Corcoran council adopts 2026 property tax levy after public hearing; 4-1 vote

Corcoran 9 City Council voted 49to91 to adopt the 2026 budget and final property tax levy after a public hearing in which residents raised concerns about affordability.

Jay, a city staff presenter, walked the council and public through the budget timeline and said the administration had reduced the not-to-exceed levy set in September (30.11%) to a proposed levy increase of 16.97% based on updated revenue and expenditure data. He said debt service accounts for roughly 15.89% of the budget and cited a proposed overall city tax rate of 44.034% if all changes are adopted.

The presentation included examples to show how the levy and tax rate affect individual homeowners. Using the city's median home valuation of $542,000, Jay showed the city portion of taxes would rise by about $240 in 2026 (roughly $20 a month) under the proposal. He also explained that changes to the state's homestead market-value exclusion have removed some previous tax protections for owners of higher-valued homes.

During the public hearing, residents described the burden of multiple tax increases layered with rising healthcare and insurance costs. "My raise this year is going to be 2.8% and I'm on Social Security," said resident Bob Kyersgaard, who said his overall tax bill would still rise despite the lowered levy. Kyersgaard asked about license-plate readers; police staff said the first two years were grant-funded and that future recurring costs would be included in the city budget (about $3,000 per reader per year).

Other speakers reiterated affordability concerns: "For us, that'll be an additional $488 taken out of our household budget," said Lisa Shutti, describing her household's projected city-tax increase.

Council members and staff discussed mechanics that can make levy percentages look larger than the change an individual homeowner sees, including the effect of new growth, property valuations and a two-year lag between development and when assessed values appear on tax rolls. Staff also noted planned outreach and an economic-development study intended to diversify the city's tax base.

After deliberation, a council member moved to approve the resolution adopting the 2026 budget and final tax levy (resolution 2025118). The motion was seconded and passed 49to91.

The council set next steps for public information and noted residents may use county assessor resources to question valuations. The council also scheduled a brief special meeting to address collective-bargaining ratification needs on Dec. 30.

The levy takes effect under the usual local and county tax timelines; residents with questions were directed to the city's posted materials and the county assessor for appeals.