The Town of Sellersburg held a pre-adoption public hearing on the 2026 budget during its Oct. 14 council meeting, where Clerk-Treasurer Michelle Metcalf told residents the tax rate submitted to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) is 0.0018 lower than the 2025 rate even though the town's budget estimate increased for 2026.

Metcalf said the change reflects a higher net assessed value rather than a higher levy: "The rate that is being submitted to DLGF is actually less than the rate for 2025. It went down .0018 ... We did not increase the tax rate for 2026." She added the notices to taxpayers show levy percentages that result from the higher assessed value and can be misread as a rate increase.

Why it matters: the rate in the DLGF filing determines what appears on taxpayer notices; the council must still finalize appropriations and DLGF will certify the towns final figures later in the budget process. Residents pressed the council for details on spending priorities and on how the town will pay for ongoing and planned infrastructure and services.

Most substantive points and numbers discussed
- Tax rate filed to DLGF: minus 0.0018 from 2025 (Clerk-Treasurer Michelle Metcalf).
- General budget increase discussed by staff: roughly $918,500 (staff estimate presented during hearing).
- Equipment line: about $400,000 identified in the budget for a new trash truck; officials said including the truck in capital outlays avoided financing and saves roughly $30,000 in interest compared with financing.
- Christmas-for-Kids allocation: the budget lists $30,000, which Police Chief (identified in the hearing only by title) said is donation-funded and used year-round for incident relief as well as holiday gifts; the chief said the program typically spends $11,000$15,000 on direct holiday support and retains the remainder for unforeseen needs.
- Solid-waste operations: staff and the chief said the sanitation fund ran a loss in the prior year and the town raised the sanitation fee (amounts previously adopted) to stabilize operations; staff said the operation lost roughly $160,000 in the last calendar year before the rate change.

Public questions and council replies
Several residents asked for clarity about how tax and service rates are calculated and why certain line items appear large. Yvonne Andrews (resident) said she objected to the budget and asked basic questions about the hearing process. Residents raised traffic and road condition concerns related to US 31 and other non-town-owned roads; the council and staff explained that INDOT and the state control and fund many improvements on US 31 and that much of the highway project is being paid with federal dollars.

On compensation and pay study: speakers described a third-party compensation study completed in 202223 and implemented starting in 2024. Council members and department leaders said raises and longevity pay explain several salary increases. The meeting record shows at least one 8.1% cost-of-living adjustment tied to implementation of the study; staff clarified that longevity, overtime and other pay components affect published totals on the statewide transparency site.

Remaining steps and timing
Staff said the DLGF certification of assessed values and final budget figures typically occurs late in the year (December or January), and the document filed is an estimate until DLGF finalizes the numbers. The council opened the public hearing by motion (mover: Randy; second: Matt) and closed it by motion later in the meeting. No final adoption of the 2026 budget occurred at the Oct. 14 meeting.

Ending: The council invited additional written questions and said staff would post budget documents to the town website and DLGF portal; final certification and any ordinance actions will follow DLGF guidance and the council's next steps.