Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Mill Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Garden City commission approves resolution to exceed revenue-neutral rate after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing with multiple residents raising concerns about rising property valuations, the Garden City Commission approved a resolution to levy a property tax rate exceeding the revenue-neutral rate and signed the 2025 budget certificate authorizing a 38.492 mill levy, which staff said would generate about $11.35 million.
Garden City — The Garden City Commission voted Sept. 3 to approve a resolution to levy a property tax rate above the revenue-neutral rate and to sign the city’s 2025 budget certificate, following a public hearing that drew several residents who said rising appraisals are making homeownership unaffordable.
At the hearing, staff explained that the published 2025 budget included a mill levy of 38.492 and that the calculated revenue-neutral rate for 2025 is 36.033 mills. City staff told the commission the proposed levy would generate approximately $11,345,847 for city operations if adopted as presented.
Several residents urged the commission to avoid exceeding the revenue-neutral rate. “My home was increased by 27,730 this year,” said Steve Gestenslager, a Garden City resident who spoke during public comment, describing the impact on fixed-income homeowners. Another speaker, Larry Lawrence Green, asked commissioners not to go beyond the neutral rate and warned of affordability pressures for seniors and young families.
Commissioners responded with context about how valuations and other taxing entities affect property-tax bills. “I do need to say that we are not increasing the mill levy for the town,” one commissioner said, clarifying that the city has kept its mill levy flat but that valuation increases set at the state level can increase bills even when the rate is unchanged.
Commissioners and staff said they had made budget cuts and department reductions to limit the levy. One commissioner noted roughly $700,000 in budget reductions were made to keep the mill levy flat this year and described ongoing efforts to increase housing supply to alleviate valuation pressure.
After the hearing closed, a motion to approve the resolution to exceed the revenue-neutral rate was made and seconded. The commission carried the motion on a recorded vote and subsequently approved and signed the certificate of budget as presented.
What’s next: With the resolution and certificate approved, the city will implement the adopted levy in the 2025 tax cycle. Staff and commissioners encouraged residents who are concerned about valuations to participate in future meetings and review past budget hearings posted online for additional context.
