Kansas Statutes § 79-2988 Tax levy; approval to exceed revenue neutral rate by taxing subdivisions; requirements; notices and contents; public hearing; majority vote of governing body; requirements; duties of county clerk; costs; complaints; posting of budgets.

79-2988. Tax levy; approval to exceed revenue neutral rate by taxing subdivisions; requirements; notices and contents; public hearing; majority vote of governing body; requirements; duties of county clerk; costs; complaints; posting of budgets. (a) On or before June 15 each year, the county clerk shall calculate the revenue neutral rate for each taxing subdivision and include such revenue neutral rate on the notice of the estimated assessed valuation provided to each taxing subdivision for budget purposes, except that for tax year 2024, the deadline shall be extended to July 1, 2024. The director of accounts and reports shall modify the prescribed budget information form to show the revenue neutral rate. (b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no tax rate in excess of the revenue neutral rate shall be levied by the governing body of any taxing subdivision unless a resolution or ordinance has been approved by the governing body according to the following procedure: (1) At least 10 days in advance of the public hearing, the governing body shall publish notice of its proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate by publishing notice: (A) On the website of the governing body, if the governing body maintains a website; and (B) in a weekly or daily newspaper of the county having a general circulation therein. The notice shall include, but not be limited to, its proposed tax rate, its revenue neutral rate and the date, time and location of the public hearing. (2) On or before July 20, the governing body shall notify the county clerk of its proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate and provide the date, time and location of the public hearing and its proposed tax rate. For all tax years commencing after December 31, 2021, the county clerk shall notify each taxpayer with property in the taxing subdivision, by mail directed to the taxpayer's last known address, of the proposed intent to exceed the revenue neutral rate at least 10 days in advance of the public hearing. Alternatively, the county clerk may transmit the notice to the taxpayer by electronic means at least 10 days in advance of the public hearing, if such taxpayer and county clerk have consented in writing to service by electronic means. The county clerk is not required to send a notice to a property owner of property that is exempt from ad valorem taxation. The county clerk shall consolidate the required information for all taxing subdivisions relevant to the taxpayer's property on one notice. The notice shall be in a format prescribed by the director of accounts and reports. The notice shall include, but not be limited to: (A) The following heading: "NOTICE OF PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX INCREASE AND PUBLIC HEARINGS [Current year] [County name] County Revenue Neutral Rate Notice This is NOT a bill. Do not remit payment."; (B) the following statement: "This notice contains estimates of the tax on your property and proposed property tax increases. THE ACTUAL TAX ON YOUR PROPERTY MAY INCREASE OR DECREASE FROM THESE ESTIMATES. Governing bodies of taxing subdivisions must vote in order to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate to increase the total property taxes collected. Governing bodies will vote at public hearings at the dates, times and locations listed. Taxpayers may attend and comment at the hearings. Property tax statements will be issued after mill rates are finalized and taxes are calculated."; (C) the appraised value and assessed value of the taxpayer's property for the current year and the previous year; (D) the mill levy and amount of property tax of each taxing subdivision on the taxpayer's property from the previous year's tax statement in a column titled: "[Previous year] Tax"; (E) the revenue neutral rate in mills and estimated amount of property tax for the current year of each taxing subdivision on the taxpayer's property based on the revenue neutral rate of each taxing subdivision in a column titled: "[Current year] Tax at Revenue Neutral Rate"; (F) the estimated amount of property tax for the current year of each taxing subdivision on the taxpayer's property based on either: (i) The revenue neutral rate for a taxing subdivision that does not intend to exceed its revenue neutral rate; or (ii) the proposed tax rate provided by the taxing subdivision, if the taxing subdivision notified the county clerk of its proposed intent to exceed its revenue neutral rate, and such mill levy used in the calculation, in a column titled: "[Current year] Proposed Tax"; (G) the difference between the amount of the current year's proposed tax and the previous year's tax, reflected in dollars and a percentage, for each taxing subdivision in a column titled: "[Current year] Proposed Tax Exceeding [Previous year] Tax"; and (H) the date, time and location of the public hearing of each taxing subdivision that notified the county clerk of its proposed intent to exceed its revenue neutral rate in a column titled: "Date, Time and Location of Public Hearing". The columns described in subparagraphs (D) through (G) shall include a total of the amounts at the end of each column. For each taxing subdivision, the notice shall include the total amount of revenue from the property tax levy for the previous year, the proposed total amount of revenue from the property tax levy for the current year and the difference or change between such amounts, reflected in dollars and a percentage. Although the state of Kansas is not a taxing subdivision for purposes of this section, the notice shall include the previous year's tax amount and the estimate of the tax for the current year on the taxpayer's property based on the statutory mill levies. (3) The public hearing to consider exceeding the revenue neutral rate shall be held not sooner than August 20 and not later than September 20. The governing body shall provide interested taxpayers desiring to be heard an opportunity to present oral testimony within reasonable time limits and without unreasonable restriction on the number of individuals allowed to make public comment. The public hearing may be conducted in conjunction with the proposed budget hearing pursuant to K.S.A. 79-2929, and amendments thereto, if the governing body otherwise complies with all requirements of this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit additional public hearings that provide additional opportunities to present testimony or public comment prior to the public hearing required by this section. (4) A majority vote of the governing body, by the adoption of a resolution or ordinance to approve exceeding the revenue neutral rate, shall be required prior to adoption of a proposed budget that will result in a tax rate in excess of the revenue neutral rate. Such vote of the governing body shall be conducted at the public hearing and on the same day as the commencement of the public hearing after the governing body has heard from interested taxpayers and shall be a roll call vote. If the governing body approves exceeding the revenue neutral rate, the governing body shall not adopt a budget that results in a tax rate in excess of its proposed tax rate as stated in the notice provided pursuant to this section. A copy of the resolution or ordinance to approve exceeding the revenue neutral rate and a certified copy of any roll call vote reporting, at a minimum, the name and vote of each member of the governing body related to exceeding the revenue neutral rate, whether approved or not, shall be included with the adopted budget, budget certificate and other budget forms filed with the county clerk and the director of accounts and reports and shall be published on the website of the department of administration. (c) (1) Any governing body subject to the provisions of this section that does not comply with subsection (b) shall refund to taxpayers any property taxes over-collected based on the amount of the levy that was in excess of the revenue neutral rate. (2) Any taxpayer of the taxing subdivision that is the subject of the complaint or such taxpayer's duly authorized representative may file a complaint with the state board of tax appeals by filing a written complaint, on a form prescribed by the board, that contains the facts that the complaining party believes show that a governing body of a taxing subdivision did not comply with the provisions of subsection (b) and that a reduction or refund of taxes is appropriate. The complaining party shall provide a copy of such complaint to the governing body of the taxing subdivision making the levy that is the subject of the complaint. Notwithstanding K.S.A. 74-2438a, and amendments thereto, no filing fee shall be charged by the executive director of the state board of tax appeals for a complaint filed pursuant to this paragraph. The governing body of the taxing subdivision making the levy that is the subject of the complaint shall be a party to the proceeding. Notice of any summary proceeding or hearing shall be served upon such governing body, the county clerk, the director of accounts and reports and the complaining party. It shall be the duty of the governing body to initiate the production of evidence to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, the validity of such levy. If upon a summary proceeding or hearing, it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the board that the governing body of the taxing subdivision did not comply with subsection (b), the state board of tax appeals shall order such governing body to refund to taxpayers the amount of property taxes over collected or reduce the taxes levied, if uncollected. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed as prohibiting any other remedies available under the law. (d) On and after January 1, 2022, in the event that the tax levied by a school district pursuant to K.S.A. 72-5142, and amendments thereto, increases the property tax revenue generated for the purpose of calculating the revenue neutral rate from the previous tax year and such amount of increase in revenue generated from such tax levied is the only reason that the school district would exceed the total property tax revenue from the prior year, the school district shall be deemed to not have exceeded the revenue neutral rate in levying a tax rate in excess of the revenue neutral rate to take into account the increase in revenue from only such tax levied. (e) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, if the governing body of a taxing subdivision must conduct a public hearing to approve exceeding the revenue neutral rate under this section, the governing body of the taxing subdivision shall certify, on or before October 1, to the proper county clerk the amount of ad valorem tax to be levied. (2) If a governing body of a taxing subdivision did not comply with the provisions of subsection (b) and certifies to the county clerk an amount of ad valorem tax to be levied that would result in a tax rate in excess of its revenue neutral rate, the county clerk shall reduce the ad valorem tax to be levied to the amount resulting from such taxing subdivision's revenue neutral rate. (f) As used in this section: (1) "Taxing subdivision" means any political subdivision of the state that levies an ad valorem tax on property. (2) "Revenue neutral rate" means the tax rate for the current tax year that would generate the same property tax revenue as levied the previous tax year using the current tax year's total assessed valuation. To calculate the revenue neutral rate, the county clerk shall divide the property tax revenue for such taxing subdivision levied for the previous tax year by the total of all taxable assessed valuation in such taxing subdivision for the current tax year, and then multiply the quotient by 1,000 to express the rate in mills. The revenue neutral rate shall be expressed to the third decimal place. (g) In the event that a county clerk incurred costs of printing and postage that were not reimbursed pursuant to K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 79-2989, and amendments thereto, such county clerk may seek reimbursement from all taxing subdivisions required to send the notice. Such costs shall be shared proportionately by all taxing subdivisions that were included on the same notice based on the total property tax levied by each taxing subdivision. Payment of such costs shall be due to the county clerk by December 31. (h) The department of administration or the director of accounts and reports shall make copies of adopted budgets, budget certificates, other budget documents and revenue neutral rate documents available to the public on the department of administration's website on a permanently accessible web page that may be accessed via a conspicuous link to that web page placed on the front page of the department's website. The department of administration or the director of accounts and reports shall also make the following information for each tax year available on such website: (1) A list of taxing subdivisions by county; (2) whether each taxing subdivision conducted a hearing to consider exceeding its revenue neutral rate; (3) the revenue neutral rate of each taxing subdivision; (4) the tax rate resulting from the adopted budget of each taxing subdivision; and (5) the percent change between the revenue neutral rate and the tax rate for each taxing subdivision. (i) Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, in the event any governing body does not comply with the provisions of subsection (b) because such governing body did not intend to exceed its revenue neutral rate but the final taxable assessed valuation of such taxing subdivision used to calculate the actual tax levy is less than the estimated assessed valuation used to calculate the revenue neutral rate, such governing body shall be permitted to levy a tax rate that generates the same amount of property tax revenue as levied the previous year or less. History: L. 2021, ch. 9, § 1; L. 2021, ch. 58, § 11; L. 2022, ch. 63, § 37; L. 2024, ch. 81, § 15; L. 2024, ch. 1, § 15 (Special Session); L. 2025, ch. 128, § 6; May 8.