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Seward County declares 60‑day emergency for wildfires, adopts amended 2026 budget pending tax board action
Summary
Seward County commissioners declared a 60‑day state of emergency for fires on Feb. 17, 2026, and adopted an amended county and rural fire 2026 budget subject to a future Board of Tax Appeals (BOTA) order affecting any mill‑levy reductions. Both measures passed unanimously.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to declare a state of emergency related to wildfires and approved an amended 2026 budget for the county and the Seward County Rural Fire District.
The commission adopted Resolution 2026‑O6, an emergency declaration dated Feb. 17, 2026, that will remain in effect for 60 days unless earlier terminated. The board later voted to adopt an amended 2026 budget that reflects a revenue‑neutral mill levy reduction “pending formal approval or instruction from the Board of Tax Appeals,” the commission said during the meeting. Both votes were unanimous, 5‑0.
Chair opened the meeting and framed the emergency resolution as necessary to coordinate county resources and support firefighting efforts. Commissioners discussed whether separate motions were required for the county and rural fire taxing entities and clarified staff or counsel would advise if separate hearings were necessary. County staff and counsel said mill‑levy changes themselves require BOTA action and cannot be effectuated solely by the county passing a revised budget.
Commissioners said the amended budget is intended to align expenditures with anticipated revenue while preserving the county’s capacity to respond to the ongoing fires. The board also authorized signature and certification steps for budget paperwork; details on specific appropriation line items were reviewed in the work session and referenced by staff during the vote. No separate votes were recorded on line‑item changes during the meeting.
The commission’s actions were procedural and focused on enabling emergency response and aligning the county’s budget with expected revenue changes. The board approved both the emergency declaration and the budget amendment 5‑0.
Next steps: county staff will complete required signature and certification documents; any actual mill‑levy change tied to the amended budget will await a formal BOTA order.
