By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend Recreation Commission kept their mill levy flat since
2013, but on Monday the GBRC Board approved to increase their tax rate for the
2022-2023 budget. The rec’s overall mill levy for the upcoming budget will be
9.75, an increase of one mill from the year prior.
Following the approval of the budget last year, Great Bend Rec Executive Director
Diann Henderson mentioned the mill levy would be going up for the next budget
to eliminate the use of cash reserves to cover differences or extra expenses.
Going from 8.75 to 9.75 mills will allow the rec to stay competitive with staff
wages.
"The increase to the general fund comes from a variety of sources, whether it's contractual, commodities or personnel," said Henderson. "Personnel is a lot of that. We're looking to invest in our employees. That mill levy was raised so we can accommodate to stay in the market to provide funding to staff our employees."
The Great Bend Rec has two separate taxes, one for their general fund and the other
for their employee benefit and insurance fund. The general fund will go from
seven to eight mills, while the employee benefit and insurance fund will remain
at 1.75.
Based on valuations, one mill is estimated to bring in $169,811. Between tax collections, cash carryover and activity fees, the rec plans
on collecting just over $4.9 million in revenue overall. Bumping up the general
fund mill levy to eight mills puts the rec at its maximum expenditure.
At 41%, the majority of GBRC’s expenditures go toward personnel.
"Personnel is one of the top winners on expenditures," said Henderson. "We value our staff. It's been demonstrated in some of the policies we've made in the last two years to increase people to our staff."
Last year, GBRC budgeted a 3% pay increase for all employees. Last November,
the board approved an additional 10% - 14% average wage increase for seasonal
and temporary employee levels, with an average of 3% - 6% increase for all other
employee classifications.