The Saline County Commission established a maximum mill levy of 40.7 for the 2026 budget during their July 15 meeting, signaling a commitment to reduce the budget proposal by nearly $1.6 million.
Commissioners faced a deadline to notify the county clerk by July 20 whether they intend to exceed the revenue neutral rate, which prompted extended discussion about budget priorities and potential cuts.
County Administrator Philip Smith-Hanes initially presented a budget with a proposed mill levy of 41.571, which would have represented an increase of 1.459 mills over the current rate of 40.112.
"The budget that has been recommended to you by myself does propose to exceed the revenue neutral rate and it would require a further reduction of $1,858,000 in order to not exceed the revenue neutral rate," Smith-Hanes explained to commissioners.
After deliberation, commissioners decided to set a ceiling of 40.7 mills, requiring approximately $1.6 million in reductions from the administrator's proposal. The commission emphasized they can lower the mill levy further before final budget adoption but cannot exceed the published maximum.
"I'm not willing to raise property taxes this year," stated Commissioner Shadwick during discussions, reflecting concerns about increasing the tax burden on residents.
Commissioners also heard appeals from two department heads seeking additional positions. The county clerk requested a new elections security position, while the human resources director asked for a payroll support position. Adding both positions without making cuts elsewhere would have further increased the originally proposed mill levy.
The commission scheduled a special budget meeting for 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 22, to begin identifying specific cuts. Smith-Hanes will present potential reductions to reach the target mill levy.
"We'll transmit the RNR notice to Jamie and then she compiles all of those from all the different taxing entities and sends out the notice to the public with the information about the public hearings for all the various jurisdictions," Smith-Hanes explained, noting the final budget hearing is slated for September 9.
According to state law, the county has until October 1 to adopt the final budget. The administrator reminded commissioners they can reduce the mill levy further during the process but cannot exceed the ceiling established in the public notice.
