City council held its first public hearing on the proposed tax rate at a meeting Monday, Aug. 20.

The proposed rate for the 2018-’19 fiscal year is 72 cents per $100 valuation, 2.7279 cents less than last year’s rate. If the rate is adopted, taxes are expected to increase by 1.499 cents per $100 valuation due to a 10.5 percent increase in property appraisals.

“We’ve been in period of increasing values for past few years,” Finance Director Teresa Savage said.

One Sachse citizen, Jack Hawkins, attended the hearing to express frustrations about the proposed tax rate.

“I’m worried city council has forgotten they’re here to serve people and not departments,” he said. “Every department has wants and needs. People don’t need all the bells and whistles. Maybe it’s time to consider holding the rate flat for a few years and giving citizens a break.”

For the full story see the Aug. 30 issue or subscribe online.

By Morgan Howard • [email protected]