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Potter County court adopts proposed FY2026 budget, proposes 4.7% effective tax-rate increase
Summary
Commissioners adopted a proposed FY2026 budget and proposed a property tax rate that would raise the effective rate by about 4.7%, saying the change funds modest employee cost‑of‑living and public‑safety items; the proposal—a total rate of 0.59024—was approved for public notice and a hearing date was set.
Potter County Commissioners Court voted Wednesday to adopt a proposed fiscal 2026 budget and to propose a property tax rate that would result in a 4.7% effective increase over last year.
County auditor staff presented the numbers: a proposed total rate of 0.59024 per $100 of taxable value, with a maintenance and operations (M&O) component of 0.54946 and a debt rate of 0.04078. Auditor staff said the median taxable value required for the taxpayer‑impact statement is $152,86x and that the tax change would add about $37–$49 annually for a typical homeowner, depending on the benchmark used.
Commissioners framed the budget vote as a package that includes modest across‑the‑board increases and targeted adjustments for public‑safety staffing and certificate pay funding. After line‑by‑line deliberations and a series of motions to reallocate unfilled positions and CAD funds, the court voted to adopt the proposed budget and to publish the proposed tax rate and schedule the required public hearing; both motions passed on unanimous 5–0 votes.
Why it matters: commissioners said the adjustments respond to recruitment and retention problems in law enforcement and the fire department while trying to preserve long‑term fund balance and avoid recurring reliance on savings. Officials and department leaders said they will return with more detailed apples‑to‑apples comparisons and implementation plans ahead of the public hearing.
The next procedural step is the formally noticed public hearing on the proposed tax rate; the court also instructed staff to publish the taxpayer impact statement required by state law.
