Dickinson County adopts $32.9 million 2026 budget, lowers mill levy

Dickinson County commissioners adopted a $32,925,464 budget for fiscal year 2026 after a public hearing and a motion to approve the plan presented by County Finance Director Marcus Rothschild.

The budget, approved by the commission during the meeting, reduces property-tax revenue by $516,405 and lowers the county mill levy by about 3.634 mills from last year, a reduction county staff described as part of a multiyear effort to lower the tax burden on residents.

Marcus Rothschild and County Administrator Janelle Dott presented the budget in a public hearing that outlined county services covered by the plan. Rothschild said the total budget covers 37 funds and that only six of those are supported by ad valorem property tax; he said the county is aiming to return assessed-value gains to taxpayers rather than reinvesting all of them in county spending. "We were able to bring in a budget with an overall budget reduction of $1,300,000, a property tax reduction of $516,405 and a mill levy reduction of about 7% which came in at 3.634 mills lower than last year," Rothschild said during the hearing.

Rothschild reviewed services the budget supports, including the highway department’s work—205 miles of paved roads and 108 miles of gravel—and capital work this year such as 30 miles of 2-inch overlay, 33 miles of chip seal and two miles of microseal. He also reviewed public-safety and public-health operations, noting the district court and jury-trial workload is increasing: "we've had eight jury trials so far this year," he said, describing growth in court activity that affects costs.

The presentation highlighted EMS activity and staffing growth since the county took over emergency medical services from the local hospital. Rothschild said EMS calls were up year to date and that average on-scene time had risen slightly.

Commissioners moved to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget as presented by Rothschild; the motion was seconded and carried on a recorded voice vote. The chair called for the vote and commissioners answered "aye," and the motion passed.

County officials said staff will post final budget documents on the county website and will continue to brief the commission and the public as departments implement the plan. The county also plans to monitor jury and trial volumes and refine budgeting for 2027; Rothschild said 2026 figures may be provisional as trial activity evens out. "By the time we're looking at the '27 budget, we'll probably have a pretty good set number for what we should be budgeting for 2027," he said.

The commission also discussed the state-required "revenue neutral rate" notices that taxpayers receive; Rothschild said that timing and preliminary figures can confuse residents because other taxing entities sometimes include conservative high-end numbers in notices before final budgets are set.

Adoption of the budget followed the public hearing and discussion; commissioners moved, seconded and voted to approve the budget.

The commission then recessed for a scheduled executive session later in the agenda.

Votes at a glance: The motion to adopt the 2026 budget passed on voice vote with commissioners responding "aye."