NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Administrator Randy Partington said Tuesday is an important day for the Board of County Commissioners in the 2024 budget process.
"Right now, they not only see the expenditure requests, summaries and kind of how the state budget form would look, showing what, based on requests and cuts made by directors and myself, what the mill levy would be," Partington said.
Between valuation increases and increases in variable expenses like gasoline and road work materials, it will take some tough decision making from County Commissioners if they want to reach the county's Revenue Neutral Rate.
"This year, valuation went up a little more than 5 percent across the board," Partington said. "I know some people say, my residential went up a lot more, well commercial and state assessed kind of brought it down, to where it's a five percent increase. Our Revenue Neutral Rate would go from 38.808 mills to 35 mills and some change."
The draft of the budget Partington will present Tuesday would need additional cuts to get to the RNR.
"What they are going to be discussing is a mill levy rate that goes from the 38.8 to maybe 38.5," Partington said. "The maximum recommended budget is in front of them. That has a mill levy reduction, but it's about $1.5 million short in cuts to get to the Revenue Neutral Rate."
The intent is to approve letting the County Clerk know that they might exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate. That does not preclude them choosing to make those cuts, but rather gives them a few more weeks to make the decision. If they don't file to exceed, then they have to make the cuts, regardless of other circumstances or further information given them in the intervening time.
The detailed budget discussion will follow the commission's regular meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Veterans Room at the Reno County Courthouse.
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