Page 3 - Overview Fall 2019

2020 budget holds line on city property tax rate
Overland Park’s proposed 2020 budget focuses on
public safety and neighborhood stabilization operations, continues commitments to public infrastructure maintenance, maintains programs and services, and keeps a cautious eye toward the future.
“Overland Park’s current stable financial position enables the city to meet demands, especially in the areas of public safety and neighborhood stabilization for the upcoming fiscal year,” said Bill Ebel, City Manager. “There are significant public safety and infrastructure maintenance needs in the next two to five years,” he further stated.
Ebel presented the budget, which proposes 17 new positions, including:
The city’s technology systems.
Annual street maintenance.
Traffic control system maintenance and more.
The proposed overall budget equals $304.7 million, an increase of 3.4 percent from 2019. The 2020 operating budget, which funds day-to-day operations of the city from the general fund, is $128.5 million.
The budget maintains Overland Park current mill levy, which at 13.566 is the lowest of any Johnson County city and first
n class city in
Kansas. You
e city mill rate
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accounts fo
about 12 percent of your total property taxes.
s City leaders
expect
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Four new full-time police dispatchers and a dispatch
super visor.
A full-time training officer and a full-time logistics officer in the fire department.
Three new full-time information technology staff members, to support growing technology needs.
Two new positions in the parks department, to allow additional focus on landscaping and parks maintenance.
Additional funding is also included for:
School crossing guard services.
A police SUV equipped to aid officers in community relations efforts and substance abuse prevention.
Overland Pa
will require additional public safety resources in the near future, and infrastructure maintenance will continue to be a priority as the city continues to age.
Visit www.opkansas.org/budget to see the full proposed 2020 budget.
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Your participation helps OP, JoCo
The U.S. Census Bureau is preparing for the 2020 Census, which is happening early next year. We want you to know why it matters.
There are many ways the 2020 Census may shape our community. Whether it’s a new school to ease overcrowded classrooms or a new road to ease congested commutes, it’s key to adequately supporting the population. The results, collected once a decade, help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding are distributed to states and communities every year.
The Census Bureau expects to announce a new population by the end of 2020. The census is required by the U.S. Constitution, and the once-in-a-decade count began in 1790. Results of the census are
used for allocation of federal funds for schools, roads and other public services for local communities.
Johnson County government and other local municipalities, including Overland Park,
launched the “Count Me In JoCo” website as part of a year-long awareness campaign to educate residents about the importance of being counted and how to be counted.
To learn more about Johnson County’s role in the census, visit www.countmeinjoco.org. For additional information about the census, visit www.census.gov.
U.S. 69 continued from front cover
Initial plans called for several phases to widen U.S. 69 from I-35 to 167th St. The first phase widened U.S. 69 from I-35 Highway to 103rd St.
Two other previously completed phases included the Antioch and I-435 interchange and ancillary lanes; and off and on ramps for College Boulevard and 119th St. in anticipation of widening U.S. 69 from 103rd to near 119th St., which is “shovel ready.” However, this latest phase lacks federal and state transportation construction funds to proceed.
Over the past several months, local officials have conducted tours of U.S. 69 and met with federal lawmakers and national transportation officials to further explain the community’s pressing need and further cooperation. That effort continues.
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