City Sets Revenue Neutral Rate Hearing

The Atchison City Commission has set 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7 in the Commission Room at City Hall, 515 Kansas Avenue, as the site for a public hearing concerning the intention to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate in 2022 as established by state statute.

The Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) is measured in mills, as a state law passed during the most recent legislative session requires that cities that intend to collect more property tax revenue – also known as ad valorem tax – than the previous year must hold a public hearing before doing so. The City Commissioners will also consider the 2022 budget during that meeting – with a public hearing for the budget following the RNR public hearing.

The City Commission is considering keeping the mill levy steady, collecting the same number of mills as in 2021 – 58.037 total, with 7.000 of those going directly to the Atchison Public Library. The reason the City could exceed the RNR is because estimated valuations have increased slightly, meaning the value of each mill is slightly higher. In total, the proposed budget would have the City of Atchison collecting $24,148 more for the General Fund in 2022 than 2021, an increase of 0.8%. This is actually a net decrease in available resources for services when compared to the rate of inflation – which is projected to be 2.6% in 2022.