City councils in Des Moines and West Des Moines approved budgets for fiscal 2017 that hold the line on property tax levies while also factoring funds to boost hiring.

Property owners in Des Moines will be charged $16.92 per $1,000 of taxable value to help fund a $612 million budget that includes $93 million in capital improvement projects and the creation of 15 jobs for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The tax rate has been at the same level for five years.

A five-year, $430 million capital improvements plan calls for $37 million in streets improvements, $32 million on the rehabilitation or replacement of downtown bridges, $5 million on improvements to City Hall and $3 million for the demolition or repair of the parking garage at Fifth Avenue and Walnut Street, where a high-rise residential and commercial building has been proposed. About 45 percent of the capital improvements are paid from property taxes, with the remaining funds from a mix of state and federal dollars and other sources.

The West Des Moines City Council voted to hold its tax levy at $12 per $1,000 of taxable valuation to help fund an operating budget of slightly more than $170 million, including $46.4 million in capital improvements for the year that begins July 1. The tax rate was lowered to $12 from $12.05 for the current fiscal year. 

The budget calls for adding the equivalent of 10 full-time jobs, primarily in public safety.