The Henry County Council held a public hearing on the proposed 2026 county budget and associated agency budgets and later approved a motion confirming that the estimated tax levies align with the budget presented at the hearing. The council heard one brief public question about year-over-year changes to the Solid Waste Management budget and then closed the hearing.

At the start of the hearing Council President Chad called for public comment; only one member of the public spoke and asked how the Solid Waste Management budget compared with the current year. A county staff member responded that the solid waste budget showed “less than $3,000 increase from this past year” and said the change was small because a few items had been cut or reallocated. No other members of the public spoke.

The council then voted to approve documentation that the estimated tax levy figures in the packet correlate with the proposed 2026 budget. The motion was made and seconded, and the council approved it by voice vote. The auditor’s office had supplied the levy calculations and the council accepted the auditor’s concurrence before voting.

Why it matters: Approving the levy estimates is a required step to advance the budget process and ensures the county’s tax-rate estimates match the spending plan presented during the public hearing. The hearing itself produced only brief public input.

Meeting context: The hearing occurred near the start of the agenda; council members closed the hearing by unanimous voice vote before moving on to routine business and other agenda items. No formal amendments to the proposed budget were made at this meeting, and the council did not set a final adoption date during the discussion recorded in the transcript.

What was not specified: The transcript does not state a final budget adoption date, the total dollar value of the county-wide 2026 budget, or whether any subsequent public hearings are scheduled.