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Campbell County adopts FY2026 budget with 3% pay raise and tax-rate cuts
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved the county's FY2026 budget, a 3% across-the-board pay increase for full-time employees, a 10-cent cut to the personal property tax rate, and one-time direction to apply $77,663 to the vehicle replacement capital line.
Campbell County's Board of Supervisors approved the fiscal year 2026 budget on a unanimous voice vote after public hearing and debate, adopting a 3% across-the-board pay increase for eligible full-time county employees and a 10-cent reduction in the personal-property tax rate.
The action, taken during the board's April meeting, also included a 3-cent reduction to a business-related tax rate and the appropriation and adoption of tax resolutions needed to implement the budget. Administrator Frank Rogers told the board the measure would take effect July 1 and that the advertised budget had been balanced following work sessions and hearings required under state code.
Why it matters: The budget sets county priorities for the year, funds county operations and capital projects, and includes a modest pay raise for employees. During discussion, supervisors also considered whether a one-time expenditure reduction identified during budget review'about $77,663'should be directed immediately to vehicle replacement in the capital improvement program (CIP) or held in fund balance until year-end.
Board members asked how the $77,663 would be used if approved now. Administrator Rogers said the amount would be applied to the vehicle-replacement CIP line as a one-time transfer, increasing that CIP appropriation by the same amount, and noted vehicle replacement purchases are generally made from statewide contract pricing. The board approved a motion to adopt the budget and appropriations resolution with that change.
The budget package also retains level funding for the school division relative to FY2025 and adjusts the personal-property assessment ratio to 100% for tax calculation purposes, Rogers said. Members of the board discussed other capital needs that had been reduced in the budget process, including vehicle replacements, IT, parks and registrar capital lines, and the practical trade-offs of delaying replacement purchases.
During the meeting supervisors emphasized a conservative approach to spending and described the typical year-end process for unspent funds: revenues and expenditures are reconciled, amounts above projections fall to fund balance, and any transfers for priorities are considered in subsequent months.
Board action: The motion to adopt the FY2026 budget, appropriate funds and adopt tax rates (including the stated tax reductions), and to apply the identified $77,663 to the vehicle replacement CIP passed on a voice vote after the clerk called for ayes and nays; the board voiced "aye" and the motion carried.
Looking ahead: Administrator Rogers and staff said they will return to the board if further allocation decisions are needed and will present year-end balances in the fall for final adjustments and any additional one-time allocations.
