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Coffee County sets tax rate with no increase and approves budget including deputy pay raises
Summary
The Coffee County commission set the property tax rate for 2025–26 with no rate increase and approved a budget that includes a certified deputy pay increase and a 5% across‑the‑board raise for other county employees; the appropriations resolution passed 10–6.
The Coffee County Board of County Commissioners voted June 24 to set the county’s property tax rate without an increase and approved the fiscal 2025–26 budget that includes pay increases for certified deputies and a 5% raise for other county employees.
The decisions affect county operations and employee pay across Coffee County. Commissioners voted 16–0 to set the tax levy without a property-tax increase; the budget appropriation resolution later passed 10–6.
Commissioner Stubblefield moved the appropriation resolution; finance staff member Mary Anna presented a budget snapshot for the general fund. Mary Anna said the estimated general‑fund balance as of June 30, 2025, was $11,363,058.20, with total general‑fund appropriations in the resolution of $31,117,002.88. That projection left a fund-balance deficit of $1,500,428 and an estimated fund balance for June 30, 2026, of $9,862,006.30.
Mary Anna told the commission the package as presented includes the certified deputy increase and a 5% raise for other county employees. The chair and commissioners also described ongoing budget adjustments; the chair said recent projections reduced an earlier larger deficit and that remaining adjustments before the fiscal year-end could further narrow the deficit.
A member of the public, Deputy Sheriff Anthony Harden, spoke during the public comment period and urged commissioners to approve a raise for certified deputies. “This raise being proposed today for the certified deputies is not just about numbers on a paycheck. It is quite literally life changing for all of us,” Harden said. He described deputies working two full‑time jobs to make ends meet and urged commissioners to “vote on this like our families depend on it.” Harden identified himself as a deputy sheriff and said retention problems were costly to the department.
On the floor, some commissioners said they supported employee pay increases but opposed parts of the appropriations package. Commissioner Miller said he favored pay increases but had concerns with “things in the budget” and anticipated a “no” vote on the appropriation resolution. Commissioner Stubblefield and others said the budget secured the deputy increase and the employee raises.
Formal actions recorded at the meeting include a motion to set the tax levy (resolution 2025‑15) with no property-tax increase, passed 16–0; and approval of the budget appropriation resolution (2025‑16) with a recorded vote of 10 yes and 6 no. Several budget amendments and fund-specific adjustments were later presented and approved separately by the commission.
No additional conditions or legal contingencies were noted on the deputy pay increase beyond inclusion in the adopted appropriation resolution. The commission’s budget decisions will take effect at the start of the next fiscal year unless otherwise specified in county procedure.
