TOPEKA (KSNT) – Shawnee County commissioners are considering a 1.9% spending increase for 2026, which would raise property taxes by about $62 on a $100,000 home.
The proposed $152.2 million budget adds $2.8 million in spending, mainly for mental health services and wage increases at the sheriff’s and district attorney’s offices, according to information provided by Commissioner Aaron Mays.
“If your taxes go up, my taxes go up as well,” Mays said. “I don’t like it any more than you do.”
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Commissioner Kevin Cook said the county is balancing local needs against shrinking federal and state funding. He compared rising public costs to higher prices for groceries and gas.
“I can’t go to the grocer and say I want to have a public hearing because I don’t like the cost of eggs, butter,” Cook said. “It is what it is.”
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