Douglas County commissioners settle on $199.2 million 2027 budget

Douglas County commissioners settled on an approximately $199.2 million 2027 budget on July 15, cutting the proposed mill levy to 40.286 mills and keeping the county on a fifth straight year of tax-rate reductions. The plan still has to clear a public hearing and a final vote next month, but it already sets the county’s direction for what residents, businesses and property owners will pay for in 2027.

The lower rate came after commissioners trimmed the county’s earlier July 1 proposal, which had called for a $201.5 million budget and a 40.669-mill levy. That means the county shaved about $2.3 million from the first draft and reduced the tax rate by 0.383 mills before settling on the July 15 agreement. The budget will shape spending for public safety, judicial support, roads, community partnerships and the county’s own administrative functions.

Public hearings on the proposed budget began at 9 a.m. Monday, July 6, in the commission meeting room on the second floor of the historic courthouse at 1100 Massachusetts St. Those hearings are the public’s main chance to weigh in before the commission takes its final vote next month, and they came after multiple days of July budget deliberations.

The rate cut gives commissioners a talking point heading into that vote, but it does not guarantee smaller tax bills. Even with the lower mill levy, valuation increases can still drive property taxes higher for many owners, which keeps the budget squarely in the pocketbook debate that has defined the county’s summer. Commissioners spent more than 18 hours in budget deliberations before settling on the maximum property tax rate for 2027, underscoring how tightly they balanced spending needs against pressure to restrain taxes.

For Douglas County, the July 15 agreement is less an ending than a marker of where priorities have landed so far: a near-$200 million operating plan, a lower levy than the county first proposed, and a budget fight that still leaves residents waiting to see how much their bills will change when the final vote is cast next month.