Most towns opt to raise tax levies
Staff writer
Nine of 12 towns in Marion County have put residents on notice that property taxes may increase.
The jurisdictions responded to a state deadline Monday to declare whether they expect to exceed the “revenue-neutral rate” that would bring them the same total property tax money as this year.
Among the towns, only Florence, Lehigh, and Ramona said they would keep their tax rates at the revenue-neutral rate or lower. Florence went one step further, declaring it would not exceed a property tax rate of 73.700 mills, below both its revenue-neutral rate and its current tax rate of 77.653 mills.
County commissioners voted Monday to reduce the county’s property tax rate ceiling to 67.282 from 69.870 mills, staying below the revenue-neutral rate.
Jurisdictions cannot exceed the rate they set this week, but can reduce it.
Kansas property tax uses the market value of real estate, and computes an “assessed amount” of 11.5% of the market value for residential property and 25% for commercial property.
Taxes due are the assessed amount divided by 1,000 and multiplied by the mill rate. Thus a 7.000 mill rate for a $100,000 residential property assessed at $11,500 would generate $7 x 11.5 or $80.50 for the year.
Of the nine Marion County towns exceeding revenue neutral, the largest declared millage increase is for the city of Marion, which announced authority to raise its tax rate by 3 mills.
Any jurisdiction exceeding the neutral rate must coduct a public hearing by Sept. 20 and vote on a final rate. The amount set by jurisdictions this week is a ceiling only.
Smaller taxing jurisdictions also must declare if they plan to exceed the revenue-neutral rate. Of 10 unified school districts, only Goessel USD 411 said it would not exceed the revenue-neutral rate.
All the county’s townships except Durham Park said they would abide by the revenue-neutral rate. Of the 14 cemetery districts in the county, only Lincolnville and Summit said they would raise their rates above the revenue-neutral rate.
Six of the 10 fire districts said they might exceed the neutral rate. All of the improvement districts and three of six watershed districts pledged to stay within the neutral rate, as did the St. Luke Hospital district.