Bourbon County commissioners debate competing 2026 budget plans, mill levy and E911 funding

Bourbon County commissioners debated competing budget proposals on Aug. 11, 2025, focusing on mill-levy levels, county cash reserves and who will pay for E911/dispatch costs in 2026. Commissioners heard a Budget Advisory Committee draft, Commissioner Milburn’s “worst-case” contingency plan and Commissioner Tran’s plan to roll some figures back to 2025 levels. The board scheduled a public hearing on whether to exceed the revenue-neutral rate at 5:30 p.m. the same day; the work session itself produced no formal votes.

The most immediate choice before commissioners was how high to set the mill levy for 2026. The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) presented a draft that set the mill at 59.135; commissioners noted that an earlier figure discussed during the process had been 62.5 mills. Commissioner Tran said her plan would “roll us back to 2025 levels,” producing a mill levy in the roughly 59–60 range, and noted projected countywide revenues “down to 128”…