This year’s property tax rate is unchanged from last year, at 9.75 mills, or $975 per $100,000 in assessed property value for homeowners, landowners and commercial property owners.

It’s the third year in a row of no change in the tax rate, though tax bills will go up for many property owners because their land and/or buildings are assessed at a higher value.

The assembly set the tax rate at its May 27 meeting, in a unanimous vote.

The tax rate is lower — just 4 mills — for the small number of taxable parcels outside the borough’s service area, such as remote parcels at Earl West on the east side of the island or at Meyers Chuck, south of Wrangell.

Total property tax revenues for the fiscal year that starts July 1 are estimated at $2.36 million, of which about $86,000 would come from properties outside the service area.

The estimated collection is up from $2.12 million this year and $2.1 million the year before that, because of higher assessments and new construction.

Property taxes supply about one-third of the borough’s general fund budget, second only to sales tax receipts.

Property tax bills will go out later this month and are due by Oct. 15.

Sales tax revenues for the next fiscal year are estimated at $3.7 million, about equal to the past two years. Under the municipal code, 20% of sales tax receipts is dedicated to the schools, with 80% to borough operations.

The general fund budget covers police and fire services, subsidies for Parks and Recreation and Nolan Center operations, the borough’s economic development and tourism work, and the local contribution to the school district.

The assembly held a work session May 28 to review next year’s budget, with a vote on the spending plan scheduled for June 25.

The draft budget would cut one police officer by attrition and make other cuts to hold general fund appropriations below last year’s total.