Dunn County previews proposed 2026 budget, schedules Nov. 12 public hearing

Dunn County Manager Dan Dunbar said the county’s next Board meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 15 and that the proposed 2026 county budget will be posted for public review with a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 12.

The posting and hearing are the most immediate items on the agenda because they start the formal budget adoption process for 2026, which Dunbar said will "highlight key changes from last year, outline impacts on county services and residents, and provide a clear breakdown of revenues, expenditures, and property tax impacts, showing exactly where your dollars go." He also said the county will provide a new budget book to make those details available to supervisors and the public.

Dunbar outlined several other items the board will take up at the Oct. 15 meeting. The board is scheduled to consider an ordinance change to remove the countyfund balance policy from chapter 7 of the Dunn County Code of Ordinances and to approve a replacement policy that sets specific limits for each county fund and establishes a working capital policy. The agenda also lists routine budget amendments from human services and public health, an ordinance amendment to rezone a property, and a resolution authorizing the Land and Water Conservation Department to apply for a DNR grant. Dunbar said such resolutions "confirm that the county is ready and able to complete the proposed work once funds are awarded."

The agenda also includes two resolutions related to the 2026 pay plan and health and dental premiums. Dunbar said the proposed pay plan "introduces a performance based approach offering additional increases for employees who exceed expectations." Two ordinances submitted by the Sheriff’s Department to adjust fees for 2026 are also scheduled for consideration.

Dunbar told viewers the board recently adopted new rules governing public comment. He said that under the rules "public comments must now relate to items listed on the board agenda," and that the clerk "will no longer read online comments aloud; instead, online comments that meet the board's rules will be shared with supervisors, announced, and included in the official record." Dunbar said the meeting will include a public comment period after recognition of Highway Department employee Mark Sand, who is retiring after 27 years with the department.

No formal actions or votes were recorded in Dunbar's agenda preview; the items listed are scheduled for the board to consider at the Oct. 15 meeting. Specific outcomes, motions, or vote tallies will be available in the board minutes after the meeting.