By Anne Christiansen-Bullers

Summer might be great time for relaxing, but for members of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners, summer is budget season.

County commissioners have until Aug. 29 to consider the budget, and a vote planned for that day will cement the plan into action.

The process began May 23, when County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson submitted her proposed budget. The weeks that followed were all about gathering information to inform the Board’s upcoming vote.

The public had a chance to learn about the proposed budget and provide comments at four open houses in June held at Johnson County libraries. An additional feedback session was part of the county’ s Juneteenth celebration in Lenexa.

From May 30 to June 20, the Board received presentations from county department, agency and office leaders after its regular Thursday meeting. This gave departments a chance to highlight aspects of their budget, and it gave commissioners a chance to ask questions.

By the end of June, the board had to agree upon the maximum amount of the county budget. The budget could be reduced from that number, but it could not be increased after that date.

The proposed budget totaled $1.83 billion. Of that amount, $1.366 billion goes to expenditures (such as salaries and program purchases). The Capital Improvement Program earmarked $381.6 million and covered infrastructure, building, maintenance and energy efficiency measures. Also from that total was $461.7 million for reserves – a planned set-aside amount that allows the county to keep its Triple AAA bond rating. That rating, the highest rating possible, allows the county to borrow money at low interest rates.

The proposed budget included a mill levy of 24.110, a drop of 0.25 from last year. At the same time, the FY 2025 budget forecasts a 6.76% assessed valuation increase after appeals. (That compares to 11.19% for the 2024 budget.) Because of that combination, a drop in the mill levy does not necessarily equate to a drop in the amount of taxes paid.

Under the proposed budget, the approximate amount of county tax on a residential property valued at $422,725 would be $1,172. Another assumption built into the budget’s bottom line is a decrease of $4.3 million in revenue streams including sales tax, investment interest and recording fees compared to the 2024 budget.

The budget public hearing/Revenue Neutral Rate public hearing, including opportunities for public comments, will take place on Aug. 20, beginning at 6 p.m. in the BOCC hearing room at the Johnson County Administration Building, 111 South Cherry St., in downtown Olathe.

For more information on the county budget, visit jocogov.org/budget and view helpful subsections including “2025 Proposed Budget” and “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Anne Christiansen-Bullers is a communications specialist at the Johnson County Manager’s Office.