Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday approved a slight reduction to the property tax rate for 2027, though most property owners will still see tax increases because of valuation increases.
Commissioners engaged in more than 18 hours of budget hearings and deliberations over the past week and a half. They heard from dozens of people representing area organizations and county departments last week, then spent Friday morning and the mornings this week coming to final determinations about various requests.
“I just think that was a very thorough and very collaborative process,” Commissioner Karen Willey said during the Wednesday evening meeting. “I was really pleased with the way that commissioners worked together. Nobody got everything they wanted, and that is the democratic process, and I’m really proud of the the work that’s been presented here.”
This marks a midpoint in the budget process. After this vote, commissioners could still lower the tax rate, but they cannot increase their spending authority.
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The average sale price of a home in Lawrence over the past two years is about $325,000, according to a housing study the city has in progress. The owner of a home valued at $325,000 would have owed the county about $1,520 in property taxes at a rate of 40.669 mills this year.
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With the commission’s maximum mill levy set at 40.286, the owner of that home would have owed the county about $1,506. However, property valuations countywide increased an average of 5% this year. If a home valued at $325,000 increased by 5% to $341,250, the owner would owe the county $1,581 — an increase of about $61.
That is about $15 less than the proposed budget, which included a flat mill levy of 40.669. The commission’s budget has a grand total of $199.2 million, slightly less than the $201.5 million staff had proposed.
County property taxes represent about one-third of the total that Lawrence property owners pay, as they also pay taxes to the city, school district and state. In Lawrence, property taxes break down to about 41% to Lawrence Public Schools, 32% to the county, 26% to the city and 1% to the state.
The commission’s budget includes several one-time funding requests from area partners, including a $1.5 million pledge to Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center for its planned Youth Recovery Center; $500,000 to the Baldwin City Economic Development Corporation to support a new childcare center in Baldwin; and $485,085 to Family Promise to pay off loans on two supportive housing projects. Those will be paid with existing fund balances, according to a news release from the county.
The commission also approved ongoing funding for some community projects, including $349,500 for Cardinal Housing Network, which provides transitional housing services for women; $60,000 to restore funding for KU Innovation Park and more.
During their deliberations, commissioners opted to move several funding requests to the behavioral health fund.
Commissioners will have a 4 p.m. work session about the capital improvement plan on Wednesday, July 22. They will hold a formal public hearing and consider final adoption of the 2027 budget during their regular business meeting, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Recordings of all budget discussions are available on the county’s YouTube, youtube.com/@douglascountyks.
The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday approved the maximum mill levy for the city. If it’s ultimately approved, it would increase the property tax rate in addition to the valuation increases. Read more about that in the article at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
