By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
While the early estimates for valuation prices are coming in from the Barton County Clerk, the City of Great Bend is preparing their budget for 2025.
With the increase in property valuations last year, the Great Bend City Council approved dropping their mill levy while still collecting the same amount of tax dollars, which in recent years is referred to as meeting the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR).
City Clerk Shawna Schafer said she was challenged by Mayor Cody Schmidt to remain revenue neutral again this year.
"This year, I was a little worried we were not going to be able to stay RNR, but the last couple of weeks I've really nailed down the budget," said Schafer. "I've studied it and saw where I could reduce. I'm feeling pretty confident now."
The RNR is calculated off the estimated valuations and not final valuations, which do not come out until November. Great Bend’s mill levy went from 51.692 in 2023 to 45.202 in 2024 because of the property valuations increase.
The RNR was created to help notify taxpayers when separate entities are exceeding their revenue neutral rate, thus collecting more tax dollars.
"Staying RNR is supposed to state as a taxpayer, your taxes will stay the same," said Schafer. "That's not necessarily true. You might have buildings that come off the tax roll. More buildings that come on. Maybe there are improvements. We've had a few new businesses who built. We've torn down the hotel. There are variables that will change, but you're still levying the same amount of taxes that you brought in the previous year."
The Great Bend City Council will conduct a work session July 8 to review the proposed 2025 budget.
Listen below to the interview with Schafer on City Edition that aired on 1590 KVGB & 95.5 FM.