Asheville property taxes: more clarity on upcoming tax bills
ASHEVILLE - Following forecasts of a likely county property tax increase, city officials have not ruled out following suit with a city increase on top of it.
City Council members did not say at an April 27 budget work session whether they would follow the county s lead and seek to raise the city tax rate. But Asheville budget staff revealed a revenue neutral tax rate that will help property owners begin calculating potential bills.
Property owners pay layers of property taxes, starting with the county s and then including any rate charged by municipalities or other taxing authorities in which they lie. That means an Asheville property owner would pay the county rate, the city rate and possibly the Asheville City Schools rate. New rates take effect at the beginning of the July 1 fiscal year.
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North County civil rights groups are asking the Oceanside City Council to “revisit” last week’s appointment of real estate agent and drug-and-alcohol counselor Kori Jensen to the District 1 seat formerly held by Mayor Esther Sanchez.
“A multitude of discrepancies and unanswered questions” about Jensen’s residency, background and experience in the district have left people wondering whether her appointment “was an error or intentional fraud,” states a news release jointly issued by the Oceanside Justice Coalition, the North San Diego County NAACP, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, and Oceanside Sanctuary Pastor Jason Coker.
“To set things right, the district seat should go to a candidate who understands the pulse of its district and is deeply connected with the communities whose voices have been missing for too long in city government decision-making,” the release states.
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Facing the possibility of a six-hour or longer meeting to interview a record number of applicants, the Oceanside City Council decided last week to change a policy it adopted a year ago to bring “transparency” to the political appointment process.
Thirty-six people initially applied to be appointed to the two years remaining in the District 1 council seat left vacant by the election of Mayor Esther Sanchez. One person has since withdrawn. The interviews and a possible selection are set for Jan. 27.
Instead of all 35 applicants, the council voted 3-1 last week to interview only the top five picks of each council member. Their choices will be announced to the city clerk at the Jan. 27 meeting, which would mean a maximum of 20 interviews and probably fewer if some choices overlap. Also, they will shorten each interview to five minutes instead of 10.
Grants ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. A tiered system that considers the business type and financial impact of COVID-19 will be used to determine grant amounts. Small businesses are the drivers of economic growth in our city, and this program will get funding to those that need it the most, said Mayor Esther Sanchez. We are committed to helping our businesses survive through this challenging time. I am hopeful that Oceanside restaurants and other small businesses will regain the strong momentum they had before the pandemic.
Oceanside is partnering with MainStreet Oceanside and the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce to manage the program and disburse funds to eligible Oceanside businesses. MainStreet will take applications for downtown businesses and the chamber will take applications for businesses elsewhere in the city
OCEANSIDE (KUSI) – The second round of Oceanside Small Business Grants will open to business owners at 8 a.m. Monday as part of an effort by the Oceanside City Council to keep small businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, the council approved a grant program to provide financial assistance to local businesses impacted by COVID-19. The program is funded with $750,000 in unused funds from the COVID-19 business loan program that began in April 2020.
This second round of grants builds on the initial grant program where 130 local businesses were awarded $257,000, along with a no-to-low interest business loan program, a shop local campaign, relaxed business regulations and a utility relief program.