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Saline County approves modest mill-levy increases for six rural fire districts
Summary
Following a public hearing, commissioners adopted Resolution 25-24-35 approving proposed 2026 mill levies for rural fire districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7; district 6 was not exceeding its revenue-neutral rate.
The Saline County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9 adopted Resolution 25-24-35 after a public hearing to approve proposed 2026 mill levies for six rural fire districts for which the county serves as the governing body.
County Administrator Philip Smith reviewed the figures for each district and said the districts generally attribute increases to equipment needs rather than staffing. "The fire districts do not typically have staffing needs, so most of their increases are driven by equipment needs," Smith said.
Smith presented the revenue-neutral rates and proposed levies as follows: rural fire district No. 1 ' revenue-neutral 3.909 mills, proposed 3.997; No. 2 ' revenue-neutral 6.012, proposed 6.047; No. 3 ' revenue-neutral 5.143, proposed 5.438; No. 4 (south industrial area covered by the City of Salina) ' revenue-neutral 19.743, proposed 21.86; No. 5 ' revenue-neutral 5.121, proposed 5.562; No. 7 ' revenue-neutral 4.808, proposed 4.969. Smith noted that in a couple of districts the appearance of an increase reflected valuation changes rather than additional collections compared with 2025.
No members of the public spoke at the fire-district hearing. After closing the hearing, the commission moved, seconded, and approved Resolution 25-24-35 by roll-call vote; Commissioners Sparks, Shadwick, Grievous, Weese and Hay each voted aye.
The resolutions allow the six districts to levy the proposed mill rates in 2026. The county administrator said the budget impact to county administration was minimal.
