Rosebud County adopts FY2026 final budget and establishes levies

Rosebud County commissioners voted to adopt the county’s final budget for fiscal year 2026 and to establish the property tax levies for the coming year.

The commissioners approved Resolution 12‑36 to adopt the final FY2026 budget after a brief discussion. A commissioner said "the, basically, the the revenues and expenses are are pretty equal, and the reserves are at about 30%, which is where we want them." The Chair then called the vote and announced the motion passed to adopt the final budget.

The board also moved and passed Resolution 12‑35 to set levies for fiscal year 2026. A commissioner explained several changes: the Chinnell levy rose by about seven mills, which the commissioner attributed to a drop in the value of a mill caused by depreciation at local coal‑to‑power plants; the permissive levy increased to cover an employee insurance premium; the county restored a levy for Rosebud Hospital up to $450,000 after having reduced it to zero; and the road department levy remains at 50 mills (the commissioner noted a 95‑mill statutory maximum, leaving roughly 45 mills carried over for the road fund). Quote: "we levied the 450,000 to bring that amount back up," the commissioner said.

What this means: the adopted budget and levies set the county’s spending plan and tax levies for FY2026; commissioners said reserves are near 30%, which they cited as a target for fiscal stability. The board scheduled no additional changes to those measures at the meeting.

The commission’s roll calls were voice votes. The Chair declared both resolutions passed. The county will publish the adopted budget and levy resolutions per statute and follow the usual timeline for posting and implementation.