Cullman County Commission adopts FY2026 budget, shifts health plan and approves slate of appointments and contracts

The Cullman County Commission on a single meeting day approved the county's fiscal year 2026 budget, authorized a change in employee health insurance from a self-insured to a fully insured plan, designated October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and approved a long list of grants, contracts, appointments and procurement actions.

The commission voted to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget to be effective Oct. 1, 2025, and approved a related uniform pay increase effective in September 2025 to be reflected on the Oct. 9, 2025 pay period. Commissioners also approved moving the county's employee health insurance from a self-insured program administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama to a fully insured program administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, effective Jan. 1, 2026 (agenda item G, option 5B). The commission approved a separate, short-term stop-loss insurance arrangement with Companion Life for catastrophic claims coverage from Oct. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2025, with an estimated premium of $215,957.25 for the three-month period.

The commission designated October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month by proclamation and authorized multiple resolutions, including Resolution 2025-45 (Clark's third-party service contract for FY2026), Resolution 2025-46 (urging the Alabama Legislature to oppose changes affecting SSUT programs), Resolution 2025-47 (vacation of County Code 1536), and Resolution 2025-48 (policy regarding county credit cards in accordance with Act 2013-211).

County leaders approved applying for state and federal matching funds for Cullman Regional Airport improvement…