Saline County administrator recommends budget that raises tax rate, cites $1.86M gap to avoid exceeding revenue-neutral rate

County Administrator Philip Smith Haines presented his recommended budget for fiscal 2026 at the Saline County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 1, proposing a plan that he said would "raise the tax rate in Saline County by 1.459 for next year." The recommendation includes a proposed transfer of $729,000 from the county capital improvement fund back into the general fund and other adjustments intended to cover shortfalls without layoffs, he said.

Haines described the budget as "unpleasant" and said departments were asked to trim operating expenses. He told commissioners the recommended budget would require an additional $1,858,000 in cuts if the board chooses not to exceed the revenue-neutral rate when it votes later in the summer. "If you wish to not exceed the revenue neutral rate, we would need to reduce an additional $1,858,000 from the budget,"…