By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas Senate bill that failed to gain any traction last year is back on its way through the state legislature. Senate Bill 13 would lift the tax lid on local taxing entities but would force them to be more transparent in how they generate funds. The bill is seen as an effort to hold local government entities more accountable financially.
“Technically, there’s no tax lid,” County Administrator Randy Partington said. “It’s making cities, counties, other taxing entities...any increase in taxes assessed above the revenue neutral rate they would have to go through this notification process.”
While that may sound good, for the county it will make things more difficult in other ways, especially if the budget sees a noticeable increase in financial need.
“It gets rid of the tax lid,” Partington says. “But it causes a lot of extra red tape and paperwork and process that’s going to cost cities and counties money.”
One good thing for taxpayers is that it will let you see how you are being taxed by each government entity and education system.
“What it does is it puts it all on one notice for all of the taxing entities that they pay for,” Partington said. “Instead of a mill levy, what they’ll see, for a $100,000 home, here’s what my taxes will be for Reno County, City of Hutchinson, Hutchinson Community College and etc.”
All government entities and education systems already post budget hearings and their numbers each year. Partington says in that aspect this will be no different.
“We’ll still publish the budget, put a public hearing notice ten days before the public hearing,” Partington said. “All taxpayers have the right currently to come and protest or comment about the budget before it’s adopted.”
While all government entities hold a public hearing on the budget, few if any of the public traditionally show up to speak on it.