Johnson County property tax bills take shape for later in 2026. Here’s what to expect
If you own property in Johnson County, you could see an increase in your taxes in the coming year.
The proposed 2027 budget suggests a mill levy of 24.130 mills, a flat rate from 2026. The vote for the proposed budget will be Aug. 25 and will be formally adopted Sept. 3.
One mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. So, despite the mill levy being proposed to remain flat, residents may still see an increase in their taxes if their home value increases.
If the value of your home remains the same, your taxes will remain the same as well.
County officials said that tax bills will come out in mid-November.
Tax revenues to increase
Johnson County officials say they have a five-year forecast that estimates revenues in order to think ahead when planning the budget. The state ultimately dictates how property value is assessed, but county officials try to project property tax revenue when creating the budget.
For the 2027 budget, the county is proposing a 5.15% increase on property tax revenue, increasing the revenue from $390.5 million in 2026 to a proposed $410.6 million in 2027.
That’s an increase of $20.1 million, which will be distributed as follows: $14.7 million to the county taxing district, $2.6 million to parks and recreation and $2.8 million to the library.
Board Chairman Mike Kelly said that the county government is doing its best to keep costs as low as possible for Johnson County residents.
“I fully understand that inflation is real, and we feel that too,” Kelly said. “There’s been a real shift in federal and state funding that creates constant pressure, but we are managing all that within our baseline budgets, so that taxpayers aren’t picking up that tab. That’s not easy, but it’s the responsible path, and it builds upon what Johnson County has done for years.”
Johnson County proposed budget
County manager Penny Postoak Ferguson presented the proposed budget to the board of county commissioners on May 21.
Ferguson said in a written statement along with the proposal that “hard choices and diligent work” have helped reduce the gap between costs and revenue for 2027 and maintain the goal fund reserve. She said there may be future issues, however.
“It is not enough to solve our future challenges,” Ferguson wrote. “Without strategic adjustments at the policy level, we will face significant challenges in maintaining the service levels our residents have come to expect and value in our annual community survey.”
Kelly said they prioritized core services first when deciding the proposed budget.
One service he said was prioritized in this budget was ambulance service. He said there was an 83% increase in ambulance costs over the past five years. Other services whose cost rose were concrete for street repairs and labor to complete these services.
“I think the most important thing is that we protect our core services first, those things that our residents rely on every single day,” Kelly said. “That’s a non-negotiable. The quality and the reliability of what we deliver and what the people of Johnson County expect comes first.
The proposed mill levy rate consists of county taxing district at 17.290 mills, library taxing district at 3.817 mills, and the parks and recreation taxing district at 3.023 mills.
Tax bills to come in November
County officials said they would like residents to remember that Johnson County collects the tax revenue, but only keeps about 20% of it.
The rest of the funds go to the state, schools, Johnson County Community College and other taxing districts.
The proposed 2027 budget is $1,907,624,609. The 2026 adopted budget was $1,904,065,704. This is an increase of $3,558,905. This is an increase of 0.18%.
The budget includes $1.377 billion in expenditures and $530 million in reserves.
“We’re going to continue to find ways to best maintain and enhance our quality of life in a way that recognizes that this economy is challenging for everybody,” Kelly said.
