It’s budget season for all jurisdictions (i.e. the city, county, school district, state, fire district) which means you should have already received your Johnson County Estimated Tax Notice. The notice tells you which taxing jurisdictions plan to exceed their revenue neutral rate (RNR) and when/where public hearings will be held.
The notice shows the City of De Soto plans to exceed the RNR for 2026. However, this does not mean your City property taxes are going up; De Soto intends to decrease the City’s mill levy so that most homeowners will pay about the same amount in City property taxes in 2026 as they did in 2025.
Then why are we exceeding RNR?
De Soto’s RNR is artificially low because it includes Panasonic’s property taxes in the formula. While the City collects those taxes, almost all are directed to infrastructure improvements through a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement—and not available for general City use. Because the formula assumes the City keeps that money, the RNR is much lower than it would otherwise be. Exceeding it allows us to set a realistic, sustainable rate.
Thanks to a significant growth in sales tax revenue from new businesses opening and more people shopping in De Soto, the City can maintain services without collecting more from most homeowners.
City 2026 Budget & RNR Public Hearings:
- Date: September 18th
- Time: 7pm
- Location: Council Chambers
Resources