Reno County adopts 2026 budget after heated public hearing on property taxes

The Reno County Commission adopted the county2026 budget and voted to levy a property tax rate above the state-calculated revenue-neutral rate following a public hearing dominated by residents who said rising valuations and a proposed mill-levy increase are pricing them out of their homes.

Commissioners held the hearing as part of their regular meeting, heard more than a dozen public comments and then approved a resolution to exceed the revenue-neutral rate before formally adopting the budget and the special-district budgets that fund several local fire districts and sewer projects.

Nut graf: The budget vote comes after months of staff work and a series of study sessions. Commissioners said they reviewed departmental cuts but concluded that, because of inflation and service needs, modest additional revenue was necessary to maintain county operations and reserves; residents urged the commission to find alternatives.

Most speakers focused on property-tax pain and the countyrole in valuations. Several residents told the commission their property valuations have risen substantially in recent years even when they had not made improvements to their homes. William Colvin, who said he has lived at his address 35 years, told commissioners his property valuation rose 42% over several years while comparable nearby homes rose less, and he said the increase threatened his…