Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will vote on the city’s maximum property tax rate for 2026. They could decrease the rate before they approve the final budget, but the proposed rate would mean increased property taxes.
Each year, local governments must approve their maximum mill levy, or property tax rate, well before they approve the complete budget and the details that go into it.
The Lawrence City Commission must approve its maximum mill levy and notify the county clerk by July 20. Once they set the maximum, their budget cannot exceed that spending authority, but they can choose to tax and spend less than the maximum rate.
Last year, commissioners set the maximum mill levy at 36.807, but ultimately approved a rate of 33.197 mills. That was a slight decrease from 2024, when the mill levy was 33.207.
City of Lawrence staff members are recommending a mill levy of 33.186 mills for 2026. That’s a bit lower than last year’s, but most property owners would still see tax increases because assessed valuations of properties increased about 5%.
There will also likely be utility rate increases proposed later this year.
Under the mill levy staff recommends, the owner of a home with an assessed valuation of $200,000 would pay the city about $763 in property taxes in 2026. However, if that home’s assessed valuation increased 5% this year, the owner’s property taxes paid to the city would increase by almost $38, to about $801.
The discussion of the maximum mill levy is set to immediately follow a work session about proposed fees for people to use the city’s recreation centers. (Read more about that at this link.)
City commissioners are not set to vote on the rec center fee proposal, but their discussion could influence their votes on the maximum mill levy.
The city commission will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Further down the road, commissioners will hold public hearings on the budget on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and they’ll consider final adoption of the 2026 budget during their Tuesday, Sept. 16 meeting.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link. Read more about the budget process in the articles linked below and at this link.
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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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