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Commission hears $10.84 million detention center renovation in draft 2026 budget
Summary
County CFO presented a 2026 budget that funds a $10.84 million detention center renovation—about half from SPLOST and about $3.5 million from property tax revenues—and proposes a net 5% spending cut across departments with exceptions for elected offices.
Burke County officials reviewed a draft fiscal 2026 budget that includes a $10,840,000 line item for a detention center renovation, funding the project roughly half from SPLOST funds and the remainder from tax revenue and other sources. Michael Wiseman, the county chief financial officer, told commissioners the county had budgeted the renovation at $10.84 million and estimated that roughly $3.5 million of that would come from property tax revenues. "By far, that is the largest project," Wiseman said.
The draft also attempts a countywide 5% reduction target. Wiseman said the recommended budget achieves an initial 5.1% reduction from last year’s $100 million baseline to about $94.9 million, while noting that some elected offices—such as the clerk of courts and the sheriff’s office—were left flat rather than cut. "We were tasked with making an attempt to make a 5% cut to most departments," he said.
Wiseman explained one budget structure change: the detention center operating budget was moved into the sheriff’s office department number to allow internal transfers without returning to the board for approval. "We're just combining those into one," he said, arguing the change would make internal transfers easier while remaining compliant with Georgia accounting rules.
Other capital items discussed in the presentation include a $500,000 animal shelter addition, $280,000 for pickleball courts (deferred to next year in the draft), a carry-forward firing range project ($467,000), and technology/network upgrades. Wiseman said the proposed budget includes step merit increases for eligible employees but does not include a countywide cost-of-living adjustment in the draft figures.
Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the full budget at the session; the presentation set items for further review and for inclusion on upcoming committee and regular meetings. Wiseman said some items would be returned to finance committee and the full commission for final decisions.
The draft budget will proceed through committee review; commissioners set a follow-up meeting for August 4 to continue budget work.
