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Madison County presents FY26 budget that uses fund balance and a proposed 2¢ real‑estate tax increase
Summary
County staff presented a FY26 spending plan that increases county expenditures by about $2.06 million (5.8%), proposes a 2‑cent real‑estate tax increase to raise roughly $560,000 and uses about $1.4 million of fund balance to balance operations and capital; adoption is scheduled after a 7‑day waiting period.
County staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget to the Madison County Board of Supervisors, describing expenditure increases driven by school funding needs, radio system maintenance, personnel costs and rising vendor fees.
County Finance staff said the budget “increased by $2,058,553 which was 5.8% from FY25” and outlined the primary drivers: an additional local contribution requested by the schools after changes to federal and state funding; annual maintenance and rental costs for a new public radio system; and salary and fringe increases including a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county personnel and higher health‑insurance costs. Public works and transfer‑station disposal charges also rose because vendors passed through higher disposal and energy surcharges.
How the budget balances: To offset higher costs, staff proposed a 2¢ increase in the equalized real‑estate tax rate, which the presentation estimated would raise about $560,000, and a draw of $1,438,600 from unassigned fund balance (split between capital‑related uses and operating balance). Staff also described planned capital spending of approximately $4.6 million in FY26, funded through a combination of grants, carryover and a proposed new debt issuance of up to $4 million; if debt is issued, related debt service would be incorporated into FY26 and later budgets.
Board process and timing: County administrators said tonight’s presentation was the required public hearing; adoption cannot occur until after a seven‑day notice period and staff said adoption is tentatively scheduled for the board’s next business meeting. The county emphasized its financial‑policy metrics show the county meeting its reserve and fund‑balance targets under the proposed plan, and staff said they trimmed about $372,000 from initial department requests to avoid additional cuts to core services.
Public context: Supervisors and staff discussed the need to invest in public utilities and economic‑development infrastructure to support business growth and possible future demand. Supervisors asked staff to make budget materials prominent on the county website and to prepare follow‑up briefings for the public.
Ending: Staff will post detailed budget documents online, accept public comment under the statutory hearing schedule, and return to the board for adoption after the required notice period.
