At Tuesday's County Commission meeting, the County Commission convened a public hearing to discuss the revenue neutral rate for several rural fire districts, namely districts 2, 5, 6, and 7. During the hearing, a notable comment was made by Scott, who questioned the absence of specific tax increase figures in the presented information and requested transparency on this matter.
In response to Scott's inquiry, County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes addressed the issue by revealing that the proposed tax rate for the entire county would be 39.901 mills. He further explained that each fire district would have a distinct tax rate. For instance, Fire District #2 would have a proposed tax rate of 6.026 mills, Fire District #5's rate would be 5.530 mills, Fire District #6's rate would be 3.692 mills, and Fire District #7's rate would be 4.866 mills. Smith-Hanes emphasized that the impact of these rates would differ for each property owner based on their individual appraisals and assessments. He also noted that while the county's overall budget was set to increase by 7.77%, only those residing within specific fire districts would be affected by the corresponding mill levies.
The proceedings culminated in a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Saline County, Kansas. The resolution addressed the levy of property tax rates exceeding the calculated revenue neutral rates for Rural Fire Districts #2, 5, 6, and 7. The Revenue Neutral Rate for each district had been calculated by the Saline County Clerk. After considering the testimonies given during the hearing, the Governing Body concluded that surpassing the Revenue Neutral Rates was necessary for the proposed budgets of these fire districts.
The resolution, adopted on August 22, 2023, establishes the following property tax rates for each district:
- Rural Fire District #2 will levy a property tax rate exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate, estimated at 6.026 mills, resulting in a total levy of $224,984.
- Rural Fire District #5 will levy a property tax rate exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate, estimated at 5.530 mills, resulting in a total levy of $222,518.
- Rural Fire District #6 will levy a property tax rate exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate, estimated at 3.692 mills, resulting in a total levy of $51,925.
- Rural Fire District #7 will levy a property tax rate exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate, estimated at 4.866 mills, resulting in a total levy of $102,946.
This resolution takes immediate effect upon adoption and will remain in force until further action is taken by the Governing Body. The vote was passed 4-0, with Commissioner Shadwick not present.