John Ogden
Port Huron City Council met last evening with the city’s finance director John Ogden for an update. The gathering was a specially scheduled meeting to replace one that would have been set for Christmas Eve. Six months into the current year’s budget, the report showed city departments are basically sticking to their allotted figures, however, looking ahead, there could be challenges presented by the personal property tax issue. Personal property taxes make up about 18.5 percent of Port Huron’s revenue, roughly $1.85 million annually. A recent proposal from legislative leaders seeks to gradually eliminate personal property taxes, which apply to property that is not permanently affixed to land. While the proposal includes specifics for cities to recoup some of the lost revenues, but Ogden said those options would not make up for the overall loss. Also, Ogden mentioned a large jump in the street lighting bill over the past couple of years which is expected to increase again for the year 2013. While DTE Energy owns and maintains the infrastructure of city street lights, the rate is authorized by the Michigan Public Service Commission.
