Geary County is facing the possibility of a substantial jump in the property tax levy or

the possibility of major funding cuts for county governmental operations.

At this point the total of the mill levy increase is uncertain but the county is facing additional expenses for 2015.

Speaking at the Geary County Office Building on Thursday, Commissioner Ben Bennett said officials are looking at a possible double figure increase in the mill levy, but they’re not happy with that. “And we’ve cut it quite a bit already, wanting to look at trying to cut it some more. And I conclude with the other two that we’re going to see an increase in the mill levy in this county.”

Bennett also noted that funding reductions by the City of Junction City are now having to be addressed by the County. “The City has dropped some things that we’re doing now that the city’s not doing. And we’re taking it out of County budget when it was being taken out of City budget. ” Some of those expenses include ambulance fees, and full Health Department funding.

Commissioner Florence Whitebread indicated the current proposed tax levy increase has dropped back down into the single digits. We asked her if the County is going to have to make big spending cuts or have a big mill levy increase. “Exactly. We’re definitely going to have to have a mill levy increase. We can go through and cut what we can, but nobody wants the roads to go to pieces. We have a lot of buildings to upkeep. If the more they go downhill the more it costs. Our cash carryover has gone down every year, and it’s really down this year. You can’t budget so tightly that you don’t have cash carryover.”

The County Commission will continue budget discussions Monday. Final approval on a 2015 spending plan will not occur until later in August.