photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Douglas County plans to exceed the revenue neutral rate for 2026, with a maximum property tax rate “hopefully” to be set on Wednesday.

The revenue neutral rate is the property tax rate – or mill levy – required to raise the same amount of property tax revenue as the prior year, using the current year assessed valuation amount. According to a memo to county commissioners, that rate would be 38.958 mills. One mill is equal to $1 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

On Wednesday, commissioners will consider authorizing staff to notify the county clerk of the intent to exceed the rate, though a maximum mill rate for 2026 had not been determined as of Tuesday afternoon. Once the county sets its maximum mill levy, it can be lowered, but it cannot be raised.

Karrey Britt, a county spokesperson, told the Journal-World via email that the maximum mill levy would hopefully be decided Wednesday morning during 2026 budget deliberations.

However, in the county staff’s proposed budget, the property tax rate sits at 41.298 mills, unchanged from what commissioners approved for 2025. A homeowner with a $600,000 home would pay $2,850 in property taxes to the county with the proposed rate. Meanwhile, a $300,000 property would have a bill of $1,425, and a $200,000 home would incur $950 in taxes.

Under the revenue neutral rate of 38.958 mills, a $600,000 property would incur $2,688 in taxes, a $300,000 home would have a bill of $1,344, and a $200,000 property would have to pay $896.

However, the tax a property owner pays is not just determined by the mill levy; it’s also based on the property’s assessed value. Even if tax rates stay the same or are lowered, rising property values may still cause tax bills to increase for many residents. The total assessed property valuation in Douglas County increased 5.7% in 2025, compared to 6.8% in the previous year.

The county is also anticipating to exceed the revenue neutral rate of 5.190 for the Consolidated Fire District No. 1’s 2026 budget. The board has established a maximum mill rate of 5.500 for next year’s budget.

Budget hearings for the revenue neutral rate will be held in conjunction with the public hearings on the county and Consolidated Fire District No. 1’s budgets for 2026 — during the County Commission’s business meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 5:30 p.m.

This agenda item is included on the commissioners’ consent agenda, where all items are approved in one motion.

In other business at Wednesday’s regular business meeting, county commissioners will:

• Consider participating in a 15-year, 95% Neighborhood Revitalization Area, or NRA, for the 9 Del Lofts II affordable housing project at 716 E. Ninth St. This NRA offers a 95% rebate on property taxes for new improvements for 15 years, helping support investment in affordable housing. As a part of this agenda item, commissioners will also consider a cooperative agreement with the City of Lawrence, Douglas County and the Lawrence school district to administer the program.

• Consider executing a yearlong agreement with Choice Solutions Backup in the amount of $120,803 for improved data backup and recovery. Douglas County IT was awarded a first-time purchase discount for the cloud backup solution and is now seeking services for another year without the discounted price.

The County Commission’s business meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.