OTTAWA — The Ottawa City Commission voted to cut a proposed property tax increase. Commissioners raised the mill levy for next year by nearly one mill last night, although city staff had proposed a two-mill increase. Commissioner Gene Ramsey said he didn’t want to increase taxes but it was necessary to have an increase. Tax protestors Brad Heathman and Della Sandgren urged the commissioners not to raise taxes at all. City officials say that if the economic slump continues, the city reserves would plummet without a tax increase. They say that otherwise, the city would face an even larger tax increase for 2011.
