Bourbon County adopts 2026 budget, holds inmate-housing revenues separate

The Bourbon County Commission voted to adopt a 2026 budget on Sept. 17 that sets the mill levy at 56.678 mills and preserves the county’s inmate-housing reimbursement fund instead of applying those receipts to the general operating budget.

The decision follows several hours of budget deliberation focused on two competing approaches: (1) apply recently received inmate-housing reimbursement revenue to the sheriff’s operating budget to lower the mill levy and (2) hold those revenues in a separate jail-revenue account until the county can verify the revenue stream’s sustainability. Commissioners approved the latter approach and adopted the budget based on the version discussed during the meeting.

Why it matters: The sheriff’s office told commissioners it faces a shortfall if certain increases are not funded; staff said the department needs about $937,000 to fully fund deputies’ pay and $714,000 for corrections officers, figures used to explain a roughly $180,000 gap in the sheriff’s budget. Commissioners and the sheriff discussed moving some jail repair and capital costs to a jail sales-tax fund to limit pressure…