HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council will get their look at the 2021 budget and set a public hearing date during Tuesday’s agenda session.
The budget holds the line on the tax levy at 44.431 mills, excluding Hutch Rec which will also remain the same at 3.6 mills.
The budget totals $91.9-million on total taxes levied of $13.8-million. The budget takes a large bite out of the ending fund balance for the city, dropping the cash reserve in the general fund to $3.9-million.
The proposed budget does not currently include funds to make the Human Resources position full-time. That came in the wake of the Hutchinson Community Foundation retracting their support to help fund the position over a three-year period. The agency stated that with the Council's mixed feelings on the matter, the offer was withdrawn.
The city expenditure increases to $54,352. There was much discussion regarding the position when some felt that the scope of the work did not justify the expense since so few cases were being presented. Some pushed to expand Detjaeda Moore’s duties with the city to enable it to go to a full-time job with benefits.
If approved by the Council, the public hearing on the budget will be held August 18, at 9 a.m. during the regular City Council meeting.