FORKS — The 2011 Forks budget currently projects a downturn in revenues from Twilight fans but an overall increase in sales tax because of the high school construction project.
The $4.48 million budget projects a revenue of $450,000 from sales tax for the year, said Mayor Bryon Monohon.
The first budget hearing conducted Monday night drew just a few community members, Mohonon said.
The budget is scheduled for final City Council approval Monday, Dec. 6.
The council will discuss the proposed budget again Monday, Nov. 22, at a 5:30 p.m. work session followed by the regular meeting.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is planned then.
The meeting will be held at the City Council meeting room, 500 E. Division St.
The $450,000 revenue projection is a slight increase over the August report of $416,500 in sales tax.
Best months
“June, July, August were the best months for sales tax receipts in the history of the city,” Monohon said.
“We budgeted what we were getting in 2008, plus the sales tax from materials on the new high school, but I won’t be at all surprised if that is a low estimate.”
In 2008 and 2009, the city received $340,000 in sales tax.
That, in addition to $95,000 expected in sales tax receipts from the construction of new portions of Forks High School next year, boosted the projection.
“We are estimating a little less for Twilight but a little more because of the high school,” Monohon said.
More than 70,000 fans have visited Forks this year in a trek to see the homeland of the fictional characters from author Stephenie Meyer’s vampire love saga Twilight.
The main characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen live in Forks, and their romance blossoms in the rainy town.
The city will not increase its levy by the 1 percent allowed by law, the council voted unanimously Monday night, Monohon said.
The city levied in 2010 — and will again in 2011 — a total of $307,416, said Finance Director Dan Leinan.
The rate in 2010 is $2.06 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Tax break
That means that the owner of a $200,000 home paid about $412 in property taxes.
Leinan didn’t know what the rate for 2011 would be yet.
The rate could increase some because property values were down — so in order to raise the same amount for the levy, the rate increases slightly, Leinan said.
Monohon said that within the budget, he has included a mayor-suggested initiative that includes lowering water and sewer rates by 10 percent.
One year only
The Forks City Council will consider that during final budget deliberations.
He wasn’t sure how much an average person pays on a bill or what the exact rates were but said that bills should be about 10 percent lower if the council approves his initiative.
“We do have Twilight, and that is doing well, but on the other hand, logging is hurting so much, and there are major chunks of the community going through a really hard time,” Monohon said.
Most likely the initiative would be for one year only, Monohon said.
“This isn’t something we can sustain, but for one year, we can give a small break in taxes,” he said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
