Overview
Council Grove's FY2026 budget holds the property-tax levy flat in revenue terms: at 62.719 mills — the revenue neutral rate — with one mill worth $17,495, the General Fund ad valorem levy is $1,097,267. The budget narrative calls the plan conservative, built around gradual improvement while holding the levy at revenue neutral for the first time since the rate was established in January 2021. The city also budgets $1,157,506 in the 1% Sales Tax fund and $1,141,045 in the 0.7% Sales Tax fund, the latter carrying the swimming-pool lease debt. Water and sewer operations are funded by user fees, not property taxes: the Water budgets total $1,084,557 across production, distribution, and general water, and the Sewer budget is $247,050.
Source: City of Council Grove FY2026 Budget.
At a glance — adopted budget FY2026
Department budgets named in the FY2026 narrative
These are the department budgets stated in the budget book's narrative. Their sum, $2,080,711, is arithmetic on the named items only — the book does not print a single General Fund total in the extracted text, so this sum is not presented as the General Fund budget. The Administrative Department starts FY2026 with a cash carryover of $250,513.
| Department | FY2026 budget |
|---|---|
| Administrative | $377,844 |
| Police | $525,700 |
| Street | $349,857 |
| Swimming Pool | $144,793 |
| Parks | $80,000 |
| Recreation | $158,683 |
| Cemetery | $47,224 |
| City Lake | $210,968 |
| Fire | $154,442 |
| Municipal Court | $31,200 |
| Sum of named department budgets (not a printed total) | $2,080,711 |
Other funds — FY2026
The 1% Sales Tax fund budget of $1,157,506 carries $539,850 in encumbrances (employee benefits $68,350; transfer to the General Fund for recreation and pool $186,500; Convention and Visitors Bureau $45,000; sales tax grant $40,000; infrastructure $200,000), leaving $617,656 in reserve. The 0.7% Sales Tax fund budget of $1,141,045 carries $335,930.64 in encumbrances (pool lease payment $212,475; intake payment $23,455.56; pool sandblasting and painting $100,000), leaving $805,114.36 in reserve; its first priority is pool debt, maintenance, and the intake payment.
| Fund / item | FY2026 amount |
|---|---|
| 1% Sales Tax fund budget | $1,157,506 |
| 0.7% Sales Tax fund encumbrances | $539,850 |
| 0.7% Sales Tax fund budget | $1,141,045 |
| 0.7% Sales Tax fund encumbrances | $335,930.64 |
| Special Highway fund — Kansas Gas Tax estimate | $57,600 |
| Special Highway fund balance | $229,463.11 |
| Highway Maintenance (KLINK) — CCLIP estimate | $35,800 |
| Highway Maintenance (KLINK) fund balance | $205,760.77 |
| Special Parks/Recreation fund balance | $54,613.43 |
| Diversion fund budget | $3,249 |
| Water Production | $565,640 |
| Water Distribution | $296,600 |
| General Water | $222,317 |
| Sewer (starting cash estimate $658,143) | $247,050 |
Source: Budget narrative, fund sections.
Debt — FY2026
FY2026 bond payments total $137,157: General Obligation Series 2020 (water) $56,005, down from $159,050 in FY2025; the KDOT Washington Street loan $53,503, retiring August 1, 2027; and the KDHE revolving loan for the wastewater lagoon upgrade $27,649, retiring September 1, 2031. Separately, lease-purchase balances total $2,710,911, with FY2026 lease payments of $358,343.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| GO Series 2020 — Water (retires Jul 1, 2033), FY2026 payment | $56,005 |
| KDOT loan — Washington Street (retires Aug 1, 2027), FY2026 payment | $53,503 |
| KDHE revolving loan — wastewater lagoon (retires Sep 1, 2031), FY2026 payment | $27,649 |
| Total FY2026 bond payments | $137,157 |
| Fire truck lease balance / FY2026 payment | $52,236 / $25,766 |
| Water skid steer lease balance / FY2026 payment | $8,449 / $2,973 |
| Energy audit (CTS Group) lease balance / FY2026 payment | $925,510 / $98,647 |
| Public Building Commission lease balance / FY2026 payment | $1,675,000 / $212,475 |
| Rural fire truck lease balance / FY2026 payment | $49,716 / $18,482 |
| Total lease-purchase balances / FY2026 lease payments | $2,710,911 / $358,343 |
Sources & notes
- Only source used: City of Council Grove, FY2026 Budget (revised August 5, 2025), from the city's own site. Read the budget (PDF).
- Sum checks: department budgets named in the narrative sum to $2,080,711 ($377,844 + $525,700 + $349,857 + $144,793 + $80,000 + $158,683 + $47,224 + $210,968 + $154,442 + $31,200); water budgets sum to $1,084,557 ($565,640 + $296,600 + $222,317); FY2026 bond payments sum to $137,157 ($56,005 + $53,503 + $27,649); lease balances sum to $2,710,911 ($52,236 + $8,449 + $925,510 + $1,675,000 + $49,716); lease payments sum to $358,343 ($25,766 + $2,973 + $98,647 + $212,475 + $18,482); 1% Sales Tax reserve ($1,157,506 − $539,850 = $617,656); 0.7% Sales Tax reserve ($1,141,045 − $335,930.64 = $805,114.36).
- Discrepancies disclosed, not smoothed: (1) 62.719 mills × $17,495 per mill = $1,097,269, $2 above the printed General Fund ad valorem figure of $1,097,267 (rounding in the source). (2) The library appropriations do not reconcile to the mill value: 4.113 mills × $17,495 = $71,957, not the printed $79,598 for operations, and 1.396 mills × $17,495 = $24,423, not the printed $27,000 for employee benefits. Both dollar figures are reported as printed; no library mill figure is derived from them. (3) No adoption resolution appears in the extracted budget book; the “adopted” label follows the inventory record, and the book is identified here by its revision date so the reader can judge.
- What is missing: no printed General Fund total, no city-wide all-funds total, and no state budget-form certificate were in the extracted book, so none is claimed. Health and dental insurance for 2025/2026 is budgeted at $558,642.36 in total, with $75,791.88 reimbursed to the city by employees.
- Jurisdiction palette: no verified palette for this jurisdiction was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a jurisdiction color.