(KMZA)--A new 2019 Seneca city budget has been drafted that keeps the mill levy steady.

A proposed budget had been published that contained a more than 4 mill levy increase and the City Council held a hearing on that budget at their August 1st meeting,  which drew no public comment.

City Administrator Matt Rehder says the Council had expressed a desire to keep the mill levy steady, and a new budget was drafted with a 32.338 levy, about where its been for the last seven years.   

Rehder says they were able to keep the mill levy steady and still fund the city’s needs due to an increase in the city’s assessed valuation.

The new proposed budget calls for the city to collect more than $760,000 in local taxes—nearly $33,000 more than this year.

The Council delayed adoption of the budget until their August 15th meeting when the 2017 city audit is to be presented.

In other action, the Council approved a request to commit to funding the Northeast Kansas Enterprise Facilitation Initiative for the next three years at $5,000 per year.  

That’s the same level of funding as the city has provided the past three years.

The program provides free, confidential business coaching to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners in five counties---including Nemaha.