Shannon, a county staff member, presented the final figures for the county's 2026 budget and the board considered adoption after a public hearing process. The commission adopted a 2026 budget authority of $37,557,367 and a tax levy of $18,942,066; Shannon reported an estimated mill levy of 44.601.

The county began the budget process in February and published a notice of hearing July 19. Earlier public meetings included a revenue-neutral-rate hearing on Aug. 26; commissioners subsequently directed staff to modify the budget and present a final document for adoption on Sept. 2. Shannon described revisions from the previously published maximum levy: the commission had earlier set a maximum tax levy of $19,255,616, and the budget as published showed total budget authority of $37,846,563. The adopted 2026 figures reflect staff changes requested by the commission.

Commissioners noted the deliberative process and input from the public and staff. One commissioner said the "more notable" change in the adopted budget is the addition of two sheriff deputy positions; commissioners described that as the primary reason for the modest mill-levy increase. The record shows the commission discussed operational tradeoffs and asked county staff to continue searching for redundancies and savings in future budgets.

A motion to adopt the 2026 Harvey County budget with the stated budget authority and tax levy passed by voice vote. Commissioners discussed next steps for printing and execution of the adopted budget documents.

Ending: County staff will finalize printing and prepare documents for signatures; commissioners asked staff to continue reviewing operations for possible efficiencies ahead of the next budgeting cycle.