The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to direct staff to advance proposed changes to a property tax relief pilot program, moving the recommendations to next week’s agenda and potentially implementing the pilot’s third year in January 2026.

Staff from Treasury Taxation and Vehicles presented updated data and city comparables before the vote. Tom Franzen told commissioners the county’s current program balance is $365,005.90 and summarized that the pilot’s adoption rate rose from 3.2% in year one to 5.6% after staff removed a $200 cap. “We would be coming back to you probably, at the earliest April, probably a May time frame with data around the program,” Franzen said, describing options if demand exceeds the available fund balance, including pro rata payouts, tiered awards, first-come priority, or using county reserves.

Mister Baldwin summarized staff recommendations and cost scenarios tied to different uptake rates: keeping HUD "very low" income limits while raising the appraised-value cap to $500,000 and removing the age requirement. Using the current 5.6% adoption rate, staff estimated payments would increase to roughly $369,463.16 with 718 eligible applicants; Baldwin also presented higher-cost projections if adoption rose to 10%, 25% or 50%, and a theoretical full-takeup figure.

Chair Mike Kelly framed the program as targeted relief that can reach lower-valued homeowners more effectively than a universal mill-levy reduction, noting a 2-mill cut would cost the county roughly $30 million while a homeowner with a $500,000 house would receive about $115. “If we were to reduce the mill by 2 mills, that would be approximately 30 ish million dollars to the county,” Kelly said. “If we were to look at this pilot program, somebody who has a $500,000 home could receive a rebate up to $997.”

Commissioners debated trade-offs: several supported removing the age requirement and increasing the home-value cap but urged caution about expanding income eligibility beyond HUD’s very-low thresholds because the county’s population base could make exposure larger than for individual cities. Commissioner Brewer urged keeping the very-low standard to limit budget risk, pointing to the large increase in dollars expended after the initial cap was removed. Commissioner Hensland favored staying near the current fund balance and suggested preserving a focus on older homeowners for the next cycle.

Commissioner Hanzlick moved to direct staff to implement the recommended changes—maximum home value $500,000, no age requirement, HUD "very low" income limit, and 100% of county property-tax rebate—and Commissioner Brewer seconded. The board called the roll and recorded seven ayes, zero nays, advancing the item to next week’s agenda for formal action.

Next steps: staff will return with more detailed data and implementation plans (Franzen indicated a likely April–May follow-up if oversubscription appears) and the recommended changes will be on next week’s agenda for final action. The board said a broader conversation with cities and budget planning ahead of the 2027 cycle remains necessary to consider longer-term funding and coordination.