Douglas County commissioners debate mill levy as budget work nears finish

Douglas County commissioners and staff met July 16 to review a draft 2026 budget and to weigh whether to hold the county’s mill levy flat or reduce it for the coming year. Staff presented a working mill levy of 40.669, down from last year’s 41.298, and warned of an unresolved $38,000 discrepancy they planned to reconcile before formal adoption.

Why this matters: the mill levy determines the county portion of property taxes and changes affect homeowners directly; commissioners said they wanted to balance immediate taxpayer relief with leaving room for future financial pressures and state-level changes.

County staffer Sarah, speaking as county staff during the session, said her approach to the mill levy was to “hold a flat mill levy,” citing uncertainty about possible state-level limits and volatility in property valuations. Brooke, a county staff member who runs the budget worksheet, told commissioners the draft numbers put the levy at 40.669 after the committee’s additions and offsets but that staff were still tracking a roughly $38,000 adjustment they could not immediately reconcile.

Commissioner Reid urged a lower levy to give homeowners more immediate relief, saying the county had room to reduce its share of property taxes given recent valuation volatility. Other commissioners voiced caution, noting upcoming costs such as LDC FM (Lawrence–Douglas County Fire Medical) needs and the anticipated operating impact of a Station 6 expansion. Several commissioners said they preferred to leave some contingency and fund-balance capacity in place in case state law or future needs require additional spending.

Staff described procedural next steps: the commission will set the revenue-neutral rate at its evening business meeting, and final budget hearings are scheduled for July 30 (consolidated public safety/CIP review) and Aug. 27 (budget hearing). Sarah and Brooke said numbers may continue to shift through the assessor/appeals process, and that the levy shown is a snapshot rather than a final figure.

The commission did not adopt a final levy at the July 16 deliberation; members agreed to reconvene and give staff time to double-check the worksheet before the evening meeting and formal public notices.

Ending: commissioners instructed staff to complete reconciliations and return with confirmed figures at the next public session; the public hearing on the budget is set for Aug. 27.