County Board Approves $6.58 Million FY2027 Levy, Holding Increase Just Under Hearing Trigger

Montgomery County Board | September 8, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, approved an estimated FY2027 county property tax levy of $6,580,750, an increase of 4.9909% — a figure that falls $548 below the threshold that would have forced a Truth in Taxation hearing. The board also put a tentative FY2027 budget on display carrying an anticipated General Fund deficit of $437,000.

FY2027 Tax Levy Key Points:

• The board approved an estimated FY2027 county levy of $6,580,750, up 4.9909% after election costs are excluded — a figure reached by raising the Corporate General levy while cutting five other levies.
• Treasurer Nikki Lohman had presented a tentative levy predicting an 18.9% increase at the August budget hearings; the Finance & Budget Committee brought that down to under 5%.
• The board separately approved estimated FY2027 levies for five special service and ambulance districts, ranging from a 4.9998% increase in the Nokomis-Witt Area to a 5.3691% decrease in the Raymond-Harvel Area.
• The tentative FY2027 budget was placed on display with a projected $437,000 General Fund deficit, with health and property/liability insurance premiums still unsettled.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, approved an estimated FY2027 county tax levy of $6,580,750 and placed a tentative FY2027 budget on public display, closing out a summer of budget hearings that began with a double-digit levy projection and ended with one held deliberately under 5%.

The levy motion was made by Finance & Budget Committee Chairwoman Connie Beck and seconded by Committee Chairman Ethan Murzynski. It passed with all 14 members voting in favor. All 14 board members were present.

Beck reported that the committee “redistributed levy funds resulting in an increase in the Corporate General levy of $491,918 but an overall decrease in the levy percentage from over 18% to 4.9% by decreasing levies for IMRF, Social Security, Liability Insurance, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers Comp,” according to the minutes.

Levy Restructured to Stay Under the Hearing Threshold

The county’s own levy worksheet, distributed with the board packet, shows the shape of that restructuring. Against FY26 actual extensions, the FY2027 estimates reduce the Social Security levy by $126,277 (19.4317%), the Liability Insurance levy by $294,695 (58.5066%) and the IMRF levy by $25,680 (3.8577%). The Unemployment Insurance and Workers Compensation levies, extended at $48,787 and $62,559 respectively in FY26, are set at $0 — a 100% reduction in each.

Moving the other direction, the worksheet shows increases of $93,683 for County Highway, $46,808 for Aid to Bridges, $73,680 for Health, $32,418 for Federal Aid Matching and $23,047 for the Community Mental Health Fund.

The worksheet carries a printed warning in capital letters: “IF THIS % IS IN EXCESS OF 5%, A PUBLIC HEARING MUST BE HELD.” Its summary box shows the FY2027 request, net of estimated election costs, at $6,336,530 against a prior-year actual extension of $6,035,313 — a difference of $301,217 against a 5% threshold of $301,766, leaving the request $548 under the line. At its Sept. 3 meeting, the Finance & Budget Committee recorded on the question of a FY2027 Truth in Taxation hearing: “None will be necessary.”

The restructuring reversed a much steeper starting point. At budget hearings held Aug. 18 and Aug. 19, Treasurer Nikki Lohman “presented a tentative county levy predicting an 18.9% increase,” according to those minutes, with the committee agreeing to take up the levy and the possible need for a hearing at its September meeting.

Five Other Levies, and a Deficit Still Open

The board then took five additional levy votes in succession, each on a motion by Beck:

• Hillsboro Area Ambulance Service, $312,000, an increase of 3.9994%
• Raymond-Harvel Area Ambulance Service, $141,000, a decrease of 5.3691%
• Farmersville-Waggoner Area Ambulance Service, $125,600, an increase of 4.9244%
• Nokomis-Witt Area Ambulance Service, $438,943, an increase of 4.9998%
• Extension Service, $157,000, a decrease of 0.0293%

All five passed unanimously.

On the budget itself, Beck reported the committee changed salary line items in the Information Services General Fund Office 043, reduced General Fund Office 047 expenses “to reflect a worst-case 24% increase in health insurance cost,” moved administrative fees to the Tort Fund, and increased General Fund Office 000 revenues by $491,000 as a result of redistributing the levy. The result, she said, is “a tentative anticipated General Fund deficit of $437,000 with final health insurance and property/liability insurance premiums yet to be determined.”

The board voted unanimously, on a motion by Beck seconded by Dr. Patty Whitworth, to place the tentative FY2027 budget on display for public review. Further changes will be presented at the October board meeting, and the Finance & Budget Committee will recommend a final FY2027 budget in November.

The county’s July treasurer’s report, also on the consent agenda, shows the General Fund with $5,234,270 in revenue received against a $9,187,164 budget and $5,374,381 in expenses against an $8,974,692 budget through July 31. Countywide, the report lists $19,750,621 in revenue and $19,881,126 in expenses for the year to date, with total cash and investments of $43,949,138.60 as of July 31.