Portage County officials recommended keeping department budgets flat for 2026 and delaying new positions and wage increases until certified carryover and other resources are verified. The discussion occurred during the board of commissioners meeting on Aug. 26, 2025.

The county staff member who presented the item said current projections show resources will “just cover expenses if we leave the budget flat,” and recommended “no new positions, monitoring existing positions and replacements of vacancies, freezing any wage increases at this point until we know if we have the resources to cover that.”

The recommendation followed staff review of certified resources and projected spending, which the presenter said were “pretty close” and that certified resources are limited. The presenter added departments should “explore other funding sources that could maybe take some of the burden off the general fund first before coming to the general fund for their entire request.”

Commissioner Jill asked whether recent tax collections came in lower than anticipated; the presenter replied the second round of taxes was about $300,000 less than the certified estimate and that matched prior quarterly projections. Commissioners emphasized that any wage decisions must honor existing collective bargaining agreements and that contracted wage obligations would be a “first priority” to fund if additional resources materialize.

There was no formal vote on budget policy at the meeting. Staff said they would circulate the guidance memo to the board for review before releasing it to departments.

The county also discussed prioritizing one-time capital needs versus unfunded departmental requests while keeping the boiler replacement and other emergent building repairs high on the list of funding priorities.

Commissioners stressed a conservative approach while awaiting final certification and carryover numbers before approving new recurring commitments.