Wymore council adopts 2023–24 budget, amends final tax request and approves 1% tax authority increase

The Wymore City Council unanimously adopted its 2023–24 fiscal year budget at the Sept. 20 meeting and amended its Final Tax Request after members identified a missing figure in the draft resolution.

Mayor Collin Meints presided over the meeting as City Attorney Andy Carothers read Resolution 2023-06. During the reading, Tony Jerina noted a missing number in the document; Councilor Sue Sapp withdrew her initial motion and the council approved an amended resolution after the correction. The council then approved a separate motion to increase the city’s tax authority by 1%.

Councilor Max Allen moved to adopt the budget; the motion carried 4-0. The council also accepted a proposal from Lengemann & Associates to perform the annual city audit for $12,500, a procurement the clerk said followed other firms’ declines to bid due to capacity constraints.

Why it matters: Adopting the budget and the final tax request sets the city’s spending plan and the legal tax levy for the coming fiscal year. The 1% tax authority increase authorizes a modest raise in taxing capacity under state rules; council members did not specify a change in the city’s levy rate at the meeting.

Details: The motion to adopt the budget passed unanimously. The amended Resolution 2023-06 was read aloud by the city attorney and approved after the missing figure was corrected. The council recorded no votes against on these measures. The Lengemann & Associates audit contract was approved 4-0; Councilor Max Allen asked the clerk to check whether the firm could also prepare the annual budget.

Next steps: The council did not set additional hearings on the budget at the Sept. 20 meeting. Any administrative follow-up on tax levy implementation and formal notice to county authorities will proceed through the clerk’s office.