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Bedford County holds public hearing on $134.3 million proposed FY‑26 budget
Summary
The Bedford County Board of Supervisors heard a public presentation of the county’s proposed $134,256,841 general fund budget, which includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for county employees, additions of five full‑time positions, and major capital projects in the capital improvement plan.
The Bedford County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Wednesday on the county’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, a general fund spending plan of $134,256,841 presented by county staff. The hearing was informational; the board expects to act on the budget at its May 27 meeting.
The proposed budget includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for all county employees effective July 1; a 7% increase in health insurance costs split between the county and employees; and five new full‑time positions: a building code inspector, animal shelter operator, accreditation specialist, senior building and grounds maintenance worker, and a family services specialist 3. “The proposed general fund budget, which is a total of $134,256,841, does factor in several new or updated initiatives,” Ashley, a county staff presenter, told the board.
The plan also reallocates vehicle‑related costs into a single vehicle replacement fund budgeted at $2,354,796, which covers new vehicles for social services, domestic violence services, fire and rescue, and building inspections, and a $1,000,000 lump sum for sheriff’s office and animal control vehicle replacements and outfitting. The capital improvement program is proposed at $35,886,136, about $7 million below FY25 but still above prior averages. Major CIP items cited include an expansion of the sheriff’s E‑911 building, final appropriations for school library and gym projects at Liberty, Stanton River and Bedford Primary, and a transfer of about $6,400,000 from CIP to the solid waste fund to close a landfill cell.
On the nursing home fund, the proposed operating budget is roughly $9.8 million and shows a modest operational surplus of about $100,000 under current assumptions; staff noted the budget assumes no IGT funds but does include an expected $345,000 in value‑based purchasing funds and that a recent FY25 payment of about $437,000 may make next year’s receipts higher than projected. School funding included in the packet shows a county contribution to the school operating fund of about $34 million, including $300,000 for textbooks and $3.5 million in new growth funding for school maintenance reserves; additional school debt service is budgeted in county debt service at just under $7.4 million.
Board members did not receive public comment on the budget during the hearing. The board chair closed the public comment portion and confirmed the board will take formal action on the budget at its May 27 meeting.
