Bulloch County commissioners voted 5-1 to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget and work program after a roll call vote and discussion of two proposed amendments.

The adopted resolution, approved on a roll call vote, will serve as the county's spending plan for the coming fiscal year. Commissioner Toby Connor cast the lone no vote; Chairman David Bennett, Commissioners Ray Davis, Ray Mosley, Anthony Simmons and Timo Rushing voted yes.

The vote followed a public comment period that included Kathy Todd, a resident and former local government chief financial officer, who urged commissioners to support the proposed budget. "I support the recommendations of the budget. Why? Because our county has to move forward and become an economic strength in the region," Todd said, and she described local government finance as specialized and governed by standards needed to obtain a clean audit opinion.

During deliberations the board considered two amendments. One commissioner proposed amending the budget to a full rollback; that amendment failed and was not adopted. A second amendment to transfer $100,000 from the Bulloch County Development Authority to the district attorney's office was offered and seconded but failed on a 4-2 vote.

County staff and counsel emphasized operational reasons for adopting a budget before July 1. Bill Rountree (staff) said, "If you don't have a budget, then you have to authorize expenditures in some other way, and that would be each individual expenditure would have to come before the board for approval, or some sort of continuing resolution, to, to authorize that." Rountree added that operating without a budget after July 1 would be cumbersome and would require alternative authorization methods.

Commissioners praised county finance staff during and after the meeting. Several commissioners singled out Christie King, the county's chief financial officer, for leading the budget work with limited staff support. "The county is indebted to her a lot," one commissioner said.

The board heard additional context on the county's revenue picture: a speaker cited House Bill 581 as a legislative change that limited future property tax increases to 3 percent absent a millage increase and noted that FEMA and GEMA were holding $15 million to $20 million of county funds, which the speaker said had contributed to a financial bind for the county. Commissioners also reminded residents about homestead-exemption enrollment and announced a firefighter graduation scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds.

The meeting concluded with the adopted budget in place; commissioners did not set any further immediate actions tied to the defeated amendments.