Ankeny property owners will pay 90 cents less per $1,000 of taxable valuation under a $133 million budget approved this week by the City Council. The property tax rate will drop to $10.75 per $1,000 from $11.65 under the fiscal 2019 budget that takes effect July 1. Operating expenses account for $90 million of the new budget, while capital improvement projects make up $43 million. The budget includes a 5 percent increase in water usage rates and an anticipated 10 cents per month increase in solid waste rates. Plans call for adding 20.5 full-time equivalent employees, including three patrol officers, 12 fire personnel, a human resources coordinator, a network technician, a civil engineer, a traffic engineer, a customer service representative and a part-time permits clerk. Capital improvement projects include a new library, Ankeny Boulevard and First Street intersection improvements, construction of the water booster station, and reconstruction of the First Street interchange at Interstate 35. Under the new budget, the owner of a $201,550 home will pay about $11 more each year for city services, while the owner of a $1 million business will pay an estimated $253 less, according to a release.