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Tonganoxie staff weigh library district expansion that would shift mill levies
Summary
City staff presented a plan to expand the Tonganoxie library into a multi-township district under KSA 12-12-36, saying the change would lower the city's mill rate by roughly 3 mills while adding about 1.553 mills for affected township taxpayers; next steps include council review and possible legislative introduction.
City staff on Monday outlined a proposal to expand the Tonganoxie City library into a formal library district that would add Tonganoxie Township and Stranger Township under Kansas law KSA 12-12-36.
Lance Brockovich, the city staff presenter, said the district model would preserve the library’s current funding stream but shift how that levy is assessed. Brockovich said city taxpayers currently pay just under 6 mills in total, and the district would require roughly 2.763 mills to maintain existing library revenue. “So that target mil rate would be over a 3 mil levy reduction for city taxpayers,” Brockovich said.
Using the example of a $300,000 home, Brockovich estimated a city homeowner would save about $110 per year under the district model, while an affected county homeowner in the townships would pay roughly $54 more. Brockovich also noted that more than 93% of the library’s revenue now comes from ad valorem property taxes and that grants account for a small share of income.
The staff presentation flagged the fiscal rationale for the change: the townships currently send funds to the Northeast Kansas Library System but most of those dollars are not flowing back to the local Tonganoxie library. “If you’re in a district, it is. You’re gonna pay local, and it’s gonna stay at the local library,” Brockovich said.
Brockovich told the council that the legal path requires either a member of the Legislature or the city to introduce enabling legislation so the city can place the question on a ballot. He recommended the city council be briefed on updated numbers before any legislative outreach or ballot action.
The council did not act on the proposal during the briefing; Brockovich said staff will reengage with the library board and return with more detailed fiscal information and an implementation timeline if councilors want to proceed.
