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TONGANOXIE NEWSLETTER
Spring | 2023
City of Tonganoxie, Kansas
In addition to the large street maintenance projects that the City performs annually, there are major infrastructure improvements that can span multiple years. This article will highlight two such projects, the Elevated Water Tank at the Tonganoxie Business Park and the Church Street bridge. The new Elevated Water Tank not only serves the Business Park, but can provide water services to a larger future growth area along the South side of existing City limits. The new tank is a 750,000 gallon “Composite” Tank, and will be the City’s fourth elevated tank; with the other three being a 250,000 gallon “Pedesphere” Tank on 24/40, a 300,000 gallon “Multicolumn” tank near the Middle School and a 500,000 gallon “ground storage” tank located on Hubble Hill (functions as an elevated tank because of the location atop the hill). The new tank will be the largest in the City’s system, and will look different from the others listed. The approximate $3.2M cost of the new tank is partially funded by an approximate $1.5M grant from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, which was awarded to the project after a competitive national submittal for funding. Large Infrastructure Projects Underway
Church street bridge
New water tower
Another project underway is the replacement of the old Church Street bridge, which previously had posted weight limit restrictions that could impede response from emergency vehicles. This approximate $700,000 project will be completed by early summer 2023, and is in conjunction with other storm water improvements along Church Street stretching from 4th Street south to the bridge location. Projects like these two are discussed during the City’s development of a Capital Maintenance and Improvement Plan (CMIP), which occurs in the early part of the City’s Budget development around May and June each year. The City’s full CMIP list can be found on the City’s website. www.tonganoxie.org
What are our city tax rates and how do they measure up?
Local property taxes are calculated using the corresponding “mill levy.” The mill levy is the "tax rate" that is applied to the assessed value of a property. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 dollars of assessed value. Assessed values are derived from the County’s Appraised value of your property, and are calculated at the following assessed rates: Commercial property at 25%, Residential property at 11.5% and Vacant land at 12%. There are multiple taxing entities that comprise a total mill levy in a community, and in Tonganoxie those entities are the City of Tonganoxie, Leavenworth County, State of Kansas, USD 464, Library, Recreation Commission and for 2023 looks like this:
To compare the City of Tonganoxie to the other two comparable cities (by population and total valuation) in Leavenworth County, which are Basehor and Lansing, we can look at the rates two ways: 1) City to City comparison and 2) Comparison of rates that include Library District and Fire District to the Cities that already include that in the City levy.
As you can see in the chart above, both Tonganoxie and Lansing collect for their Libraries through the City’s rate. An additional service that is collected within the City of Tonganoxie is funding for the Fire Department, while the other two cities have Fire districts that have their own levy rate. Adding both Library and Fire districts to get a truer comparison looks like this, from highest to lowest:
This comparison shows that Tonganoxie is the lowest of the three comparable cities within the County. After all, you can’t move to Lansing or Basehor and simply decide not to pay the Library and/or Fire District levies. Similar comparisons could be done for the other taxing entities that comprise the total mill levy for each community, although the County and State levy would be the same for each. Below is an example of how to calculate total property taxes for a residential home in the City of Tonganoxie, of which the City collects approximately 25% of the total:
2023 Consumer Confidence Report Now Available! The City of Tonganoxie recently completed and published the City's 2023 Consumer Confidence Report for drinking water quality covering the 2022 calendar year. The report includes details about where your water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state standards. The information shared in this report showcases our transparency as a utility and demonstrates the quality of water that is available to you at your tap as an Tonganoxie resident. At the City of Tonganoxie, we are passionate about our responsibility to safeguard the public with our water treatment & distribution and are diligent stewards with our rate payers’ money to do this as economically as possible. We hope the information provided in this annual report helps give you confidence.
Direct Link to City of Tonganoxie Annual Consumer Confidence Reports https://www.tonganoxie.org/utilities/pages/consumer-confidence-reports
Recycling Information for City Residents The City of Tonganoxie offers optional bi-weekly curbside recycling to all residential utility customers. Services are provided by a contracted service provider, Honey Creek Disposal Service, LLC. *Reuse, Reduce and Recycle for only $4.50 per month.
Call City Hall at 913-845-2620 to sign up for curbside recycling!
Public Safety Updates
The Tonganoxie Police Department (TPD) has a strong commitment to the Community Oriented Policing Philosophy, which we believe is reflected in the City earning the distinction as the #2 safest City in the State of Kansas, as recognized by SafeWise. That is not to say the community doesn't face challenges, but TPD's emphasis on Community Oriented Policing helps to curb issues with strong community engagement. In light of the horrific national issues relating to school violence, TPD has invested great time and effort in acquiring training for our Officers' response to an active assailant in our schools. Last August, TPD hosted multiple school mini-sessions with teachers, presenting
information about safety protocols. Additionally, TPD sponsored an anti- drug (fentanyl) school assembly, in an attempt to educate prevention on this drug's dangerous exposure. How to Contact your City Council members
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