UG to Hold Budget Workshop this Thursday at 5PM
Published on March 19, 2024
Kansas City, KS – On Thursday, March 21 at 5PM, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS (UG) will host the second of nine budget workshops for the 2025 budget process.
This budget workshop will focus on reviewing the revenue neutral rate and various efforts underway to address our fiscal sustainability as an organization.
The UG Budget, Strategy, & Research team will present background information on the Kansas state law that requires that the community be notified if the upcoming budget will exceed the revenue neutral rate.
Understanding the Revenue Neutral Rate
The Revenue Neutral Rate, as defined in KSA 79-2988, is a tax rate that will allow the government to receive the same amount of tax revenue despite changes in tax laws or property appraisal values. When property values increase, as experienced across Wyandotte County for the past several years, taxing jurisdictions (city, county, school districts, community college, etc.) will receive additional revenue.
A revenue neutral rate is when the taxing jurisdiction, in this case the UG, budgets the exact same amount of property tax revenue in dollars for the upcoming budget year as for the current year. If a revenue neutral rate is adopted, the UG budget process will have to factor in how to maintain or continue services without being able to budget for the rising costs of doing business and inflation.
The UG Commission will discuss the revenue neutral rate during this week’s budget workshop and, if this rate is exceeded, host a public hearing at a later date.
Engage with the 2025 Budget Process: DotteTalks Coming April 2024
For the third consecutive year, Wyandotte County community members are invited to attend any of the upcoming DotteTalks: our community-wide conversation on the city and county budget priorities. Launching on Saturday, April 6 with a DotteTalk in the Rosedale neighborhood, there will be five events hosted across the county. Find a date and location near you and plan to attend!
April 2024 DotteTalks: Community Conversations about our City and County Budget Priorities
In addition, community members are encouraged to propose their own balanced budget through the budget simulator – an online tool launching on March 28, 2024, for the city and county budgets. Attempt to balance the budget and identify your priorities through this online resource. All input will be shared with the UG Commission throughout this budget process. The budget simulator will remain open through April 2024.
Along with the engaging community DotteTalks, community members will have the opportunity to provide their comments regarding the 2025 proposed budget during the June 6th full commission public hearing beginning at 7pm.
Budget Workshops with the UG Commission
As budget discussions progress, community members and members of the media are invited to tune in to the remaining budget workshops.
- Budget Workshop #3 – April 4, 2024, at 5pm
- Budget Workshop #4 – April 18, 2024, at 5pm
- Budget Workshop #5 –May 16, 2024, at 5pm to discuss the Capital Improvement Plan for infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and technology.
- Budget Workshop #6 – June 6, 2024, at 5pm
- Budget Workshop #7 – June 27 at 5pm
- County Administrator Presents 2025 Proposed Budget August 8th at 5pm in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building.
- Budget Workshop #8 –August 15, 2024, at 5pm
For more information about the Budget Department, including our online budget data, please visit: Budget – Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City (wycokck.org)
The public is invited to attend this meeting in-person or remotely via Zoom. The meetings will be also broadcasted live via the UG YouTube page and UGTV- channel 2 spectrum cable channel.
For more information about upcoming meetings and the detailed agenda, please visit www.wycokck.org/clerk
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