EARLY – During a special called meeting Tuesday, the Early City Council unanimously approved a proposed tax rate of .6600 cents per $100 valuation for the 2025-26 fiscal year, an increase from the current .5992 rate. However, the near seven cent increase is considerably less than the near 20 cent increase from 0.3993 to 0.5992 the year prior.

Early City Administrator Tony Aaron during the meeting explained the reasoning for the need to increase the tax rate again for the coming fiscal year.

“That increase generates about $270,000 in new property tax rate revenue and those dollar amounts are going to police and fire,” Aaron said. “Raises are about $90,000 of that, a new firefighter position is $70,000, a dispatcher is $70,000, then $30,000 in software costs and $10,000 to operate dispatch.”

Aaron further elaborated that the City of Early will soon be dispatching its own emergency calls during the day from Early City Hall, and the new dispatcher will be receiving an estimated $70,000 in salary and benefits. Night time calls will continue through the Brown County Dispatch office.

The median valuation of a home in Early is currently $193,791, and with a .66 tax rate that would result in $1,278.62 in property taxes. On opposite ends of the spectrum, a home valued at $50,000 would pay $330 in property taxes and a home valued at $300,000 would pay $1,980.

A public hearing on the proposed tax rate is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, with the proposed tax rate expected to be adopted at a 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 meeting, both at City Hall.