The Waukee City Council will consider a budget today that will lower the property tax levy to $13.40 per $1,000 of taxable valuation from the current $13.50, the first reduction in the city’s property tax levy since fiscal 2001. The reduction can be attributed to passage late last year of a 1 cent local option sales tax. Waukee, as with other Dallas County communities, made a reduction in property taxes a key element of the local option sales tax campaign. In Waukee, the tax is expected to generate an additional $2 million per year. The budget breaks down this way: Basic operating expenditures of $12.5 million, business/proprietary expenses of $23.2 million, debt service expenditures of $7.4 million and capital improvement expenditures of $22.6 million. The full proposed budget totals nearly $74.2 million. The City Council also will vote on proposed utility rate increases. If approved, a $4.34 monthly billing increase for the average Waukee household will occur. The specific increases include $1.34 per month for water, $2.75 per month for wastewater and 25 cents per month for stormwater. The City Council will have a public hearing on the fiscal 2019 budget, which takes effect July 1, at 5:30 p.m. today at Waukee City Hall.