Walton County held a public hearing on its proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which County Manager John Ward said has been narrowed to about $102 million and would be balanced using current revenues and reserves without a millage-rate increase.

The proposed budget, Ward said, reflects a large increase driven primarily by public-safety divisions and pay raises the commission approved to help retain staff. "We will use current revenue sources, the current millage rate, and reserves as our proposal to balance the budget," Ward said during the hearing.

The hearing drew at least one public commenter, Roger Hale of Youth Monroe Road, who said he moved to Walton County to retire and raised concerns about roadside maintenance: "I came out here to retire because I thought Walton County was a nice place to retire," Hale said, adding that ditch lines and overhanging trees near his road had not been maintained. Hale asked whether ditch cleaning and tree trimming were included in this year's budget.

County staff responded that roads and bridge spending is a substantial portion of the budget and that roadside maintenance is funded. "Just a plain simple answer to your question is yes, it's included in the budget," a county staff member said when addressing whether ditch-line work was funded. Staff also offered to set up a follow-up with the roads and bridge division for Mr. Hale to identify specific locations for attention.

Hale also asked whether the county planned a millage-rate increase. Ward said the proposal as presented does not include a millage increase and that the board had no appetite for one at this time, although the county will continue to review revenue sources and reserves as the digest is finalized. Ward noted that using reserves to balance the budget would put additional pressure on fund balances.

The new public-safety complex and related operational costs were discussed. A county official explained that construction of the new jail is a capital project and that the budget includes operational staffing needs for the facility: the cost to operate the new facility once occupied, the presenter said, has been calculated and is included in the proposed budget. Ward said some portions of the earlier, larger draft budget were reduced through cuts and a recalculation of defined-benefit obligations.

The county also described its roads program, noting that repaving varies year to year depending on grant awards; staff cited repaving of roughly 25 to 45 miles of roads annually in some years depending on grant levels. Staff emphasized ongoing efforts to retain employees such as CDL drivers through pay adjustments, saying the county has lost trained drivers to private employers when they obtain licensure.

No formal vote on the budget was taken at the public hearing. The meeting proceeded with staff presentation of budget slides and public comment; the hearing closed after public remarks and routine announcements.

The county manager closed the public portion and provided contact points for residents with detailed questions about specific budget line items or spot repairs. The board then adjourned the meeting.