Decatur County Council approves 2026 budget, grants and multiple salary and appropriation items; one exception vote fails

The Decatur County Council adopted the county’s 2026 budget and approved multiple grants, ordinances and salary adjustments at its meeting. Council members also approved several appropriations and operational items for county departments.

Why it matters: The council’s actions set the county’s spending plans and authorized federal/state reimbursements, salary corrections and equipment upgrades that affect public safety, emergency management, health and county operations.

Votes at a glance (items recorded in the meeting minutes):

- Minutes: The council approved its prior meeting minutes after correcting an erroneous vote count in the draft minutes. (Motion and approval recorded.)

- Recorder ordinance — Ordinance No. 25‑17: Council approved an annual ordinance allowing part‑time Recorder staff to be paid from the Recorder’s perpetuation fund when those employees are not performing taxpayer transaction services. (Motion by Bill; second by Ashley; approved.)

- Health Department salary correction (Ellie Myers): The council approved a salary correction and retroactive pay adjustment for an environmental health specialist after staff reported the employee had been paid below the budgeted rate. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- EMA / Deputy director pay: Council approved moving the Emergency Management deputy director’s hourly pay from $18 to $20 for the remainder of 2025 and to reflect the budgeted amounts for 2026 (budgeted $20.60). (Motion recorded and approved.)

- State Homeland Security Program grant ($112,166.46): Council approved accepting and administering a state homeland security grant, a 100% reimbursement intended to upgrade command‑bus communications, radios and onboard technology. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- EMPG (Emergency Management Performance Grant) — $30,000: Council approved staff’s application for a $30,000 reimbursement grant to support emergency management salaries. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Ordinance 2025‑18 — Interest allocation to Parks & Rec: Council approved an ordinance to allocate interest earnings to the Parks & Recreation fund so parks can retain interest on their cash balances. (Ordinance No. 2025‑18; motion and approval recorded.)

- Veterans van funding ($2,500): Council approved $2,500 to cover fuel and maintenance for a county‑owned veterans transport van donated with foundation support; staff said the vehicle will be registered and policies for volunteers and drivers will be completed before expanded use. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Dunn & Associates — investment resolution: Council authorized Dunn & Associates to manage and place county insurance reserve funds in interest‑bearing accounts (staff said principal remains our funds and these are interest‑bearing arrangements). (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Tower maintenance ($20,000): Council approved a $20,000 appropriation for tower maintenance work that has been completed. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Repair/equipment upgrades ($250,000 total): Council approved transfers/appropriations to fund equipment upgrades, splitting $125,000 from two accounts for a total of $250,000. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Area plan attorney reimbursement (Cobia) — $24,561: Council approved moving reimbursed attorney fee receipts back into the county accounts for area‑planning legal work; the reimbursement came from an outside partner (Cobia). (Motion recorded and approved.)

- Salary ordinance amendments (Q4): Council approved amendments to the salary ordinance for quarter 4, moving several employees and lines as submitted by departments. (Motion recorded and approved.)

- 2026 Budget adoption: The council adopted the countywide 2026 budget, including county general, highway, health, parks and other funds. (Motion by Ashley; second by Kenny; approved.)

Tie vote and exception denied: Council considered an exception to grant a recently hired department head a 3% raise tied to a July 1 hiring rule. The motion to make an exception produced a 3–3 split; the chair then recorded a tie and did not adopt the exception (chair recorded no), so the exception failed and the raise was not applied.

Several other transfers, appropriations and administrative approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes and were approved by voice vote during the same session.

All actions above are drawn from motions and voice votes in the meeting transcript and minutes; where the transcript records only a general voice vote the record indicates “approved” as recorded in the council minutes.