Residents will pay higher bills for property taxes, water and wastewater after the City Commission approved the budget Monday night.
After a law passed in Kansas in 2021, public hearings are required if a local government wants to exceed a revenue neutral rate. No one attending the public hearing objected to exceeding this rate.
City Manager Barack Matite said the fiscal year 2023 budget of $21 million and exceeding the revenue neutral rate is necessary.
“Just to provide the services that we provided last year, we will have to be able to keep it at a higher rate,” Matite said.
The current mill levy of 39.5 will decrease to a little over 39 starting next year. However, the overall estimated assessed valuation of the city increased by about 15%, raising more revenue even with a lower mill levy, thus the city is exceeding the revenue neutral rate.
Under the approved budget, residents would pay about $675 in property taxes in 2023 for a home worth $150,000, about $900 for a $200,000 home and about $1,100 for a $250,000 home.
A homeowner whose house was valued at $250,000 in 2022 but had a 15-percent increase in valuation to $287,500 would pay an additional $150 in property taxes next year, for example.
Water and wastewater utility rates will also increase by 1.5% (40 cents) and 7% ($2.29), respectively.
In other business, Kala Maxfield of Clearwave Fiber gave a presentation to city commissioners about the internet service provider.
Maxfield said fiber has many benefits, and called it the “latest and greatest technology.”
The city has not yet entered into any formal agreement with the company to begin building infrastructure in Eudora, Matite said after the meeting.
Commissioners also heard from representatives of the Eudora library and Douglas County who discussed efforts to provide housing stability for county residents, as well as other resources.
Mariel Ferreiro, part of the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, said some necessary resources often don’t extend outside of Lawrence and into neighboring towns like Eudora.
“With my position, I’ve been in direct communication with landlords and working with them to start reducing some of the barriers that low-income housing recipients, or folks who are experiencing homelessess face, and get access to stable housing,” Ferreiro said. “We want all of our community members to feel like they have the right to housing.”
Mary Kirkendoll, a community navigator for United Way, said there are many events in the next month to raise awareness about mental health, as well as other issues.
A resource session will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the West Resource Center. Bert Nash and the health department will also be there to share information.
Reach reporter Abby Shepherd at [email protected]
