Public safety and emergency medical services don’t come on the cheap.
In the past 10 years budgets for Allen County’s law enforcement, corrections and dispatch services have increased threefold.
Tax dollars collected by the county over the past 10 years have increased 127 percent. In 2002, collections were $2,756,188. In 2012, taxpayers ponied up $6,235,051.
The county’s ambulance budget has expanded the most. County commissioners have allowed a 500 percent increase in its budget, jumping from $227,927 in 2002, when it was the only service, to $1.31 million this year.
Of course, things have changed in the ambulance department over the past 10 years.
In 2002, the county purchased ambulances and subsidized the services in Iola, Humboldt and Moran. Then, a mere $134,591 in tax money was needed to support the service.
Two services now have the county paying for full-time crews manning two ambulances here and one each in Humboldt and Moran. Iola has broken away from the pack and has its own service. The county’s ambulance expenditures include an $80,000 subsidy sent Iola’s way.
Property tax support for the county’s ambulance service this year is $230,399. Most of the ambulance service budget comes from fees assessed for answering calls and transporting patients, on the average three or four a day.
It should be noted that because of Kansas’ cash-basis law financial obligations must be met. Legally, default isn’t an option.
Dispatch is of similar financial circumstances to ambulance service.
In 2002, dispatching was done from Iola police headquarters in City Hall. The county shared costs, to the tune of about $130,000 a year.
Now, dispatch services, at a much higher technological level, are done altogether at the Allen County Critical Response Center, 410 N. State St., at a projected cost this year of $546,194.
How much of dispatch costs are directly attributable to property taxes isn’t specifically defined as a line item in the budget, but tax support generally is about the percentage that property taxes flow to the general fund, 65 percent. All departments under the general fund umbrella submit budgets, which are approved at the discretion of county commissioners.
Dispatch does have an alternative source of revenue in a 53-cent monthly surcharge levied on all landline and cell phones owned by Allen Countians. That money may be used only for equipment purchases, such as recently when commissioners approved $70,500 for computer programs to improve dispatchers’ efficiency in answering medical and fire calls.
While 65 percent of general fund revenue comes from property taxes, the remaining 35 percent is generated by other taxes and fees. For example, in 2002 sales tax revenue was $315,000; this year’s projection is $435,000.
Law enforcement and jail operations also are in the general fund.
In 2002, the sheriff’s department had a budget of $393,500; this year it is $870,000. Jail budgets those two years were $180,000 and $795,118, respectively.
Cost comparisons for each are skewed somewhat by substantial changes in environments and increased state and federal demands, in reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In 2002, the jail was part of the courthouse – above the sheriff’s garage – that opened in the mid-1950s. The sheriff’s office was on the courthouse basement room, occupying one large room and a couple of small offices.
Now the law enforcement center, including jail, are next to new and much larger. Efforts also have been made to keep pace with technological advances in law enforcement and corrections.
The jail generates some income through housing of inmates from other jurisdictions, but that money seldom meets altogether debt service of about $200,000 a year on the jail/law enforcement building.
THE COMMUNITY college and school district have seen local property tax support decrease percentagewise.
For ACC, about 9 percent of this year’s budget of $16.7 million comes from local property taxes. Ten years ago it was 13 percent.
For USD 257, 13.7 percent of this year’s $17.4 million budget is local property tax money. Ten years ago it was 14.6 percent.
Increased valuation with modest increases in levies resulted in the percentages dropping.
Iola’s annual expenditures are many times what property taxes generate. Much of the reason is that the city provides all utilities, which means as enterprises funds – gas, water and electric – they generate enough income to permit the governing body to buffer taxes with transfers.
This year property taxed will provide 4.7 percent of projected expenditures of $26.1 million. Ten years ago the percentage was 2.8 percent of a $26.4 million budget.
The city’s overall budget is so substantial because it includes purchases of power and natural gas and their sale, with the two departmental budgets totaling better than $15 million.
