Riley County officials are calling for an increase in the 2026 budget that would be a 17% property tax hike for the average homeowner.
Commissioners on Thursday had their first budget work session and proposed a $58.35 million budget for 2026. That’s an increase of 5% over the 2025 budget, which was $55.46 million. Under that proposal, the mill rate would be 42.339, up from 37.953 mills in 2025. A mill is $1 in taxes for every 1,000 in assessed, taxable property value.
That means the average homeowner would see an increase of 17% in their county taxes. The owner of a $100,000 home who paid $436.46 in taxes in 2025 would pay $511.24 in 2026 on a home now worth $105,000, based on an average increase of 5% for existing single-family homes in Riley County.
