The Rundown – City of Newton to reduce tax rate in 2027

Published on August 14, 2026

Budget book and calculator

At Tuesday’s meeting, the City Commission approved a not-to-exceed budget for publication that lowers the property tax rate, or mill levy, by about 1.5 mills in 2027.

The proposed $66.8 million budget includes:

  • No new positions at the City.
  • A 7.6% increase in wages and benefits to continue implementing a classification and salary study completed in 2025 that sets employee compensation at 60% of the market rate to stay competitive.
  • An increase of $42,994 for Newton Public Library, which sets its own budget and tax rate.
  • An increase of $29,000 to fund the City/County Airport. The City will continue discussions with the Harvey County Commission about equitable future funding of the airport. The City currently funds $121,000 and the County $90,000.
  • Funding of external City partners: Newton Area Chamber of Commerce ($35,000), Harvey County Economic Development ($142,275), Health Ministries Clinic ($40,000), Newton Area Senior Center ($25,000), Safehope ($12,000) and Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center ($8,000).
  • No transfers from the utility funds to the General Fund for property tax relief. In the past, about $1.2 million total was transferred each year from the Water, Wastewater and Sanitation Funds.
  • A projected drawdown of about $2.2 million in reserve funds.

The Commission also decided to start passing along credit card processing fees to the customers who use cards rather than absorbing those costs. That will amount to about $260,000 in cost savings for the City at large.

Even with the mill levy reduction, the City will exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate for 2027, the tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue as generated in 2026. To remain within the RNR, the City would need to lower its mill levy by 2.945 mills. That’s because Newton’s assessed valuation rose by about 4.25% for next year because of new development and rising property values.

The Commission will hold public hearings on the budget and the Revenue Neutral Rate at 7 p.m. Aug. 25. At that time, they can adopt the budget as published or reduce it, but they cannot increase it.

Rhoades Wetland Park

Birdwatching platform at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

The Commission approved an agreement with the Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams (KAWS) to install a 10-foot-high birdwatching platform at the Rhoades Wetland Park. The accessible viewing platform will mirror the style of those found at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and will include free-to-use viewing telescopes.

The Rhoades Wetland Park opened in 2023 as a partnership of the City and KAWS, which led design and fundraising efforts. KAWS Executive Director Libby Albers reported that the park has seen more than 5,500 visitors in the past year, with avid birders documenting 173 different species at the site. She said the birdwatching platform was intended to be part of the original park construction but couldn’t be funded at that time.

The viewing platform is estimated to cost $80,000-$100,000, and the park’s lead donor, the R. Michael Rhoades Foundation, has committed $100,000 to the project.

In other action, the City Commission:

  1. Reviewed the 2026 fireworks ordinance and decided to maintain the same regulations for 2027.
  2. Approved the closure of Main Street on Sept. 23 for the Newton High School Homecoming Parade.
  3. Appointed Mayor Rich Stinnett to the Harvey County Economic Development Council.

The full agenda packet and meeting video are available online. For more information, please contact Director of Communications Erin McDaniel at 316-284-6055 or emcdaniel@newtonkansas.com.

 

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