Miami County adopts 2026 budget after cuts and public objections over property taxes

Miami County commissioners on a largely attended meeting adopted the county—s 2026 budget after reducing earlier proposed increases and hearing more than a dozen residents who urged the board to hold the line on property taxes. The board voted 4-1 to adopt the budget after an earlier separate roll-call vote authorized a resolution to exceed the state—s revenue-neutral property tax rate.

The board agreed to remove $200,000 previously proposed to backfill Miami County Health Department grant reductions and to cut the proposed asphalt/materials increase from $750,000 to $500,000, generating an overall reduction of $450,000 from the initial draft. Commissioners kept a proposed 4 percent employee pay increase in place. County staff said the proposals reflect a multiyear effort to address road maintenance, equipment replacement and personnel retention.

Why it matters: The budget vote follows repeated public comments that described steady property tax increases and urged the board to cut spending. Commissioners said they weighed the competing goals of maintaining roads, public safety and county services while minimizing property tax pressure.

Details: Lucas Mellinger, assistant county administrator and finance director, summarized the draft budget in a staff presentation and identified major line items: a proposed increase to the asphalt/materials budget (initially $750,000), a $750,000 planned investment in road and bridge equipment, a $200,000 increase in the gravel program to restore inventory and a proposed 4 percent pay increase for county staff. Mellinger said much of the budget work began in March and continued through public study sessions in June and July.

Public testimony: More than a dozen residents spoke during the two-hour public hearing on the —revenue neutral— question and the budget itself. Speakers described rising property valuations and tax bills, and many urged the commission to stay revenue neutral or to cut spending. Wally Brayback of Hilltop Circle told commissioners that his family had lost income and that local street rock and maintenance had been repeatedly requested; he asked why some nearby roads had been paved while others had not. Polly Inscore, who said she has been a widow and sole breadwinner since 2019, said escalating taxes forced painful personal choices and called for cuts and audits of —bloat.— Courtney Crawford pressed the board on wage increases and health benefits for county employees and questioned whether the board—s spending choices prioritized resilience for families.

Commission discussion and votes: Commissioners debated several options before voting. Commissioner Jean Vickery proposed removing the $200,000 health-department backfill. Commissioner Tyler Vaughn proposed reducing the asphalt/materials increase from $750,000 to $500,000; that motion (combined with the health-department removal) was moved and seconded and carried on a voice vote 4-1. The meeting record shows an earlier roll-call vote to authorize the signature of a resolution to exceed the revenue-neutral rate for the county budget; that roll call was unanimous (5-0) and recorded by name. The final budget adoption passed 4-1 by voice vote; the transcript did not show a member-level roll-call for the final adoption.

Other budget actions during the meeting: The board also handled separate budget hearings for fire and special districts. The board, sitting as the rural fire board, voted 5-0 in roll-call votes to exceed the revenue-neutral rate for Rural Fire District No. 1 and No. 2 and then unanimously adopted both districts— 2026 budgets. The board also adopted the 2026 budgets for the Bucyrus and Hillsdale lights-and-sirens special districts; those two hold revenue-neutral status.

Context and constraints: Commissioners repeatedly explained that county budgets are shaped by state statutes and revenue-neutral calculations and that the county had used cash reserves in prior years to avoid tax increases. Several commissioners said the county is trying to accelerate road maintenance after years of underfunding equipment replacement, and that doing nothing now could lead to much larger costs later.

What—s next: The board instructed staff to implement the modified budget and continue public outreach. Staff also will continue planned capital purchases for Road and Bridge within the revised funding levels. No new tax levies beyond the adopted budget were announced.