Following a 3-0 vote this morning by Lyon County commissioners, Lyon County now has a 2008 budget.
Commissioners voted for a 2008 budget that totaled $12,47,295 in levied property taxes, which is below the published amount of $12,108,749. The budget set the mill levy at about 51.83 mills, about 1.3 mills higher than 2007’s mill levy, and well below an earlier projected mill levy increase of more than three mills.
Still, the decision didn’t come easily. During public comment time, Ty Wheeler of Kansas Legal Services asked commissioners to reconsider their decision to cut $3,000 out of the organization’s appropriation.
Wheeler said the money is needed for a federal grant match under the Violence Against Women Act. The grant requires a 25 percent local match.
“With the reduction in funds, we won’t have a local match in Lyon County,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler said the cut in funds will force him to say no to more people, such as women seeking protection from abuse orders.
“This reduction of funds will cause me to say ‘no’ more often than I’d like,” he said.
Despite Wheeler’s plea, the appropriation remained unchanged.
The public hearing portion of this morning’s commission meeting closed exactly one minute after it was opened. Nobody stepped forward to comment during the actual public hearing.
After the public hearing closed, commissioners turned their attention to the law enforcement and jail budgets. After going back and forth for several minutes, Commissioner Bob Davis said one thing that continues to jump out in the public as a priority is police, fire and ambulance protection.
The final numbers for the jail is $2,118,674 and law enforcement is $2,184,516.
“For the median and public knowledge, the fire, ambulance and law enforcement have been held to the fire pretty tight,” Davis said.
After the final numbers were ironed out, Davis made the motion to approve the 2008 budget and Commissioner Scott Briggs seconded the motion. It was unanimously passed, 3-0.