Board hears FY26 general fund proposal: capital requests pared, sheriff and IT projects under review

Warren County staff presented a draft FY26 general fund budget May 13 that shows a proposed total of $93,440,000 and includes a range of capital requests and personnel asks that have been reduced or deferred in the draft presented to supervisors.

County administration described a modest drop in the general fund compared with certain prior figures and said 75% of revenue comes from general property taxes. Transfers to schools, debt service, and other operating categories were summarized; staff said the meals tax contributes an estimated $1.4 million for school capital and debt support and described how that transfer affects school capital funding.

Capital requests submitted by departments totaled more than $6 million in original requests; the proposed draft includes smaller allocations and deferrals. Staff highlighted items moved to future years or reduced in size: generator options for elections (alternative contingency found, project removed), fire station enhancements reduced from $150,000 to $50,000 for FY26, cancer‑prevention purchases reduced to $50,000, courthouse clock and facade work put on hold, certain IT server and equipment purchases deferred while IT seeks more scoping, and the transfer‑station scale/software project deferred. Parks and recreation requests included pool resurfacing deferred until fall to avoid delay to opening; Rockland Athletic Fields carry a $1.5 million ask with $200,000 currently included in the draft but a federal grant deadline that could require completion by Sept. 30, 2027.

The sheriff told supervisors she expects to use vacancy savings to cover an initial payment for a proposed Motorola Flex records management system (Spillman) in FY25; the vendor implementation could push first large maintenance payments into FY27 or FY28 depending on the contract schedule. The sheriff also asked to rework the pay scale to address internal compaction and recruitment shortfalls; she proposed pausing several vacant positions in the near term and using vacancy savings to regrade existing steps to attract certified deputies. The sheriff requested vehicle replacements (eight vehicles for about $800,000) citing high miles on the current fleet.

New personnel requests across departments totaled roughly $1.5 million in asks; the draft budget included roughly $367,000 in new personnel allocations. Staff asked the board to schedule a public hearing and reminded supervisors they could adjust line items after the hearing as long as the overall total remained fixed prior to adoption.

Why it matters: The FY26 proposal frames revenue and spending priorities for education, public safety, capital maintenance and parks; decisions made in the coming meetings will determine which deferred projects proceed and what staffing changes are funded.

Next steps: Staff asked the board to schedule a public hearing on the budget for June and to return with additional detail; departments will supply quotes and supporting materials in ClearGov and staff will continue technical follow‑up.