Overview
Harper County published a proposed 2027 budget of $14,152,227 in budget authority, down from a $14,434,978 estimate for 2026 and $14,929,489 actually spent in 2025. The proposed levy is $5,112,520 at 47.752 mills — below the revenue neutral rate of 49.102 mills. The General Fund dominates the proposal at $6,796,115, but its levy collapses to just 1.387 mills in the proposal (from a 20.546-mill actual rate in 2025), while the Employee Benefits levy rises to 17.531 mills; the hearing summary does not explain the shift, and this page reports it exactly as printed. The county reports zero outstanding indebtedness.
Source: Harper County 2027 budget hearing notice and summary (state budget form).
At a glance — proposed budget 2027
Source: Harper County 2027 budget summary.
Proposed 2027 funds
The fund rows below sum exactly to the $14,152,227 proposed total, and the ad valorem column sums exactly to $5,112,520; the mill rates sum to 47.752. Figures are proposed, not adopted — see the basis notice.
| Fund | Proposed 2027 | 2026 ad valorem | Rate (mills) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | $6,796,115 | $148,459 | 1.387 |
| Road & Bridge | $2,013,600 | $1,489,686 | 13.914 |
| Special Bridge | $548,550 | $564,893 | 5.276 |
| EMS | $901,930 | $341,360 | 3.188 |
| Health Department | $552,279 | $150,495 | 1.406 |
| Appraiser | $288,920 | $251,255 | 2.347 |
| Noxious Weeds | $151,100 | $134,253 | 1.254 |
| Employee Benefits | $2,423,065 | $1,876,963 | 17.531 |
| Department on Aging | $196,097 | $129,484 | 1.209 |
| Public Transportation | $184,580 | $25,672 | 0.240 |
| 911 Fund | $54,000 | — | — |
| Special Alcohol Tax | $19,500 | — | — |
| Special Liability | $14,991 | — | — |
| Municipalities Fight Addiction | $7,500 | — | — |
| Total proposed 2027 | $14,152,227 | $5,112,520 | 47.752 |
The small-fund rows print with partial columns in the summary; their 2027 proposed figures are assigned as shown because they are the only assignment that sums to the printed $14,152,227 total. Non-budgeted funds are listed separately in the summary (A $2,562,278; B $7,865; C $246,607; D $140,178 in the 2025 actual column).
Source: Harper County 2027 budget summary.
Prior years & levy
2025 actual spending by the major funds: General $6,231,422; Road & Bridge $1,731,373; Special Bridge $426,345; EMS $794,053; Health Department $306,306; Appraiser $238,646; Noxious Weeds $101,577; Employee Benefits $1,765,034; Department on Aging $176,637; Public Transportation $152,146; 911 Fund $49,022 — $11,972,561 for the budgeted funds, plus $2,956,928 of non-budgeted funds (A–D), for the printed 2025 total of $14,929,489 at a 60.889-mill actual rate. The 2026 estimate column sums the same way: $14,399,978 for the major funds plus $35,000 (Special Alcohol Tax $19,500 + Municipalities Fight Addiction $15,500) = $14,434,978 at 49.393 mills. Less transfers: 2025 $14,929,489 − $2,522,800 = $12,406,689 net; 2026 $14,434,978 − $2,702,000 = $11,732,978 net; 2027 $14,152,227 − $2,157,000 = $11,995,227 net. Assessed valuation: $97,080,089, then $106,422,210, then $107,064,353. Total tax levied: $5,910,709 (2025), then $5,255,915 (2026 estimate).
Source: Harper County 2027 budget summary.
Debt & notes
Outstanding indebtedness as of January 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026 is $0 in every category the form reports: general obligation bonds $0, revenue bonds $0, other $0, lease-purchase principal $0, total $0. The hearing notice states the governing body would meet September 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Harper County Courthouse to hear objections, and that detailed budget information was available at the Harper County Clerk's office; the notice is signed by Ami DeLacerda, Harper County Clerk.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: State of Kansas budget form, Harper County 2027 — Notice of Budget Hearing and Budget Summary, signed by Ami DeLacerda, Harper County Clerk, as carried by kcnonline.com. Read the budget form (PDF).
- Publication-channel check: kcnonline.com demonstrably carries Harper County legal publications — county commission resolutions, district-court notices, and the Hospital District No. 6 of Harper County budget hearing — and its issues carry The Harper Advocate's legal notices ("First published in The Harper Advocate"). The hearing notice itself does not name the newspaper of publication in the extracted text, so this page describes kcnonline as the legal-publication host rather than asserting an official-newspaper designation.
- Proposed, not adopted: the form states "Proposed Budget 2027 Expenditures and Amount of 2026 Ad Valorem Tax establish the maximum limits of the 2027 budget." Adoption after the September 14, 2026 hearing was not separately verified, so every 2027 figure here is labeled proposed. The county's 2024 audit on admin.ks.gov was NOT substituted — that would change the basis.
- Sum checks: 2027 proposed fund rows sum to $14,152,227; ad valorem column sums to $5,112,520; rates sum to 47.752 mills; net expenditures $14,152,227 − $2,157,000 = $11,995,227; 2025 budgeted funds $11,972,561 + non-budgeted $2,956,928 = $14,929,489; 2026 estimate $14,399,978 + $35,000 = $14,434,978.
- Jurisdiction palette: no verified Harper County palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a county color.