photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners hear from Bob Tryanski, director of behavioral health projects, at day two of 2025 budget deliberations on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Updated at 9:55 a.m. Tuesday, July 16

Douglas County commissioners are considering reducing the proposed mill levy by nearly 3 mills and, to that end, are looking to transfer several funds for their behavioral health partners to a mental health sales tax fund.

By the end of the county’s second day of budget deliberations on Monday, commissioners had reduced the originally proposed mill levy, which is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, from 44.208 mills to 41.298, or by 2.91 mills — a mill reduction that would amount to $5,937,342.

To help decrease the mill levy, commissioners decided to transfer $767,172 in funds for their behavioral health partners – including Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, DCCCA, behavioral health administration and court alternatives – to a mental health sales tax fund; that sales tax is a quarter-cent.

County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said that before the behavioral health sales tax was in place, there was at least $5 million of behavioral health projects coming out of the general fund.

“We moved the mill levy that supported these projects previously because there was a lot of indication that the behavioral sales tax should be there to enhance programs and expand services,” Plinsky said.

Commissioner Karen Willey said she supported moving some of the behavioral health items, especially one-time requests, from the general fund to the mental health sales tax fund to leave room for other important projects needing money.

“I think the one-time requests are an entirely appropriate use of this,” Willey said. “It leaves us flexibility in the long run for other things that may be coming down the pike.”

Another effort by commissioners to lower the mill levy includes transferring $500,000 in funding for capital improvement projects to the road and bridge fund.

The decision on the mill levy is not final, and deliberations for the 2025 Douglas County budget will continue on at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Douglas County Public Works building, 3755 E. 25th St.

In other business, commissioners discussed:

• Making the Senior Resource Center a Douglas County department, and commissioners asked for $250,000 in the budget to help with that transition. This amount, if not used for the center to become a county organization, will be available to the county for future use.

“The Senior Resource Center is one of those organizations that we fund over 50% of their operating expenditures,” Commissioner Patrick Kelly said. “And then the request this year, and I think last year as well, was a request for (cost-of-living adjustment) increases. I feel like it’s time to start having a conversation.”

Willey said the center is one of the largest groups that was flagged by a supportive housing needs study. She said it’s important for the county and the organization to have a conversation to make sure the services are moving forward to meet seniors’ future needs, whether or not the organization becomes affiliated with the county. Kelly also agreed with how essential these services are to the community and urged the commission to take action.

“It feels to me like we’re headed towards a place where it could become an emergency in saving the Senior Resource Center if we don’t start thinking ahead,” Kelly said.

• Cutting $40,000 of potential funds for Douglas County Court Appointed Special Advocates, which was decided among all commissioners.

Douglas County CASA originally asked for $60,000 to be included in the 2025 budget, and it would have been used to cover their general operational support to appoint volunteers to advocate for children under the protection of the court who have experienced abuse and neglect in the county.

Commissioner Shannon Reid said that from her understanding at the budget hearings last week, Douglas County CASA wasn’t in need of all of these funds, and she thinks these funds could be used elsewhere.

Editor’s note: This story has been revised to correct what the mill reduction would amount to. That number is $5,937,342.