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Douglas County staff present final 2027 budget framework; commission asked to set maximum levy at 40.286
Summary
County staff summarized final adjustments to the 2027 budget, including a roughly $453,000 net decrease, a lower delinquency assumption, moves of supportive-housing costs into the behavioral health sales tax fund, and a staff request to set a maximum mill levy of 40.286 to be considered at tonight's business meeting.
At the final day of the 2027 budget hearings, Brooke, a county staff member, summarized the Douglas County budget adjustments and told commissioners staff will ask the commission tonight to set a maximum mill levy rate of 40.286.
Brooke said the budget team reduced an identified budget line by "0.383" (the transcript's unit is unclear), lowered the delinquency assumption from 2% to 1.5%, and that those changes, together with other adjustments, produced a decrease of nearly $453,000 in the 2027 county budget. Brooke also said the commission reduced the county general fund by nearly $420,000 by moving some permanent supportive-housing partners into the behavioral health sales tax fund to better align funding sources.
The changes include a mix of ongoing and one-time allocations. Brooke listed restored or expanded items such as funding for the KU Innovation Park, expanded capacity for the KU Small Business Development Center, support for mobile integrated health through an LDCFM team lead, and one-time projects funded from general fund and behavioral health sales tax fund balances.
Commissioners discussed whether to use fund balance to lower the mill levy. A commissioner asked whether moving the reserve from 22% to 20% would reduce the levy; Brooke said it would, but that the commission could make that adjustment any time before formal adoption. Commissioner commentary warned that using one-time dollars to fund ongoing services would create a shortfall next year and should be done only deliberately.
Brooke provided a staff calculation that reducing the fund-balance target from 22% to 20% would change the levy by roughly $1,000,002.75 (the transcript contains unclear trailing digits for this figure). Commissioners asked staff to provide a clear dollar figure showing the amount above a 20% reserve so they could weigh the trade-offs between lowering the current levy and preserving future capacity.
Brooke also noted that staff would present forms and the rates to the clerk for publication and would repeat the summary at tonight's regular business meeting; final adoption is scheduled at the Aug. 26 public hearing, when the certified budget will be submitted to the state budget office.
The hearing concluded with the chair thanking commissioners and staff and adjourning until the business meeting.
