Both city and county commissioners are beginning their deep dives into what will eventually be the 2026 fiscal year budgets.
During their regular study meeting Wednesday afternoon, Emporia City Commissioners received an overview of city tax funds as part of their budgeting process. According to the overview, the city’s general fund is anticipated to fall below the recommended 15 percent reserve level by the end of 2026.
While this is only a projection, City Director of Finance Janet Harouff says the fund will need to be closely monitored, but thankfully, there are several “levers” that can be pulled if necessary to help reduce financial impacts to the fund, none of which would be detrimental to the city’s operations. This includes holding positions open and deferring non-critical capital improvements
As for the city’s bond and interest and multi-year funds, Harouff reports both are in “good shape” heading into the new fiscal year, thanks to the city’s savings in anticipation of bond repayments. The multi-year fund, meanwhile, is projected to have a carryover attributed to the city’s dedication to completion of all budgeted projects by the start of the new fiscal year.
Also, as part of the city’s discussions Wednesday, commissioners focused on the city’s mill levy rate, specifically, two possible directions for the rate this year. The two options being considered are either to reduce the levy by 1.5 mills or keep it flat at 46.119.
City Manager Trey Cocking:
With this in mind, Cocking says if the city were to keep the levy flat at 46.119, plans are to take those 1.5 mills which equals out to just over $300,000 and invest those funds in needed street repairs across the community.
Commissioners will have further discussions on the matter in the coming weeks. Wednesday’s budget discussion followed the 2024 audit review from Hood and Associates, with the city receiving a clean opinion.
Further details from Wednesday’s meeting are available below.
The city commission’s discussions came just a few hours after Lyon County Commissioners convened for their first budget review study session inside of the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers Wednesday morning. Lyon County Controller Dan Williams, who declined a recorded interview with KVOE News at this time, stated this was the first “blush” at the budget for commissioners following weeks of allocation requests from local and area agencies and non-profits.
With that in mind, Williams says there are no firm numbers to report as of yet; however, commissioners have stated their goal this fiscal year is to keep the county mill levy flat at 56.972 mills. Some obstacles could affect those plans, according to Williams, at the local, state and federal levels.
Locally, Williams says inflation and the “cost of doing business” will present some challenges, namely a projected 15 percent increase in liability insurance and an estimated 10 percent minimum increase in employee benefits. Williams also says as prices and costs continue to increase, the amount of spending from residents decreases, which will take a toll on county revenues.
As for the state and federal levels, Williams says the county can anticipate some trickle-down impacts from funding policies and changes at said levels; however, given that those situations are in constant flux at this time, the exact scope of said impacts remains “up in the air.”
County commissioners will convene for their next round of budget discussions at 8 am Tuesday inside of the County Courthouse Commission Chambers.
Additional actions by Emporia City Commissioners Wednesday:
During their regular action meeting, commissioners approved the following items:
*Awarded a bid to APAC-Kansas Shears Division for just over $786,900 for the annual street resurfacing project.
*Accepted a Build Kansas Matching grant for airport lighting repairs totaling $49,778.
During their study meeting, commissioners discussed the following items:
*Updates to Quaker Park, including a new climbing wall, which is being largely funded by a recent grant awarded to the United Way through Evergy, totaling $10,000, as well as an anonymous donation from a resident.
*NFC grant
