Washoe County manager presents $1.064 billion FY26 budget; commissioners press for more detail

County Manager Eric Brown presented a recommended fiscal year 2026 budget on April 15, asking the Board of County Commissioners to acknowledge the status report and direct staff to return with certified tentative and final budgets for public hearing on May 20, 2025. The proposed budget covers the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with estimated appropriations of approximately $1,064,000,000.

Brown said the board had reaffirmed three strategic priorities — “mental health, senior services, and infrastructure” — and that the recommended budget reflects those priorities while trying to avoid layoffs and furloughs. Staff presentations highlighted revenue and cost pressures, including an anticipated 9.4% increase in property tax revenue (which incorporates a reallocation of an expiring library expansion tax), uncertainty in consolidated tax (sales tax) data during the state’s modernization of reporting systems, and recurring pension (PERS) cost increases.

The recommended package includes several staff actions…