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# Douglas County's adopted 2027 budget trims the mill levy but takes in $3.9 million more in property taxes
- URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/douglas-countys-adopted-2027-budget-trims-the-mill-levy-but-takes-in-3-9-million-more-in-property-taxes/
- Published: 2026-09-14T15:20:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T15:20:52.000Z
- Description: The reduction is the fifth straight annual rate cut, in a budget carrying $193.4 million in spending authority across budgeted funds.
- Author: Greg Loving
- Tags: lcj, dnn, #news

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Douglas County's adopted 2027 budget shaves a fraction of a mill off the property tax rate but still levies $93.3 million — nearly $4 million more than this year — on county property owners.

[The budget document, posted Monday, Sept. 14](https://www.douglascountyks.org/media/11143?ref=citizenjournal.us), sets a proposed estimated countywide rate of 40.286 mills, down from the 40.669 mills actually levied for 2026 but above the revenue neutral rate of 38.605 mills. That's the levy that would raise the same amount of property tax as the year before on the same property, as defined by K.S.A. 79-2988.

The county will collect $93,336,532 in ad valorem tax, compared with $89,397,805 levied for 2026, on assessed valuation that grew to $2,316,817,817 from $2,207,936,141\. The notice states the estimated rate is subject to change depending on the final assessed valuation.

The levy also shifts inside the budget. The Employee Benefits fund's rate rises to 7.173 mills from 5.846 as budgeted health insurance costs climb $1,363,044, to $9,354,574, while the General fund rate falls to 30.793 mills from 32.063\. Sheriff Operations spending rises to $10,700,915 from the $9,840,604 estimated for 2026, and the General fund's Community Partners line falls to $5,732,708 from $6,164,774 — a reduction the budget document does not explain, and for which it lists no individual agency amounts.

*This article was written using our proprietary AI system, Cronkite. The final decision to publish this article was made by a human. For more info, read our* [*AI policy*](https://www.citizenjournal.us/ai-policy/)*.*

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