Remember how Mayor Dixon decided to revoke the property tax reduction last week?  Well, now City Council is fighting back.

Yesterday, City Council members said they will do everything they can to bring back the tax break — which includes cutting millions from Dixon’s budget to find the money for it.  Although they were careful not to use fighting words, they do seem to be putting their collective foot down. Said President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake: “We can protect the commitment that was made for an incremental property tax reduction. I feel very strongly that we owe it to our constituents to find opportunities to get there.”

Other Council members, like Robert Curran, are a bit more reluctant to challenge the budget: “I believe that in the long run the citizens want to maintain the service level that they are used to from all city agencies.” I would venture to say that — at the current exorbitant property tax levels — the citizens want a vast improvement in the service levels to which they are accustomed. But I’ll leave that point for you all to discuss.

City Council is able to cut items from the budget, but the mayor has veto power when it comes to property tax rates. So whether the Council’s mission is successful remains to be seen. The battle is likely to stretch until the last possible moment in June.

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