The Great Bend City Council Monday night approved the 2020 city operating budget as presented with a 1.365 mill levy increase, which would increase property taxes by $16 on a $100,000 home. This followed a budget hearing at which there was no input from the public.

The property tax, or ad valorem tax, rate of 53.265 mills would fund $5,617,334 of the city’s $27,046,913 budget, said City Clerk/Finance Officer Shawna Schafer.

By comparison, in 2018, 52.183 mills covered $5,386,978 of the $28,306,792 budget, and in 2019, 51.9 mills funded $5,456,420 or the $20,827,929 spending package. The 2019 budget appears significantly lower because it includes cash carried over from the previous year.

One mill is one dollar per $1,000 dollars of assessed value.

City Administrator Kendal Francis presented the budget to the governing body at the July 8 budget work session. It was published in the Great Bend Tribune twice earlier this month.

The budget year starts Jan. 1, 2020.