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Fiscal staff present preliminary 2026 general fund budget showing $1.9 million shortfall, reserves projected to cover 76 days
Summary
Franklin County fiscal staff presented a target-based preliminary 2026 general fund budget forecasting $54.7 million in revenue, $56.6 million in expenditures and a $1.9 million shortfall. Staff projected ending unrestricted reserves of $11.7 million (76 days) and asked commissioners for guidance on supplemental funding within two weeks.
Franklin County fiscal staff presented a target-based preliminary general fund budget for 2026 that forecasts $54.7 million in recurring and one-time revenue and $56.6 million in expenditures, resulting in a projected shortfall of about $1.9 million.
Janelle Fries, fiscal director, said the county began a target-based budgeting approach earlier in the year that starts from the revenue forecast and allocates departmental targets based on average spending over the past three years. “The preliminary budget…does not include funding for service enhancements, for capital projects, or for personnel expansions,” Fries said. She described a proposed supplemental funding pool for initiatives beyond core services and noted that personnel and operating costs are included along with a transfers line of $5.3 million, nearly all of which supports human services programs.
Fiscal staff projected the county will start 2026 with roughly $13.6 million in unrestricted reserves and end 2026 with about $11.7 million, which the staff said would cover about 76 days of general fund operations. County policy defines a healthy reserve range of 60 to 90 days.
Commissioners asked staff how long current cash and reserves could sustain operations without a state budget; fiscal staff said the county has additional one-time reserves in separate funds and works with the treasurer to manage cash flow, and that they currently have sufficient cash to continue operations but could not provide a precise duration on the record.
Commissioners asked for follow-up numbers, including a calculation of lost investment income associated with using reserves to cover state-funded services while the state budget remains unsettled. Staff said they can calculate that and asked for guidance within about two weeks.
The presentation provided specific line items: projected 2025 revenues of $54.2 million and expenses of $56.2 million leading to an estimated end-2025 unrestricted reserve of $13.6 million; the 2026 preliminary budget projects $54.7 million in revenue and $56.6 million in expenses with no capital funding included in the preliminary amounts.
Commissioners thanked fiscal staff and agreed to return with guidance on supplemental funding within the requested timeframe.
