Madison County auditor warns of roughly $1.7 million shortfall; council weighs PSAP, levy shifts and election costs

Madison County Council members on Thursday heard from the county auditor that preliminary state revenue figures leave the county with a materially smaller revenue base for 2026 and that the county must find ways to reduce expenses or identify new revenue sources.

The auditor said the state’s certified local income tax (LIT) distributions and other revenue estimates reduce the county’s projected general‑fund receipts to about $44,000,001 for 2026, down from the budgeted amount near $45 million. “I got some good news and I got some really bad news,” the auditor told the council when presenting the figures, adding that the newest state report shows the county’s LIT certified shares at about $13,391,010.

The shortfall the auditor described — roughly $1.7 million between appropriations currently under consideration and conservative revenue estimates— prompted discussion of several options. Council members and staff focused on: (1) the public safety answering point (PSAP) local income tax, (2) reassigning portions of existing levies (such as park and recreation), and (3) using one‑time interest or rainy‑day monies for nonrecurring expenses.

On the PSAP option, the auditor explained that a county‑level 0.1% PSAP would raise an estimated $1,172,000…