Kent County commissioners trim operating lines, back incremental EMS hires and approve targeted capital items as they balance budget

County commissioners and staff spent several hours reviewing line‑by‑line operating projections, salary scenarios and capital requests as part of this year’s budget deliberations. After staff re‑projected nine‑month running rates and discussed department requests, the panel agreed on a set of adjustments intended to balance the FY‑26 draft budget.

Pat, the county budget staff member who led the review, summarized a set of operating reductions based on updated nine‑month run rates; staff recommended taking roughly $166,000 from projected FY‑26 operating figures after department conversations. Pat also presented salary‑increase options that totaled $629,027 in the draft; the group left a 4% across‑the‑board increase in the draft budget (the county will finalize the exact method during adoption). “If you want to think about it, the dollars are in the budget, so it's not going to affect the budget on any basis,” Pat said while offering more time for commissioners to decide the mechanics of the raise.

Commissioners discussed a multi‑year plan for EMT and paramedic positions in Betterton. Pete (county EMS/operations staff) and Chief Quinn explained that four positions had been planned as a build‑out. Commissioners agreed to fund two positions now and to prioritize the remaining two next year; one commissioner described an incremental approach as “probably the most prudent way to do it” to ensure coverage while staying within the fiscal envelope.

On capital and one‑time purchases, commissioners approved purchasing a $35,000 mobile generator that the town of Galena requested and that county staff said would be available countywide on a trailer. Dan, a public works official, said the county already maintains annual service contracts for similar equipment and could provide maintenance if housed appropriately. The generator was assigned to the county’s building maintenance/public works function.

The commissioners also discussed the county’s relationship with the Humane Society and approved purchasing one pickup truck for the Humane Society while planning to donate a soon‑to‑be‑replaced county pickup to that organization. County fleet staff said a currently available F‑350 in reasonable condition is expected to have a resale value in the $12,000–$15,000 range when turned in to the fleet vendor; the county will provide the vehicle and the Humane Society will fund any bed/cap outfitting.

On calendars and process, commissioners and staff reviewed the possible timing for raising local income or water/sewer rates; county staff noted the last day for a county income tax‑rate change for FY‑26 was mid‑May and recommended any revenue earmarks (for example, for the middle‑school project) be specified for public clarity. In the working budget the county left a 4% water and sewer increase in place and discussed a possible 1% additional increase but had not adopted it.

Other operating items resolved or advanced included keeping in the budget a contingency allocation that can be used for recurring items if a hire fills mid‑year, and leaving in a modest amount for employee appreciation programs while deferring exact program design to staff. County staff also flagged a possible adjustment to the county detention‑center per‑diem for federal inmates; the county will follow up with Captain Wallace and the detention center on the US Marshals per‑diem rates and cost impacts.

Overall, Pat reported the line‑by‑line review produced more than the needed reductions to balance the budget, and commissioners decided to advance the draft to next‑step budget actions with the understanding several capital items will be finalized next week.