Iola City Council members will take another swing (or more) at hammering out how to pay for their 2024 spending plan.
On Monday, the Council narrowly rejected a proposed $3 monthly increase in trash collection rates that supporters said could take the place of a property tax increase.
The split 4-4 vote sent the matter to Mayor Steve French, who voted against it.
Nevertheless, the trash rates and property tax mill levy will almost certainly continue to be the primary topics of conversation as the budget takes shape.
City Administrator Matt Rehder gave Council members plenty to chew on at Monday’s meeting, highlighted by a bit of good news.
Iola’s projected assessed valuation is projected at more than $34 million for 2024, a $2.5 million increase from 2023. That means that a single mill in a taxpayer’s ad valorem tax rate will generate more money than projected, Rehder explained.
In fact, the valuation boost alone would mean an additional $116,000 in revenues next year.
But with revenues still short of expenditures, covering the remainder remains a hot topic.
“If the decision is not to increase the mill levy … we’ll be having this same exact conversation again next year,” Rehder warned.
With the higher-than-expected assessed valuation hike, a $3 trash fee would cost Iolans more per-month than a slight mill levy increase, Rehder continued.
Council members Carl Slaugh and Joel Wicoff both spoke in favor raising trash pickup rates to $15 a month, and leaving property tax levies alone.
“I’m against raising the mill levy,” Wicoff said. “And if our trash rate is significantly less than the industry average, isn’t that some low-hanging fruit for us to grab?”
Wicoff and Slaugh were joined by Nich Lohman and Mark Peters.
Much of Monday’s talk centered on Iola’s trash rates compared to neighboring communities.
Chanute, for example, charges $14 a month for once-a-week trash service. Garnett’s rate is $16 or $17, and it’s limited on how many trash cans or bags folks can leave for sanitation crews.
