ERIN MCDANIEL
City of Newton
NEWTON, Kan. — At a work session before Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Commission discussed the 2025 budget and a possible reduction in the City’s tax rate.
Newton’s assessed valuation rose by 12.7% for next year, a large increase after many years of relatively stagnant growth. If the City keeps its mill levy flat next year, it will bring in an additional $1.35 million.
The proposed 2025 budget includes four new positions at least partially funded by the General Fund: an engineer, an IT technician, a Street maintenance worker and Park maintenance worker. It also includes $477,000 for an anticipated 3% increase in employee wages following a planned classification and salary study to make sure the City remains competitive in the job market. The proposed budget projects a General Fund balance of 14% for 2025; the City strives to maintain a balance of 15%.
Commissioners said they would like to see some additional budget options that would reduce the tax rate since there was such a large jump in valuations. They also requested information on how much of that jump was from new construction in the city vs. increases on existing properties.
The City Commission has prioritized community development in recent years to help grow the tax base and create growth in valuation with new construction. Commissioners said they wanted to take advantage of that growth while also giving taxpayers a break, if possible. They also said they wanted to keep an eye on long-term budget projections, as continued increases in valuation aren’t guaranteed, and they don't want to reduce too much now and wind up needing large tax increases in future years.
The Commission will continue its budget discussions at a work session at 5 p.m. July 9.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.