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Board discusses tight FY26 budget outlook, reserves and social‑services placeholders; ambulance revenue offset debated
Summary
Supervisors heard staff caution that FY26 budget will be tight, discussed reserve use, a proposed 6% increase and $200,000 placeholder for social services block grants, and considered whether ambulance revenue tied to a new hospital should be counted as an offset for an ambulance purchase.
County fiscal staff and supervisors used Tuesday’s work session to discuss the broader FY26 budget outlook, reserve levels, funding flexibility for social‑service grants and a potential ambulance purchase that county staff say could be offset by new revenue tied to area hospitals.
Supervisor comments and staff presentations emphasized that the county’s ability to use large reserves is limited. County staff said the board’s targeted ending reserve balance is just shy of $22 million and that last year the county drew about $20 million from reserves; staff cautioned the county cannot repeat that level of drawdown without jeopardy to reserve targets used in fiscal planning and bond ratings.
On social services, the county had included a 6 percent placeholder increase in block grants after a staff request from Lynette. The work session also included a separate $200,000 placeholder for additional social‑services funding; Lynette subsequently told staff she preferred keeping the increase tied to a percentage (6 percent) or using a smaller, capacity‑based increase (she suggested returning to roughly $151,740). Adam Kirko said the $200,000 figure was a placeholder to give the board options at vote time.
Board members discussed ambulance needs and whether revenue projections tied to anticipated business from a new Liberty Hospital facility should offset the cost of an ambulance or related equipment. Fiona (county ambulance liaison) told liaisons she expects additional volume from the new hospital could make an ambulance purchase revenue‑neutral, but staff and supervisors noted there is no historical revenue record to guarantee that outcome; Adam Kirko and Dana said they would review Fiona’s emailed estimates and determine whether to include any offsets in decision‑package math. A supervisor summarized the choice: “we should keep it in the budget or…trust Adam's discretion on how he wants to plug that number in.”
Supervisors also discussed a possible legislative change that could again permit counties to bond for patrol and physical‑plant vehicles; staff said the bill was under consideration at the state level but no bill number was available during the session.
No formal votes were taken at the work session. Staff and supervisors agreed the coming decision meeting would require tight prioritization and that capital items may be the most likely area for cuts.
