BY ANDREW MARDER — At the April 28 Hyattsville City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to keep the city’s real property tax rate level at $0.63 per $100 of assessed property value.
The motion passed with little discussion by councilmembers and just one resident speaking during public comment.
The eight present councilmembers (Councilmembers Paula Perry (Ward 4), Ruth Ann Frazier (Ward 5), and Joseph Solomon (Ward 5) were absent) agreed to keep the $0.63 rate for the 12th consecutive year. According to city budget documents, the last rate change came in the 2006 fiscal year, when it increased from $0.58 to $0.63.
The city’s assessable base is predicted to increase 4.7% in fiscal 2018, up from $1,804,625,195 to $1,889,092,997, according to the city.
Due to the State of Maryland’s constant yield tax rate provision, the council was required to vote on the $0.63 rate. The constant yield provision says jurisdictions must hold a public meeting prior to setting a tax rate, if that rate would increase the jurisdiction’s revenue derived from property taxes.
Hyattsville’s constant yield rate was determined to be $0.6018 per $100 of assessed value, according to the State’s Department of Assessment and Taxation, which prompted the council’s vote.
