NATCHEZ &8212; City taxes will not be raised, despite a recent advertisement titled &8220;notice of tax increase.&8221; The city has not raised the property tax rate.

The ad was more an advertisement for the city&8217;s public budget hearing than to alert the public to no changes in taxes, City Clerk Donnie Holloway said Wednesday.

&8220;We ran it that way, but it&8217;s really not (a tax increase),&8221; Holloway said. &8220;We have to run it by state law.&8221;

The ad cites an increase in the next fiscal year&8217;s projected revenue. This results from property reassessment and growth, Holloway said.

&8220;Reassessments, new businesses coming into town, new construction &8212; all of this would make revenue go up,&8221; he said.

Property assessments went up this past year because of normal growth, Tax Assessor Reynolds Atkins

said.

&8220;The total increase, including the city, county and schools, was about $5 million in property assessments,&8221; Atkins said.

The assessment increases resulted in a slight increase in revenue, accounting for a

$583,318 increase, according to the advertisement.

The city will hold a public hearing on next fiscal year&8217;s budget at 5 p.m. Thursday at the city council chambers.