County board asks departments for 3% budget-cut scenarios as leaders weigh personnel requests

Champaign County Board members directed county administration on Sept. 9 to prepare budget scenarios and asked department heads to provide revised proposals ahead of a special Sept. 30 budget meeting. The board identified a projected FY2026 gap of roughly $1.7 million and discussed two primary responses: department-wide percentage cuts (1% and 3%) and targeted funding for specific positions the board has discussed previously.

Why it matters: The board is preparing its FY2026 proposed budget amid declining fund balances and one-time transfers used in prior years. Members repeatedly framed the budget question as whether recurring personnel additions are affordable or whether recurring cuts are necessary to close a structural deficit.

Budget director Travis Woodcock briefed the board on current estimates, explaining that “roughly every percentage is just over $500,000 based on the expenses, so so it'd be right around 3%” to close the current projected deficit. He and board chairpersons asked department heads to prepare 3% cut scenarios to present by the Sept. 30 special meeting; board members also requested a 1% scenario and numbers showing the effect of eliminating long-standing vacancies.

Board discussion identified several staffing items that members want prioritized for Sept. 30 review: an autopsy assistant position for the coroner (argued by members to have potential revenue offsets through more in-house autopsy work and toxicology testing), a chief deputy collector for the treasurer (members proposed using county board discretionary funds and department contractual-service lines to partially seed the recurring cost), and additional correctional officers (members noted overtime spending at the jail and said adding officers could reduce overtime costs).

Several board members urged a targeted approach: ask departments for 3% cuts but evaluate positions that either generate revenue or reduce recurring overtime costs. A vote or formal budget adoption was not held; instead the board requested specific numbers and directed administration to include 1% and 3% cut lines in the packet and to calculate the impact of eliminating pre‑2024 vacancies.

Ending: Staff were asked to return at a special budget session on Sept. 30 with department responses to requested cuts and with dollar figures on the options discussed; board members were encouraged to meet with department heads if they favor particular requests before the special meeting.