Chickasaw County supervisors adopt 2025–26 budget after public hearing; board approves several routine measures
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Summary
After a public hearing with more than a dozen speakers about cuts and service reductions, the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors adopted the fiscal year 2025–26 county budget and approved a package of routine resolutions, including elected-official wages and several administrative items.
Chickasaw County supervisors on April 14 adopted the county’s fiscal year 2025–26 budget after a public hearing that drew multiple residents urging the board to reconsider cuts to services, especially public health.
The board approved the budget and its levy rates as published: general basic at 3.50, general supplemental at $1.85 and secondary roads at 3.50, and adopted Resolution No. 4-14-25-16 certifying the budget. County Auditor Sheila Shuckerton conducted the public hearing and confirmed notice of the hearing had been published and posted as required by state law.
The budget passed after public comment focused on a stated roughly $300,000 gap between expenditures and revenues that officials said has been covered in recent years by drawing down fund balances. Several speakers pressed the board to preserve public-health staffing and questioned the distribution of cuts among departments. Joan (last name not specified) asked whether further reductions in nonpersonnel spending and nonprofit allocations had been explored; the board and staff said many small programs and community grants were reduced or eliminated to help close the gap. Resident Mary and other commenters urged restoring public-health positions, saying the service keeps county residents at home and out of nursing homes.
Auditor Sheila Shuckerton and board members explained revenues include roughly $150,000 in new property tax dollars compared with last year driven in part by increased property valuations; they also cited limits on raising the general-basic levy under state law and the risk of rollbacks if valuations grow more than allowed. The board repeatedly told residents that some positions and compensation items are set outside the annual budget process or by separate policy actions.
In addition to adopting the budget, the supervisors approved a slate of procedural items and routine resolutions during the meeting. Those included a resolution setting elected-official wages for FY 2025–26, approval to accept the county audit report presentation (no action to accept the audit was required), and several Department of Transportation (DOT) submittals for secondary-road funding and project programming.
Votes at a glance - Resolution 4-14-25-16, Adoption of FY 2025–26 county budget: Motion approved (voice/roll call; board approved as presented). Publication and certification were confirmed by the auditor. (Referenced during public hearing and final adoption.) - Resolution 4-14-25-17, Elected officers’ wages for FY 2025–26: Approved by motion and roll call. - Proclamation, April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Adopted by motion; presentation by Shiloh Green of the local review center. - Approval of minutes, agenda and routine procedural motions: Approved by voice vote.
Why it matters: The budget adoption sets tax levies and appropriations for county operations for the coming fiscal year and formalizes the spending cuts and department appropriations that sparked the public comments. The board and staff said remaining gaps were addressed with a mix of departmental reductions, reductions in grants and nonprofit allocations, and use of fund balance.
What’s next: Board members said some personnel and compensation matters can be examined outside the budget process and that they will continue to consider options — including benefit-handbook changes and potential service consolidations — if revenues or needs change. The board also flagged a future agenda item on a proposed urban renewal plan related to wind-turbine TIF revenue and possible county borrowing to fund capital projects.
