Camden County holds public hearing on proposed FY26 budget; adoption set for June 24

Camden County held a public hearing June 12 on a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that would keep the general fund balanced at $48,097,750, Chief Financial Officer Nancy Gonzalez told the Board of Commissioners.

Gonzalez said the proposed general-fund revenues total $48,097,750, including planned use of fund balance of $1,009,011, and that proposed expenditures match that total. "The proposed budget for the general fund for fiscal year 26 is a total of $48,097,750 of revenues," she said.

The proposal trims previously requested spending and reduces total county-wide budgets: total all-fund spending is proposed at $86,154,748, down from $88,991,160 this fiscal year — a 3.19% decrease. Capital requests were cut from $7.8 million to $4.7 million in the proposed plan, Gonzalez said.

Why it matters: the budget contains pay and staffing changes, adjustments to public safety funding and higher insurance costs that would affect county operations and services if adopted.

Most immediately, the proposal includes a one-step pay-scale adjustment (described in the presentation as a 2.5% step), performance-based increases of up to 2.5% on an employee—s anniversary, and several new or reclassified positions. Gonzalez listed moves that would affect public safety and county services: two new full-time sheriff's office positions, a full-time fire training assistant for unincorporated fire, an upgraded emergency management position, a full-time fleet mechanic and a part-time parts runner, and other staffing adjustments in human resources and fleet services. She also said three existing employees would be moved to 100% unincorporated-fire status and that the public defender position includes salary and benefit increases while the district attorney's budget stays level.

The proposed budget increases some operating costs: employee health insurance would rise by about $476,000, workers' compensation by about $42,000, and property/equipment/auto liability insurance by nearly $300,000; Gonzalez noted the county is still awaiting final insurance quotes and those numbers could change before adoption. She also said transfers out include roughly $618,000 to the capital improvement fund and just under $600,000 to supplemental 911 funding. A special appropriation for a Kingsland tattoo grant match was listed as moving from $125,000 to $150,000, and the Joint Development Authority (JDA) line shows a $250,000 increase.

Gonzalez described the local legal framework for the process, saying the county is "regulated by state law that requires local governments to adopt and operate under an annual balanced budget," and reviewed the budget timeline: kickoff in February, department requests in March, committee review in April, work sessions in May, a proposed budget presented June 3, this public hearing on June 12 and a scheduled adoption on June 24. She said the proposed budget and a summary have been published on the county website and in the Tribune Georgian.

The board opened the floor for public comment; no members of the public spoke. No formal vote on the budget occurred at the hearing. The board scheduled final adoption for June 24 and then adjourned the meeting after a motion to adjourn was made and approved.

Next steps: the board will consider formal adoption at its June 24 meeting; figures tied to pending insurance quotes may be updated before that vote.