What is the financial analysis for public safety funding?

The impact of relying on property taxes could potentially add 15.02 mills of property tax funding for police and fire departments over the next four years. Using 2022 numbers, property taxes would increase by $270 for police and fire alone on a $400,000 house between 2022 and 2026. This also does not offer an alternate source of funding for police and fire capital improvements and will continue to force these improvements to compete for dollars with other infrastructure projects. 

The impact of a one-half cent sales tax adds $3,675,000 in revenue in the first full year to help decrease requests for property tax funding from police and fire departments. By 2026, the revenue increases to $4,254,272, helping to further decrease the police and fire departments’ reliance on property taxes as a source of funding. This also offers an alternate source of funding for police and fire capital improvements to help decrease competition for capital improvement sales tax dollars that are earmarked for infrastructure and improvements.

This increase will have a minimal impact to purchases within the City of West Fargo. A Costco bill with $150 of taxable items would see City sales tax revenue increases from $2.50 to $3.13, an increase of 63 cents. A trailer purchased for $7,500 would see an increase of City sales tax from $150.00 to $187.50, an increase of $37.50.

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1. What are the funding needs for public safety?
2. What is the financial solution?
3. What were the police decisions?
4. What is the financial analysis for public safety funding?
5. What does the City Measure say?