DECATUR -Opening shots were fired by members of the Decatur City Council on Monday in their annual debate over collecting property taxes.

City Manager Steve Garman recommended the city continue to stabilize its tax rate at $1.24 per $100 equalized assessed valuation.

The city expects to collect about $11.3 million in property taxes, an increase of about $625,000 over the previous year.

The plan drew criticism from Councilman Dan Caulkins, who said the city should focus on its levy, or the dollar amount the city seeks to collect in property taxes.

The city is required to set its levy before the end of the year, and the city should "ask for not one cent more, and perhaps less than we did last year," Caulkins said.

"If we continue to grow this community, the amount of money that we take from each person should go down," Caulkins said. "I think there are better and other ways than the property tax to fund this government, and at some point, we need to draw a line in the sand and say 'enough is enough.' "

Councilman Mike McElroy said Caulkins offers a "noble idea," but the city is faced with increasing pension costs for city employees.

McElroy said he would love to repeal revenue sources a previous city council enacted in recent years, including a 2 percent food and beverage tax.

"I'm all for changing all these things, too," McElroy said.

But he doesn't see evidence the city is wasting money.

"My point is, where does the rest of the cash come from?" McElroy said.

Caulkins said holding the line on property taxes the city collects would be a "powerful message" to the community.

Mayor Paul Osborne responded, "It's a powerful message, that's for sure. I'd agree with that, but that message has to be wrapped around reality.

"No one that I know of on this council wants to tax anyone any more than they should be taxed. I certainly don't, and I don't think anyone else does."

But the city also has a responsibility toward employees' retirement funds, and the city has "no control" over many of those costs, Osborne said.

"What you're saying sounds really good and is right," Osborne told Caulkins. "But we need to have a reality check, also, about how we do that."

The council is expected to resume its discussion of property taxes in December.

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.