Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday voted to expand a property tax rebate program with a goal of offering further assistance to seniors with low incomes and veterans who are disabled.
A pilot program rolled out last year. About 81% of the 135 applicants were eligible. They received an average rebate of $281, with the maximum set at $300, and the county gave almost $31,000 total back to taxpayers, according to documents in the meeting agenda.
County commissioners approved $500,000 in their budget to offset the cost of rebates, so the value of all rebates came to less than 1% of the funds set aside.
For 2026, county staff members proposed increasing the maximum rebate to $400, or the county’s portion of the person’s property taxes if that amount is lower than $400.
The owner of a home assessed at $205,000 — the average for approved 2025 applicants — will pay the county about $959 in property taxes in 2026, so the maximum rebate would be about 42%.
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“We thought some people may not apply for the program if it’s at $300 because they think it might not be worth their time,” Jake Broadbent, assistant to the county administrator, told commissioners. “So we’re just increasing a little bit to try to get more people to make it worth their time to apply.”
Other changes include counting 50% of Social Security toward household income, and changing the way the maximum household income is determined. Applicants must be age 65 or older, or veterans with service-related disabilities.
Here are the income limits for the 2026 rebate program:
| Household size | Total income limit | Household size | Total income limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $43,389 | 5 | $55,900 |
| 2 | $43,389 | 6 | $60,050 |
| 3 | $46,600 | 7 | $64,200 |
| 4 | $51,750 | 8 | $68,350 |
“Total gross income includes, but is not limited to: wages, interest and dividends, Social Security and SSI, railroad retirement, veterans benefits, pensions and annuities, unemployment, alimony, welfare and TAF,” according to the agenda materials. It will not include Social Security Disability or SSI Disability payments.
Homes’ appraised values must not exceed $350,000. Jason Gove, who works in the Douglas County clerk’s office, said the home value limit — which is not changing for next year’s program — was a disqualifier for some people who might have applied.
County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the value is the same as the state’s Homestead Property Tax Refund program, and it’s close to the county’s median home value.
“We felt, you know, if the way this program is targeted, toward folks that are low income and have a lower amount of assets, that we wanted to keep the house value the same,” Plinsky said.
Commissioners Patrick Kelly, Shannon Reid, Karen Willey and Erica Anderson voted 4-0 to approve the change. Commissioner Gene Dorsey was not present.
Commissioners said they were excited about the program and they wanted to see it reach as many people as it could.
The county will accept rebate applications between Jan. 15 and April 15, 2026. People can apply for property tax rebates through the state’s Homestead Refund Program as well as through the county.
The county will send out further information to every taxpayer with tax bills.
People can also call 785-832-5167 or email PropertyTaxRebate@dgcoks.gov for more information.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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