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Bay County presents proposed 2026 budget; general fund to increase by $3.2 million
Summary
County staff presented the executive proposed 2026 budget to the Board of Commissioners, opened a public hearing with no citizens commenting, and recommended using $4.1 million of unassigned fund balance to balance the general fund.
Bay County officials presented the county executive’s proposed 2026 budget to the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 7 and opened a public hearing; no members of the public spoke during the hearing.
The executive proposed total county spending of about $173,000,000 for 2026, a $2,000,000 decrease from the 2025 total, while the county’s General Fund budget is proposed at $50,500,000, up from $47,300,000 in 2025 — an increase of roughly $3,200,000, or about 6.8%.
The increase in the General Fund is driven by contractual pay increases for county employees, higher indigent attorney fees, increased technology and maintenance costs, and capital outlay for buildings and equipment. County staff told commissioners that property taxes make up roughly 43% of the General Fund revenue (about $21,400,000). The presenters recommended using approximately…
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