Douglas County commissioners are ready to boost the county’s property tax rate by 9 percent for next year.

But they’re still hoping to drop it a bit, provided they can drain a bloated savings account for equipment purchases and pump up estimates for sales-tax collections.

“It’s good to be conservative, but we may not need to be that conservative,” said Bob Johnson, commission chairman.

Commissioners met Wednesday to decide how much money to plan on spending next year. They settled on $45.38 million, or $263,457 less than originally recommended by Craig Weinaug, county administrator.

The cuts made Wednesday still would force commissioners to boost property taxes. The county’s tax bill would jump about 9.1 percent, instead of the 10.4 percent expected under Weinaug’s plan.

Under the new plan, the owner of $150,000 home would pay $524 in county property taxes for next year. That would be up $44 from this year.

Commissioners hope to trim the tax increase even more come Monday, when they review Weinaug’s revenue estimates in search of more room for property-tax relief.

Johnson wants to look at the county’s sales-tax projections to see whether they’re likely to be too low. If so, commissioners could bank on more money — and therefore trim the size of the property-tax increase.

Commissioner Charles Jones, meanwhile, wants to dip into a $675,000 fund reserved for buying ambulance equipment — a fund Jones considers “overbuilt” by $500,000.

Using some of the extra money could help lighten the budget load on property taxes, easing the blow for county property owners who already are facing higher tax bills because of rising property values.

Among the cuts to Weinaug’s recommended budget, as endorsed Wednesday:

• Sheriff Rick Trapp would be able to hire two new deputies next year, instead of the four Weinaug recommended. One would focus on courtroom security and the other would work on patrol.
• Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and Douglas County Visiting Nurses Assn. each would receive another $100,000 next year, to help offset budget cuts implemented by state government. Independence Inc. would get an additional $60,000.
• Efforts to establish a “heritage area” involving Lawrence and Douglas County would get $70,000 put on reserve, to be used to help finance a feasibility study for attracting and nurturing tourism based on the area’s pre-Civil War history.

Commissioners intend to wrap up their budget planning Monday, then conduct a formal public hearing Aug. 13.