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Camden County presents proposed FY2026 budget with 1.15% general‑fund increase; public hearing set for June 12
Summary
County staff presented a proposed FY2026 budget that keeps the general fund roughly balanced at $48.1 million (including $1.009 million draw from fund balance), a 1.15% increase over FY2025; the county will publish the summary this week and hold a public hearing on June 12 with adoption slated for June 24.
Nancy, a county finance staff presenter, told the Camden County Board of Commissioners on June 3 that the proposed fiscal year 2026 general fund budget projects $47,088,739 in revenues and would use $1,009,011 of fund balance for a total of $48,097,750, a 1.15% increase over the current fiscal year.
The budget matters because it sets the county’s spending priorities for public safety, courts, public works and other services and includes changes to employee compensation, capital projects and interfund transfers.
Nancy said the county’s largest revenue source remains current-year ad valorem taxes, making up almost 60% of general-fund revenue, and that the county is budgeting just over a 9% increase in tax collections for FY2026. Local option sales tax makes up about 13.5% of revenues and was budgeted up nearly 3%.
The proposed budget reflects expense reductions from department requests: total capital requests of about $7.8 million were reduced to $4.7 million in the proposed document. Nancy said overall countywide payroll costs (salaries and benefits across funds) rise by $1,141,000, reflecting a one-step pay-scale shift and pro‑rated anniversary/performance adjustments.
She warned that some current-year reimbursements remain outstanding because of delayed federal and state grant payments — she named FEMA and GEMA and a congressional direct-spending grant for the resiliency operations center — and said those timing differences contribute to planned fund-balance usage. When a commissioner asked whether the fund balance remained above the county’s guideline of 25%, Nancy answered that the projection remains about 32%.
Other changes called out in the presentation include a 12.37% increase in employee health insurance and workers’ compensation costs, a planned transfer of $617,000 to the capital improvement fund, an approximately $596,000 supplemental transfer for 9-1-1 operations, and a reallocation of some EMS/fire staffing budget between the general fund and the unincorporated service district (described in the presentation as a change to the current 88/12 split). Nancy also noted added positions in the sheriff’s office, fire (unincorporated fire district), fleet and an upgrade for an EMA position.
Nancy said the total countywide budget across all funds in the proposed document is $86,154,748, a roughly 3% decrease from the current fiscal year when accounting for all funds and one-time items. She said the summary will be advertised in the Tribune‑Georgian this Thursday and the full budget document will be posted on the county website by the end of the week; a hard copy will be available at the county office for residents who cannot access it online.
The county will hold a public hearing on the proposed FY2026 budget on June 12 and the board has scheduled adoption for the June 24 meeting, both at 6 p.m.
