Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach city leaders on Wednesday adopted tentative property-tax rates for 2008-09.
Anna Maria City Commissioners proposed the same tax rate as last year - $1.7882 per $1,000 of taxable value - and Bradenton Beach City Commission lowered its tentative tax rate to $2.1539 from $2.2579.
City officials on the island say revenue loss wasn't as bad as anticipated, despite declining property values and state-mandated cutbacks, allowing them to propose the same or lower tax rates.
Anna Maria's operating budget is estimated to be $2.1 million this year, a revenue loss of about $141,000 or 6 percent from last year.
The city's budget maintains a 3-percent salary increase for city employees who started working a four-day workweek in staggered shifts this summer.
In Bradenton Beach, the $3.4 million budget - down from last year's $3.6 million - does not include a salary increase for employees.
City commission decided in July it would dip into its reserve funds if necessary to help balance the budget and lower the property tax rate.
Last week, Bradenton, which is facing a $2.7 million shortfall, adopted a tentative tax rate of $4.2843, an increase from $4.1134 in 2007-08.
On Monday, Palmetto adopted a tentative tax rate of 4.6662 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Palmetto is facing a revenue loss of about $450,000.
Anna Maria will hold a second hearing at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 23 to approve its budget and property tax rate.
Bradenton Beach's second budget hearing will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 24.
At all final budget hearings, city officials can lower tentative tax rates but they cannot be raised.
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