City staff on Tuesday proposed a 2027 budget that maintains the city’s current mill levy, setting the stage for continued debate over property taxes and a proposed sales tax renewal.
A mill represents $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in assessed, taxable property value.
Keeping the mill levy at 54.46 would mean a homeowner who paid $626 in property taxes on a $100,000 home in 2026 would pay $668 on a home worth $106,700 in 2027, based on a 6.7% average increase in existing, single-family home valuations. With the mill levy unchanged, the homeowner’s property tax payment would rise by the same percentage.
City manager Danielle Dulin said the recommended budget is designed to maintain city services, provide employee salary increases, replace aging equipment and stabilize the city’s bond and interest fund. The proposal keeps the overall mill levy flat while shifting two mills from the general fund and two mills made available through a lower-than-anticipated Riley County Police Department levy to the bond and interest fund.
