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," Haines said.

The recommended budget trims some departmental requests, reduces several nonpersonnel items by about 2%, and does not fund new personnel positions that department heads had requested. Haines said he fully funded a new inmate medical contract and adjusted courthouse and utility estimates after reviewing bills and outside projections. He also proposed moving county-funded public-information services out of the health department and into the county administrator's office and suggested establishing a separate mental-health fund funded at $500,000 annually.

Commissioners pressed staff on specific items. Commissioner (name on roll call) noted the sheriff's office budget has grown substantially since the jail decision and asked for clarification; Haines said increases reflect higher staffing levels and pay. Haines told the board the expo center is operationally losing about $400,000 a year, an item several commissioners referenced in follow-up budget discussions.

Several commissioners raised the topic of outside agencies and the county's continuing subsidies after one-time federal ARPA funds ended. Haines listed outside agencies that requested or receive county appropriations, including OCCK, Salina Grace, Celina recycling and grant recipients such as the Saline County Farm Bureau and United Way, and told commissioners he recommended a 5% reduction in OCCK funding and a 5% reduction for Selena Grace in his draft. Commissioners discussed the effect of property-tax exemptions in Saline County; the board was told approximately 36% of property in the county is not subject to property tax, a figure described in the meeting as among the higher rates in the state and a structural constraint on revenue.

Haines said departments have until the Thursday after the meeting to notify him of appeals to the recommended budget and that the board will begin more detailed cuts and revenue discussions in meetings starting July 15 and continuing through early August and September. He told the board the formal adoption would be considered at the Sept. 9 meeting.

Commissioners thanked staff for the presentation and noted the choices before them: reduce services, cut outside appropriations, or accept a tax-rate increase. The board did not take a formal vote on budget adoption at the July 1 meeting.

Ending: Haines said he will return with more detailed figures and that department heads may appeal his recommendations; the board scheduled further budget discussion sessions in July and August and will consider whether to exceed the revenue-neutral rate before final adoption in September.