general operations, maintenance and upkeep of the city’s parks.
The Shelby City Health Department pays its employees with funds brought in from the levy.
Crum said there are benefits in regards to the city having its own health department.
“We can do birth and death certificates here, whereas everybody else in the county has to go to the county health department to do that,” he said.
Services such as citywide clean-up days, mosquito trapping/fogging and a variety of informational programming is also financed by generated levy funds.
“From what I understand, neither the park nor the health levies have ever really been challenged,” Crum said. “It seems like everybody sees the benefit of them and chooses to support them, which is nice.”
City seeks to pass 4 charter amendments
Shelby voters will also cast a decision regarding four proposed amendments to sections 7, 24, 31 and 36 of the city’s charter.
All four charter amendments propose several city official positions — including the mayor, director of law, director of finance and public record and city councilmembers — assume office on the first day of January.
Shelby City Council does not have the power itself to make such amendments. It can only send the proposed language changes to voters.
Crum said the four amendments on this year’s ballot are ultimately clerical changes, meant to help the uniformity of when city officials begin their terms.
For example, current charter language says Shelby’s mayor-elect shall “assume office on the first day of January, (at) 12 o’clock noon.”
“That means whoever was prior, technically they’re employed for half of a day, which is really annoying, because do they get paid for that half of the day?” Crum said. “It doesn’t make sense.
“All of those charter amendments are all really just clerical to make life easier for everybody,” he said.