Property Tax for Durham could rise

The property tax for Durham could rise by one cent for the 2015-2016 budget. The increase would be for new firefighters and police which to me seems like a worthy cause. The departments do need to show a need and also how the new officers would be utilized. The current property tax for Durham is 59.12 cents per $100 valuation. The one cent increase would mean a $35 increase for a house valued at $250,000 for instance. Of course this comes at a time when the state legislature is reducing the amount of money it is giving to cities potentially causing even higher tax rates. Hopefully things will settle down quickly as the budget for Durham is due in May and has to be balanced. Glad I am not the Mayor.