Residents of the City of Brookhaven will begin paying a little more for solid waste removal in 2023.

The 1.5 percent increase in tax assessment — from 1.5 mills to 3 mills — will result in approximately $190,000 additional revenue annually for the city. The services included in the rate are weekly household garbage pickup, leaves and limbs removal, and large debris/trash removal.

The increase has been proposed to help offset the costs of bringing the landfill into compliance with Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regulations, and to purchase new debris trucks for the Solid Waste Department. The rate increase will take effect Jan. 1, if passed by the Board of Aldermen.

A public hearing on the proposed ad valorem tax revenue increase, as well as proposed budget and tax levies for Fiscal Year 2023, will take place Tuesday, Aug. 30, at 5:30 p.m.

The City is now operating with a projected total budget revenue of $18,918,160. Of that amount, 30 percent or $5,642,884.22 is obtained through ad valorem taxes. For the next fiscal year, the proposed budget has a total projected revenue of $20,758,500. Of that amount, 29.2 percent or $6,070,848.84 is proposed to be financed through a total ad valorem tax levy. This levy will represent an increase in ad valorem tax millage. The proposed millage rate will be 39.9 mills.

The City plans to increase residents’ ad valorem millage rate by 1.5 mills from 38.4 to 39.9 mills. This increase means residents may pay more taxes on homes, automobile purchases, tags, utilities, business fixtures and equipment, and rental real property.

Any citizen of the City of Brookhaven is invited to attend the public hearing, and will be allowed to speak for a reasonable amount of time and offer tangible evidence before any vote is taken.