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John “Jack” Helin
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TAB 5
Kansas City Kansan (Kansas City, KS)
May 24, 2008
Bonner hopes to reduce levy
Author: NICK SLOAN
It’s still early in the budget process, but it appears for now the mill levy in Bonner Springs will
not increase for 2009. The Bonner City Council gave city staff consensus at a budget retreat this
week to not increase the mill levy and called for either the mill levy to remain flat or a decrease.
The mill levy, which has dropped to 30.456 from 46 in 2003, has decreased in Bonner Springs
for eight straight years. “If we can continue our quality programs and give people some of their
money back in a bad economic time, we need to give it to them,” said Mayor Clausie Smith. “A
lot of people are hurting, and if we can give them back just a few bucks, it’s the right thing to
do.”
Unfortunately for the city, even reducing their mill levy may not relieve residents immediately.
Residents have to pay mill levies for the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Public School District,
Kansas City Kansas Community College and the Unified Government. The mill levy has
increased in the school district over the same time period the city has reduced its levy.
“We have no control over where those mill levies go,” Smith told city council members.
Budget Director Tillie LaPlante also informed the city council of future revenue loss from
Sandstone Amphitheater and the Bonner Springs Wal-Mart.
The city has projected a 36 percent revenue decrease from Sandstone, partly due to fewer
concerts being held at the venue. “They have shifted towards a younger audience and it would
lower the alcohol revenues,” said Jack Helin, city manager.
A 25 percent drop in revenue has been budgeted from Wal-Mart due to the construction of
another Wal-Mart in western Kansas City, Kan., which could attract some customers who shop
in Bonner Springs. Both projections are on the safer said, city staff said. “It’s a good
conservative projection for the future,” Helin said.
While the revenue drops are expected, it could have been worse for the city. Initially, the city had
planned the Sandstone venue to be completely vacant. Additionally, the KCK Wal-Mart is not
scheduled to open until mid-2009, later than previously expected.
This week’s retreat is the first event in a lengthy budget setting process for the city. The schedule
for future meetings related to the 2009 budget:
The city will host a budget workshop for general funding on July 15.
A second workshop will be held on July 21.
A final workshop will be held on July 28 just before a regularly scheduled city council meeting.
At the meeting, the city council is expected to approve the publication of the budget.
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