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County administrator presents FY 2025–26 budget proposal; tax rate held steady, machinery-and-tools reduction proposed
Summary
County staff presented the recommended FY 2025–26 budget at a public hearing, proposing to hold the real-estate tax rate at the current level described in the presentation as “68 per 100 of assessed value” and proposing a one‑year reduction in the machinery-and-tools tax from $2 to $1 per assessed value for board consideration.
The county administrator presented the recommended FY 2025–26 budget at a public hearing April 14, telling residents the recommendation keeps the real-estate tax rate the same (described in the presentation as “68 per 100 of assessed value”) and generally continues current tax rates while proposing a one‑year reduction in the machinery-and-tools tax rate from $2 to $1 per assessed value if the board chooses to adopt it.
The administrator outlined priorities for the coming year: tax-rate stability, continued investment in education, public safety and human services, a salary market adjustment (roughly a $1 million market adjustment cited for employee pay), a proposed hazardous-duty multiplier change for public-safety retirement benefits, a planned 3% salary increase in the budget presentation, and holding employee health insurance premiums steady. The recommended budget assumes about $2 million in carryover and notes a land sale expected to help fund an HVAC project at the Judicial Center.
Staff highlighted certain expenditures and cost drivers: the Children's Services Act (CSA) funding gap (the CSA coordinator earlier requested a $200,000 supplemental for the current year), public-safety staffing and equipment, salary competitiveness, and continued funding for community partners. Staff also said projected savings on trash contract expenditures would reduce next year’s costs by roughly $1.1 million.
The presentation said the machinery-and-tools tax cut is feasible because some local employers have made significant investments and one of the county’s largest employers may be returning to operation; staff recommended testing a one‑year reduction and reassessing the tax next year. The proposed reduction was presented as a staff recommendation for board consideration, not yet adopted.
After the presentation, the board opened the public record for comments. One resident thanked the board for maintaining services without increasing taxes and asked whether any retroactive increases for EMS were under consideration. The county administrator said salary adjustments recommended by the market study could be made effective May 1 but would not be retroactive.
Ending: The board held the public hearing and will consider adoption of the FY 2025–26 budget at a later meeting when formal action is scheduled.
