Ways to weigh in on 2025 Budget
Published on June 26, 2024
Lenexa leaders have begun their review of the 2025 Recommended Budget. This year’s proposal balances the City’s seventh consecutive property tax rate with funding for exceptional public services for residents and businesses.
Here's the timeline for when and how to share your feedback.
Late June/July: Review the proposed budget
The 2025 Recommended Budget is available at Lenexa.com/Budget. It takes a conservative approach to revenue estimation and uses a practical, forward-thinking strategy for funding expenditures. Priorities for this budget are:
- Implementing a 0.500 mill reduction in the property tax rate while maintaining existing user fees. The mill levy would decline from 27.470 mills to 26.970 mills.
- Maintaining existing service levels while allocating additional funds for employee compensation to retain current employees and fill vacant positions in a competitive job market.
- Using excess General Fund reserves accumulated in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to finance new projects in the Capital Improvement Program.
- Maintaining structural balance in the General Fund in all five years of the multiyear financial model.
The Lenexa Governing Body held a budget overview at its June 25, 2024, Committee of the Whole meeting and will review individual department budgets at the July 9, 2024, Committee of the Whole meeting. These meetings, which begin at 7 p.m. at Lenexa City Hall, are for discussion purposes only. The Council cannot take formal action during these sessions.
Watch recommended budget presentation
This presentation gives an overview of what was presented to City Council on June 25, 2024.
August 15: Ask questions at an open house
Attend a Budget Open House on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, any time between 5 and 7 p.m. at Lenexa City Hall. Explore a series of stations about budget highlights and get expert answers to your more in-depth questions.
One topic that commonly generates questions is the estimated tax notice. Johnson County mails these to all property owners in early August. They include information on public hearing dates, proposed property tax rate changes and estimates for your future property tax amounts. City staff can answer any questions you have about Lenexa’s information on the notice.
A 2021 state law requires that all taxing jurisdictions — like cities, counties and school districts — send out a mailed notice and hold a public hearing if they intend to exceed the revenue neutral rate. This is the mill levy needed to generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the prior year, using the current year’s assessed valuation amounts. It’s very common for taxing jurisdictions to exceed this rate so they can maintain and expand services.
August 20: Give feedback at a public hearing
The City Council will hold two public hearings during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, which begins at 7 p.m. One hearing is on the City’s intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate, and the other is on the 2025 Recommended Budget.
If you’d like to give verbal feedback on the budget to the mayor and Council, this meeting is the time to do so. Comments and questions can also be sent to budget@lenexa.com before the meeting.
After the hearings, the Council plans to consider adopting a resolution to exceed the revenue neutral rate and a resolution to approve the 2025 Budget. They also have the option to move the vote to approve the budget to a future meeting.
October/November: Watch for information about the Capital Improvement Program
The Recommended Budget process allocates funding for community infrastructure. The major capital projects the City plans to take on over the next five years are determined through the Capital Improvement Program process, which typically begins after the budget is approved in autumn. Check back for details about the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program in late fall.