The Saline County Commission has approved the 2026 county budget totaling $73,566,347 during their September 9 meeting. Additionally, the Commission authorized $1,217,677 for special districts, which include seven rural fire districts along with Falun and Kipp.
County Administrator Philip Smith-Hanes presented the budget during a public hearing Tuesday morning, explaining that the county will exceed the revenue neutral rate for 2026. The revenue neutral rate, calculated at 39.023 mills, is the amount that would generate the same property tax revenue as the previous year with the new valuation. The Commission approved a rate of 40.167 mills for 2026.
"This is obviously something that we've had quite a bit of discussion on since May," Smith-Hanes told commissioners during the presentation.
The budget approval came after several months of deliberation by commissioners, who held multiple work sessions to finalize the spending plan.
Commissioner Hay commented on the budget process, noting, "We worked really hard on this budget this year to really get a lot of this stuff done and taken care of. Even though we did exceed the RNR, we were still able to take care of the county needs."
Commissioner Grevas, who participated in the budget process for the first time as a commissioner, described it as "bitter and hard" but appreciated the collaborative approach. "Department heads removed things from their budgets. Department heads gave up different things," she said.
Smith-Hanes thanked department heads for their assistance in preparing the 2026 budget. The county has made a budget brief available on its website for public review, and printed copies can be obtained in Room 209 of the County offices.
The Commission unanimously approved the 2026 budget following the public hearing, during which no citizens spoke regarding the budget proposal.
