The Board of County Commissioners opened a public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget for Montgomery County Rural Fire District No. 1 and approved the budget as presented.

Jonathan (county staff) told commissioners the district’s proposed rate of 2.731 is below the stated revenue-neutral rate of 2.739, so a separate revenue-neutral-rate resolution was not required. “Right now, the revenue neutral rate for this proposed budget is 2.739, and we are not over that,” Jonathan said; he added that the commission must still hold a budget hearing prior to approval.

Following the hearing, no members of the public addressed the commission. Commissioner motioned to accept the rural fire budget and a second was recorded; the three commissioners present voted yes to approve the budget.

Why it matters: The board’s approval sets the rural fire district’s maximum levy and expenditures for fiscal year 2026; staying below the revenue-neutral rate means the county did not need to adopt a resolution to exceed that threshold.

Background and details: County staff said the rural fire budget covers seven rural fire stations within the county. The approved proposed expenditure rate was recorded as 2.731. The board signed and attested the budget documents following the vote.

Next steps: The budget was signed by commissioners and attested; no further action on the record was required at this meeting.