Dickinson County commissioners preview 2026 draft budget with lower mill levy, list of outside-organization requests

Dickinson County administrators presented a draft 2026 budget that would tentatively set the mill levy at 50.156 — a reduction of 3.634 mills from the prior year — and that projects an approximate $516,004 property tax reduction for taxpayers.

The draft budget presented to the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners lists outside-organization appropriations the staff has proposed to include: Conservation District $40,000; juvenile detention $75,000; Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging $11,500; Central Kansas Free Fair (listed as Central Kansas Free payer in the packet) $75,000; Tri-County (request) $12,000; Dickinson County Historical Society $70,000; Central Kansas Mental Health $140,006; OCCK $110,002.50; and Dickinson County Economic Development Corporation $125,000. The packet also shows a request from the county fair for $12,000 this year, up from approximately $5,500 in prior years; county staff said much of that increase would support bleacher repairs.

County finance staff said the draft reduces total budget authority from roughly $34,000,003 last year to about $32,000,009.25 in the current draft (a drop of about $1.38 million, or roughly 4 percent). Staff cautioned that timing of a radio communications project could shift some expenditures between 2025 and 2026, and that if more of that project is spent in 2025 the 2026 spending would be lower than currently shown.

The draft also includes a 2.77 percent CPI adjustment to the county pay plan, corrections for a handful of positions carried over from the prior year, and the budgeting of an extra (27th) payroll for 2026. Staff told commissioners the combination of those personnel adjustments and anticipated department efficiencies made the presented reductions feasible while maintaining services.

Commissioners and staff discussed county revenue streams and limits on fee-setting. Staff said property tax remains the largest county revenue source, followed by sales tax (including distributions from online sales), and that many administrative fees are statutorily capped or intended only to offset processing costs.

County administration recommended publishing the draft numbers as-is in the next week to 10 days so the county can meet the requirement to publish at least 10 days before the Aug. 21 budget hearing; staff noted the published number is a cap and the board may lower it later but cannot publish a higher figure than the advertised number.

Commissioners praised staff for finding efficiencies and said they were generally comfortable moving forward with publication and with the draft mill levy reduction.

Ending

Staff will prepare the formal budget publication ahead of the Aug. 21 public hearing and said they will republish if material changes occur before the hearing; the board did not take a recorded formal vote on final adoption at the meeting.