On second day of Douglas County 2025 budget deliberations, commissioners consider reducing proposed property tax

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Commissioners hear from Bob Tryanski, Director of Behavioral Health Projects, during the second day of 2025 budget deliberations on Monday, July 15, 2024.

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

By the end of the county’s second day of budget deliberations Monday, commissioners had reduced the originally proposed levy, which is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, from 44.208 mills to 41.298, or 2.91 mills – a mill reduction that would amount to $4,681,253.

To help reduce the property tax, commissioners voted to transfer $767,172 in funds earmarked for their behavioral health partners — including the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, DCCCA, the Behavioral Health Administration and Justice Alternatives — to a mental health sales tax fund; that sales tax is one-quarter cent.

County Administrator Sarah Plinksy said that before the behavioral health sales tax was implemented, at least $5 million worth of behavioral health projects came from the general fund.

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

Commissioner Karen Willey said she supports moving some behavioral health-related items, particularly one-time requests, from the general fund to the mental health sales tax fund to make room for other important projects that need funding.

“I think one-time requests are a very appropriate use of this technology,” Willey said. “It gives us some long-term flexibility for other things that might come up.”

Another effort by commissioners to reduce property taxes includes transferring $500,000 in funding for capital improvement projects to the roads and bridges fund.

The property tax decision is not final and deliberations on Douglas County’s 2025 budget will continue at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Douglas County Public Works Building, 3755 E. 25th St.

In other matters, the commissioners discussed:

• The Senior Resource Center has been transformed into a Douglas County department and commissioners have requested $250,000 in the budget to assist with this transition. This amount, if not used to transition the center into a county organization, will be made available to the county for future use.

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

Willey said the center is one of the largest groups that has been flagged by a supportive housing needs study. She said it is important for the county and the organization to have a conversation to ensure services are moving forward to meet the future needs of seniors, whether or not the organization is affiliated with the county. Kelly also agreed on the importance of these services to the community and urged the commission to take action.

“I feel like we’re heading to a point where it may become urgent to save the Senior Resource Center if we don’t start thinking about the future,” Kelly said.

• $40,000 reduction in potential funds for special advocates appointed by the Douglas County Court, which was decided by all commissioners.

Douglas County CASA had initially requested that $60,000 be included in the 2025 budget, and that money would have been used to cover its general operating support to appoint volunteers to advocate for children in court protection who have suffered abuse and neglect in the county.

Commissioner Shannon Reid said her understanding from last week’s budget hearings is that Douglas County CASA doesn’t need all of those funds, and she believes those funds could be used elsewhere.