County taxes to see very slight increase in 2015-16

The property tax for Kimball County will see the slightest of increases in the current fiscal year.

Property tax for land valued at $100,000 will go up 32 cents in a budget passed Tuesday by the county commissioners. The property tax request from the commissioners went up from $3,155,388 in 2014-15 to $3,373,150 in 2015-16. The property tax rate moved from 0.471095 last year to 0.471416 this year.

Of the more than $3.3 million in county funds provided by taxpayers, over $814,000 of that goes to the county road fund. The remaining funds go into the general fund account, except for $239,475, which goes to the ambulance fund.

The commissioners budgeted $75,000 for the purchase of a new ambulance this fiscal year. Josi Morgan, county budget officer, said the funds should be enough for a down payment and the county would finance the remainder of the purchase.

The commissioners also added a projects fund to the budget with an initial funding of $150,000. The fund could be used for projects such as courthouse renovations, which have been discussed numerous times with architect Jerry Berggren. Possible renovations discussed for this fiscal year include a new boiler, lighting for the district courtroom and fire escape and a locking system for the third floor. The county hopes to get historical tax credits to fund part of the renovations, and Berggren is to guide the county through that process.

The commissioners allocated $65,000 for the Ag Society, which is the same amount they allotted for in the previous fiscal year. The Ag Society requested $80,000 for this fiscal year, an increase of more than $2,000 of last year’s request.

Morgan said that much of the funds budgeted as expenditures were merely pass-through funds and did not have an affect on the county budget. This includes funds for Kimball Health Services and the Kimball County Manor for bonds and operation and maintenance.