Despite a raucous audience alternating between boos and cheers, and so large the venue had to be moved to another location, Johnson County Commissioners ignored the majority of public feedback and voted overwhelmingly to impose another 6% tax increase on county residents.
The Johnson County Post reported commissioners voted 6-1, with only Michael Ashcraft dissenting, to exceed revenue neutral in arriving at a 2026 budget.
Johnson County is budgeting to spend $995 million next year, which is a 45% increase over the last five years and considerably higher than estimated inflation and population growth (22% and 6%, respectively, both of which are estimated to increase at this year’s rates). The reported budget of $1.9 billion includes transfers to other funds and cash reserves.
County commissioners could choose to cut back on some of the unnecessary spending or dip into their enormous cash reserves to avoid a tax increase. The General Fund alone has more than $200 million in reserves, which is about three times what is needed for good cash flow planning.
Valuations rose 6.6% this year, about $7.63/month for an average home of $500,000 in the county…