Johnson County residents are getting a glimpse of next year’s proposed budget at the Central Resource Library in Overland Park. The Overland Park library was handling information not yet on the books. “We want people to have answers to their questions about how their tax dollars are spent and what to expect from Johnson County’s level of service,” said Johnson County Commission Chairman Mike. Kelly said. On Monday, the library displayed about a dozen posters outlining the county’s plans to allocate its more than $1.8 billion budget to different public services. “It’s the reason people want to live here and it’s consistently ranked as one of the best places in America to live,” Kelly said. The proposed budget includes funding for seven additional MED-ACT EMTs, additional funding to cover sheriff’s department overtime, and a small decrease in the mill tax, which could slightly reduce some property taxes. “Johnson County has the lowest “Really, this is a maintenance budget with the weakening revenues we have and the cost of spending and inflation hitting us. We can really only maintain our existing services, not add anything new with the additional revenue we get this year,” said Johnson County Budget Director Robin Symes. The county budget has grown by almost a billion dollars in ten years. However, revenues are starting to stabilize and inflation is driving up costs. “Four or five years from now, we’ll probably have to review the budget and make some decisions. It’s not really sustainable right now,” Symes said. Symes said an influx of emergency COVID-19 funding used to help sustain some services has now dried up. For those who missed this session, another one will be held next Monday, June 10 at the Monticello Library. You can obtain additional information about the proposed budget. Is here.
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. —
Johnson County residents are getting a glimpse of next year’s proposed budget at the Central Resource Library in Overland Park.
The Overland Park Library dealt with information that was not yet in the books.
“We want people to get answers to their questions about how their tax dollars are spent and what to expect from Johnson County’s level of service,” said Johnson County Commission Chairman Mike Kelly.
On Monday, the library displayed about a dozen posters outlining the county’s plans to allocate its more than $1.8 billion budget to different public services.
“It’s the reason people want to live here and it’s consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in America,” Kelly said.
The proposed budget includes funding for seven additional MED-ACT EMTs, additional funding to cover sheriff’s department overtime, and a small decrease in the mill tax, which could slightly reduce some property taxes.
“Johnson County has the lowest mill tax rate in the state of Kansas,” Kelly said.
However, potential budget problems loom.
“Really, this is a maintenance budget. With the decreasing income we have and the cost of expenses and inflation hitting us, we can really only maintain our existing services, not add anything new with the additional income we are getting this year,” said Robin Symes, Johnson County budget director.
The county budget has grown by almost a billion dollars in ten years. However, revenues are starting to stabilize and inflation is driving up costs.
“Four or five years from now, we’ll probably have to review the budget and make some decisions. Right now it’s not really sustainable,” Symes said.
Symes said an influx of emergency COVID-19 funding used to help sustain some services has now dried up.
For those who missed this session, another one will be held next Monday, June 10 at the Monticello Library. Additional information on the proposed budget can be found here.
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