Striving to maintain top-notch customer service while keeping the employees who carry out those services led the city staff to recommend a 3-cent property tax hike plus water and sewer and garbage bill increase for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The City Council appears poised to accept the recommendation when it adopts the 2021-22 budget next month.
The property tax and fee increases add up to $189 more a year for the owner of a home valued at $250,000, $218 for a home valued at $350,000, and $377 a home valued at $500,000.
The city has commissioned a pay and classification study to determine what it needs to pay police officers, firefighters, water and sewer workers and other employees to remain competitive.
Hendersonville City Council spent a combined six hours on Thursday and Friday discussing finances and established their values as well as goals for this year.