By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Increasing taxes have been a hot topic around Kansas in recent years. The Great Bend City Council has no plans of raising taxes in 2027. During Monday night's meeting, the council will vote on the 2027 Budget Ordinance. The city plans to fund next year's budget at a mill levy rate of 40.975, which is the Revenue Neutral Rate, meaning the city will not collect more property tax dollars than it did in 2026.
Also at tonight's meeting, the council will hear a weekly report from City Administrator Logan Burns, a monthly report from Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Amanda Gaddis, and a presentation from Bob Wetmore with Great Plains Development about the services that organization provides to cities and counties.
The council will also consider a salary resolution. In February, the city worked with Evergreen Solutions to conduct a compensation study. A salary resolution for review reflects the first of a two-step implementation to bring city wages more in line with current labor market rates. With council approval and available funding in 2028, the next step would be presented to the council next August.
Finally, the council will consider adding a proposed 3/4 cent sales tax question to the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. One quarter of a cent would be used for property tax relief, and the other half cent would be used for infrastructure, including improvements to the city's water treatment plant and proposed projects through the STAR Bond Project. If the proposed sales tax is not approved by voters in November, rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment plant will still be necessary. The city would instead rely on water and sewer utilities to pay the expense. Great Bend residents could expect to pay an additional $240 to $300 annually on their water and sewer bills. The purpose of the proposed tax is to avoid placing the entire financial burden of the improvements on Great Bend residents, instead collecting a portion of the funds from visitors who purchase items in Great Bend.
Tonight's Great Bend City Council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.