Miami County sets process for revenue-neutral and budget public hearings

A Miami County staff member briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the procedure the board will use for the upcoming budget-related public hearings, saying the packet in front of commissioners will serve as the procedural document for the afternoon. The staff member described a two-step process: first a revenue-neutral public hearing focused on whether to exceed revenue neutral, during which the board must take a roll-call vote; then a separate budget hearing to hear comments on the full proposed budget and, if ready, to adopt the budget after that hearing closes.

The staff member told the board that the recommended motion language in the staff request avoids naming a specific mill levy so the county clerk retains discretion if abstracts change before November. "After we open the public hearing, we will hear all citizens on the exceeding of revenue neutral," the staff member said, and noted that the clerk should have documents prepared for a roll-call vote in district order. Commissioners agreed that the revenue-neutral step requires a roll call by statute and discussed using roll-call votes consistently across items to avoid confusion.

Why it matters: the revenue-neutral hearing determines whether the county will formally exceed the statutory revenue-neutral threshold for property tax levies — a procedural step that carries legal requirements (roll-call voting and formal certification) and affects how the county presents the budget to taxpayers. Staff said certification pages and a resolution will be signed after any vote to exceed revenue neutral, and those documents are part of the official record.