Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Broadwater County begins FY26 budget process, staff to deliver preliminary budgets by May 2
Summary
County administrative officer announced timelines and goals for the fiscal year 2026 budget, calling for preliminary department budgets by May 2 and outlining priorities including expense control, O&M review, COLA consideration and shifting to more secure revenues.
Broadwater County Administrative Officer Bill Jirachi told commissioners March 5 the county has opened work on the fiscal year 2026 budget and set a timeline with preliminary department budgets due May 2.
Jirachi said departments will begin preparing budgets after the third quarter ends and that commissioners will receive quarterly budget reviews on March 31 and again in mid‑April to inform forecasts for the new fiscal year. "The budget is our road map for how we receive monies and spend monies," he said.
The county identified several budget goals for FY26: improving expense budget targets using current and historical performance data; reviewing operations and maintenance budgets for potential savings and efficiencies; providing a reasonable cost‑of‑living adjustment for employees if revenues permit; strengthening capital budgeting; and, where possible, shifting toward more secure revenue streams in light of uncertain intergovernmental funding.
On the last point, Jirachi noted Broadwater County relies appropriately on property tax but also on grants and state and federal intergovernmental resources. He cited an FAA grant that supplies about $4 million of the county's $14 million budget for airport work as an example of a large, single external revenue source that could be jeopardized by delays in the federal process.
"The more that we can rely on secure sources of revenue, the better off we're gonna be in the face of uncertainty," he said. He also asked commissioners to consider how local property development can smooth property tax revenues.
The county will circulate a memorandum with the budget timeline and instructions to departments; Jirachi said he expected that memo to go out the afternoon of March 5. Departments and programs will use mid‑April reviews to refine year‑end forecasts and inform FY26 spending assumptions.
