Valley County proposes $42.27 million FY2026 budget, plans new positions as levy hits maximum

Valley County officials presented a proposed $42,272,588 fiscal year 2026 budget at a public hearing Aug. 27 and said the county will levy the full 3% tax limit plus allowable new-construction revenue — a total levy capacity of $10,516,531 — to cover existing operations and several newly requested positions.

Clerk Miller, speaking for the clerk’s office, said the county’s new-construction value for the year was $259,433,624 and that the statutory 3% limit translates into $301,169; combined with $209,656 in new-construction capacity, the county’s additional levy authority is $510,825. “Based on the proposed budget, Valley County will need to levy all of those available dollars to fund the existing budget for fiscal year 2026,” Clerk Miller said.

Why it matters: county leaders said salary and staffing are the largest portions of the budget and that the levy increase and new-construction allowance are required to fund both existing commitments and the new personnel the departments requested.

County staff described five new positions included for FY2026: a fire mitigation assistant for the County Fire Mitigation Department; a deputy patrol and a communications deputy (converted to communications lead) for the Valley County Sheriff’s Office; a part-time recreation position for the Valley County Recreation Department; and an appraiser for the Valley County Assessor’s…