City of Tonganoxie Newsletter - Spring 2022

Citizen Newsletter City of Tonganoxie,KS March 2022

Each Spring, Notices of Appraised Value are mailed to Real Estate property owners. These values are computed by the County Appraiser; and while there are avenues to allow an owner to dispute those values, the focus of this article is to explain how the value is calculated into the taxes you pay to multiple taxing jurisdictions. The 4-Step process highlighted below illustrates the formula that takes Real Estate property values into tax revenue for a number of taxing agencies. The FY 2022 City of Tonganoxie Tax District total mill levy is 150.865. How is Property Tax calculated? Step 1: Example—a single family home with an Appraised value of $300,000 Step 2: Assessed Value calculation is $300,000 X 11.5% (residential rate) = $34,500 Step 3: Total Mill levy = 150.865 Step 4: Annual property Tax calculation is (34,500/1000) X 150.865 = $5,204.84 Total property Tax

What Taxing Entities comprise Total Mill Levy? City

45.284 (Includes 7.86 mills for Library)

The City share of this total is $1,291.13

County

36.691

USD 464

67.39 (includes 5 mills for Rec Commission)

State of KS

1.50

Total Levy

150.865

City Services

City Mill Levy Comparison FY 2022

A mill levy is the assessed property tax rate used by taxing jurisdictions to raise revenues to cover annual expenses. As the table above illustrates, some cities collect revenues for libraries and fire departments within the City “rate”, other communities create a special District for those items. However, to get a true comparison, those mills should be included to determine the tax impact to the residents of those communities. The “Total” Mill for the City of Tonganoxie residents is listed in the blue box above.

Water Park investments In 2007, voters approved a special 3/4 cent sales tax, which was used to construct the new Water Park. In 2017, as the initial sales tax term ended, the voters approved to renew a 20 - year special 3/4 cent sales tax that will fund the construction of a new library, construction of new capital improvements, maintaining new and current infrastructure and funding debt issued for capital improvements. One of the recipients of this renewed funding is the City ’ s Water Park. In 2020, the City went out for bid to resurface the pools, and spent $28,500 for that work. In 2022, the City went out for bid to repaint the slides and other structures in the park, and awarded a $74,500 contract for that work. Outside of Sales Tax initiatives, in February 2022 the City Council also voted to increase the wages offered to seasonal employees at the Water Park. In today ’ s lean labor pool, with many employment options available, the emphasis was to aggressively increase wages to key Water Park positions, ensuring proper and safe Park operations. To ensure competitive rates, City staff completed a wage and fee survey of 13 regional water park and pool locations, and prepared recommendations for the City Council. After considering the survey results, the Council voted to increase Lifeguard wages from a starting wage of $7.75/hour to $10/hour, and Assistant Pool Managers went from $12.42/hour to $14.75/hour. Please visit the City ’ s website for the latest in Employment Opportunities. Church Street improvements

Before

After

In 2021 a Stormwater Study was conducted for an area of Church Street, bounded by 4th St on the North, to approximately 7th St & Shawnee St on the South. Following a presentation on the Study results, the City Council authorized a two - Phased Project, a North and a South, to improve stormwater flow in the area. The South portion of the project began in 2021 and is expected to complete soon; the North phase will begin this year, and included more complex utility relocations. The South project created defined channels which should eliminate erosion and ponding in yards.

Before

After

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Fire Department Initiatives

The Tonganoxie Fire department (TFD) is committed to making the Community as safe as possible for residents, visitors and businesses and their customers. In that pursuit, TFD conducts annual Fire Inspections of local businesses. This practice began in earnest in 2019, and TFD is pleased to announce a 98% compliance rate, and are working towards a 100% goal with the cooperation of our business owners. In addition, TFD continues to aggressively research and apply for grants to assist the Community and the Department. In 2021, TFD received over $50,000 in funding from grants, and an additional amount of equipment from various sources. TFD has applied for approximately $240,000 in grants for 2022, and are waiting to hear on the results of those applications. We encourage everyone to stop by TFD and see how we are working to keep our Community and Firefighters safe, and maintaining a positive budget balance annually.

2021 Calls for Service 1,010

TFD used grant funding to purchase a LUCAS device, which can deliver continuous chest compressions and avoid manual fatigue

Police Department Initiatives The Tonganoxie Police Department (TPD) continues its strong commitment to the Community Oriented Policing Philosophy. This philosophy, combined with our dedicated staff and support from the Community and our Elected Officials, all worked in concert to, once again, earn Tonganoxie the distinction of being one of the safest cities in Kansas—per Safewise, Tonganoxie is the 4th safest city in Kansas (Basehor comes in at #5). The graph below shows a three year trend analysis of crime occurrences within the City. It should be noted that a

significant number of the burglary and theft incidents relate to unlocked vehicle break - ins. TPD was proud to introduce new and continue existing programs that benefit the community, including: sponsored an anti - drug (fentanyl) assembly provided to THS students; Crime Stoppers sponsored “ P3 Tip ” program for high school students; and Nightly Door Hangers on both residential and business locations indicating the property had been personally checked by TPD staff. TPD is also pleased to announce that they are recipients of a $25,000 grant from Firehouse Subs which is being used to purchase new Motorola radios to equip TPD vehicles and staff.

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How to Contact your Council Members

David Frese

Jake Dale [email protected] Term expires in 2024

Chris Donnelly [email protected] Term expires in 2026 Loralee Stevens [email protected] Term expires in 2026 Mayor [email protected] Term expires in 2024

Jennifer McCutchen [email protected] Term expires in 2024

Rocky Himpel [email protected] Term expires in 2026

Stay Connected, Stay Informed

In March, the City launched its new website (image to the left). A fresh update to an outdated and difficult to navigate page was budgeted for in the 2021 City Budget, and following a RFP process, CivicPlus was awarded the contract. Also, don ’ t forget to stay up to date with news information on the City ’ s Facebook page, and watch livestream or recorded City Council meetings on the City ’ s You Tube page.

www.tonganoxie.org

Upcoming Events

Estimated 2023 City Budget Development Timeline May 2022 —Capital Maintenance & Improvements Plan (CMIP) June - July 2022 —Budget work shops and Department Budget presentations August 2022 —Publication of Notice For Public Hearings September 2022 —Revenue Neutral Rate, Public Hearings, Budget Adoption