At Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth City Council, the 2026 city budget was approved as presented after a public hearing.

Interim City Administrator Allen Dinkel said each year, the city adopts a budget for the following year and levies ad valorem taxes to fund certain items of the budget. He noted that in the case of Ellsworth, it is for the general fund and the library fund. The general fund will levy $1,501,714 in tax dollars. With the valuation of $20,534,684, the estimated mill levy for that fund will be 73.131 mills.

“On the ( J.H. Robbins Memorial) library side, the levy of $146,123 will call for an estimated mill levy of 7.116 mills,” Dinkel said. “The total tax dollars levied is $1,647,837, for an estimated mill levy of 80247, which is below the revenue neutral rate of 80.493 mills.”

Dinkel said the final 2025 valuation will not be complete until Nov. 1.

“It will never be the same as the amount we received on June 4, 2025,” he said. “If the valuation increases by November, the mill levy will be lower than estimated, but if it decreases, the mill levy will be higher. What does not change is the amount of tax dollars levied, which will remain at $1,647,837.”

Dinkel said he has added the Opioid Settlement Fund. In the past, this was part of the General Fund, but it is required to be in its own fund.

Dinkel said he had thoughts about splitting the water and sewer fund into two funds, but thought it would be best to continue as is until he sees the influx of the new rates.

In other business:

• New council member Russell Allen was sworn into office by City Clerk Louise Blanding.

• Approval was given to a request by Debra Brown to have the city support her cat trap and neuter program by serving as a special agent for funding received via future grants she plans to apply for through the Smoky Hills Community Foundation.

• The consensus of the council was to proceed with the crosswalk on Douglas Avenue/K-14 Highway between the Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High School tennis courts and the city tennis courts. After a study was done, the cost of installing the crosswalk has been estimated by an engineering firm to be $32,000. The city plans to look at grant funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The application process begins in February.

• Approval was given to appoint Dinkel as hearing officer for water/sewer termination extension requests in September and December.

• Approval was given to the municipal agreement with the State of Kansas setoff program.

• Dave Buchholz of the city water and sewer department said he spent an hour and 45 minutes recently flushing fire hydrants on a dead-end water line near the Ellsworth County Noxious Weed Department. He said he is going to keep watching the line and will work to flush the hydrants in question once per week.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth City Council will be at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at city hall.