Butler City Council will consider amending this year’s tax and budget ordinances to raise the streetlight tax to the 2017 rate.

The streetlight tax, which council reduced by 1 mill to 2.25 mills in this year’s budget, was among many budgetary items council discussed at a special meeting Monday.

This year’s budget and tax ordinances, adopted in December, reduced the streetlight tax from 3.25 mills to 2.25 mills and lowered the city’s overall millage rate from the 2017 rate of 43.25 mills to 42.25 mills.

Mayor Ben Smith said the income generated by the streetlight tax will cover the electric bill for the lights, but some streetlights, especially on side streets, need repaired or replaced.

A proposal to amend the ordinances to return the streetlight tax to 3.25 mills will be presented at next week’s council meeting, he said.

A full story appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.