After three months of review and decision making, the City Council adopted the 2002 budget on August 20, 2001.

• Based on updated tax values from the County Clerk, the 2002 budget includes an increase of the mill levy by 0.150 mills to 7.649 from 7.499 mills in 2001. The mill levy includes a .240 roll back to offset the reappraisal increases and a .390 mill increase to fund an expanded stormwater program.
• The property tax for a $150,000 home was $129 to support the 2001 budget, and is $132 to support the 2002 budget, an increase of about $3.
• This is the seventh consecutive year that the city has rolled back the mill levy due to increases from reappraisal. To date, this rollback has saved Overland Park taxpayers over $26 million.
• The total number of full-time employees is 709 in 2002. Although 10 new positions are included in the 2002 budget, the number of full-time employees has not increased due to the conversion of several full-time police report clerks to part-time.
• The 2002 budget totals $185,265,000. Of this amount, $95.8 million supports the City's ongoing operations and maintenance.
• Also included in the total budget is an expanded stormwater management program for $4.5 million. The expanded program will address Overland Park's compliance with the federally mandated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) by rehabilitating and improving the City's storm drainage system.

The 2002 budget includes:

• The addition of ten proposed full-time positions:
  • a programmer/analyst for web site support
  • building maintenance worker
  • park attendant for the Arboretum
  • Traffic signal/light technician (which also increases the city's capacity for an additional snow route).
  • Engineering technician
  • Equipment Operator
  • Construction Specialist
  • Video Inspector technician
  • 2 maintenance workers

In drafting the proposed 2002 budget, City Manager John Nachbar took into consideration the fact sales tax growth has declined over the past several years. The forecast for growth in the City’s sales tax for the 2002 budget has been revised from 5.6 percent to 5 percent. The change equates to a revenue projection decrease of $287,100 in 2002, and a five-year reduction of $1.5 million.

Overland Park currently has the lowest property tax rate of any city in
Johnson County and of any first class city in Kansas. The city’s mill rate
makes up less than 10 percent of a property owner’s total tax bill in the Shawnee Mission School District, and less in the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts.

For more information, contact Gena McDonald, budget manager,
913/895-6158.