Riley County commissioners approved a resolution for the 2016 budget year Thursday morning.
The resolution announced an increase in the county’s budget from a year ago and it cited that the “2015 Kansas State Legislature failed to fulfill its obligations in regard to the statutory funding of demand transfers and, by significantly limiting state revenue sharing payments to counties, has contributed to higher county property tax levies to finance the 2016 Riley County Budget, the Riley County Rural Fire District, University Park Water & Sewer District, Terra Heights Sewer District, Carson Sewer District, Valleywood Stormwater District and the Cemetery Budgets included in the 2016 Riley County Budget.”
Riley County Budget and Finance Officer Johnette Shepek said the county’s mill levy is expected to increase .70 mills above last year’s levy of 37.524 mills.
The mill levy is the tax rate that is applied to the assessed value of a property. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 dollars of assessed value. It consists of a local portion which is used to fund area services and a statewide portion which is used to fund public schools.
Shepek said a public hearing on the budget will be on Aug. 13 in the Commission Chambers that morning.
