Richland County reviews 2026 preliminary budget; forwards borrowing advisory and holiday handbook changes to full board

Richland County Executive's Finance Committee members on Aug. 25 reviewed the county's 2026 preliminary budget, discussed major capital projects and technology investments, and voted to send two items — a municipal advisory agreement for short-term borrowing and proposed changes to the county's personnel handbook holidays — to the full county board for final action.

The preliminary budget presented to the committee included a one-step wage increase for all full-time employees, funding for a radio tower technician and ongoing radio tower operations, and expanded cybersecurity spending. The county noted an $8,100,000 radio tower project scheduled to be completed this year; debt service related to that borrowing and other short-term notes is built into the 2026 estimates.

Committee materials show Pine Valley surplus funds of $715,000 earmarked for the budget and $306,026.27 from the general fund added to the revenue side. Officials said the county will use some fund balances to cover an estimated $300,000 gap in the preliminary figures for 2026 but cautioned that relying on one-time balances is not sustainable for future budgets.

Budget presenters described consolidation of technology spending into a single county technology fund (Fund 42) to cover Office 365 licensing, security systems installed after a prior breach, and other recurring IT needs that were previously paid from separate department budgets or ARPA funds. The draft budget also reflects increased highway revenues and expenses tied to a multi-million-dollar highway project the county expects to receive state and federal aid for next year.

Committee members were shown a departmental levy breakdown and a debt-service summary indicating about $3.8 million in debt service in 2026 that includes short-term borrowing. Presenters said some totals remain preliminary and will be updated as state numbers and final levy limits are received ahead of the county's Oct. 20 budget hearing.

On the budget's broader outlook, a committee member warned that using fund balance to cover the gap “buys us a year” and that the county will likely face difficult choices in the 2027 budget if structural revenue and expense issues are not resolved. The presenters agreed to provide additional department-level comparison worksheets and more detailed reports at upcoming meetings, including the first meeting in September.

Votes at a glance

- Municipal advisory agreement with Wisconsin Public Finance Professionals LLC: The committee voted to forward the municipal advisory agreement to the full county board to facilitate short-term note issuance tied to county projects. The agreement and packet materials show a total financing amount discussed of $1,085,000 (including approximately $1,064,000 for the projects) and standard advisory and bond counsel fees; the committee moved the item to the full board.

- Holiday section changes to the Personnel Policy Handbook: The committee voted to forward proposed changes that would standardize the county holiday schedule to 12 dates for all employees. Staff estimated the net additional cost of adding one holiday at about $19,000, with roughly 28–30 Pine Valley employees directly affected; overtime pressure would be concentrated in the sheriff’s office, Pine Valley and the ambulance service. The committee moved the proposed changes to the full county board for final action.

Other business

- Pine Valley handbook addendum and Phase 2: Staff presented proposed handbook updates and an addendum for Pine Valley (sick/vacation alignment with county policy, clarification of premium pay, workers’ compensation handling, grievances, no-call/no-show language and a rotating-holiday mechanism). Committee members suggested further edits and asked staff to return the item to the next meeting with the revisions.

- Closed session: The committee entered a closed session under applicable open-meetings law (referenced generically as “Chapter 19” in the meeting) for negotiations related to property development and returned to open session with no formal action to report.

What happens next

Staff will prepare supplemental worksheets and departmental comparisons for the committee’s next meeting in early September. Final budget hearings are scheduled ahead of the Oct. 20 public budget hearing, and the municipal advisory agreement and holiday policy changes will be considered by the full county board at a future meeting.