Cherokee County CFO outlines 2026 budget assumptions, warns digest delay will complicate planning

Marcus, Cherokee County chief financial officer, told the Board of Commissioners on May 6 that the passage of HB5891 delayed the digest and shifted the county’s budget timetable.

He said the delay means the county will not have finalized digest numbers until June and that the budget team is presenting assumptions and proposed cuts now so the Board can react once the digest arrives.

Marcus said continuing national and local indicators complicate planning because non-property revenues have slowed. “Property taxes are making up a greater percentage of our total revenues,” he said, adding that many other revenue categories are flat in 2025 after several years of modest growth.

Marcus summarized the county’s key assumptions for the preliminary 2026 budget: hold new positions and vehicle purchases until the digest is known, include a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), and keep the millage rate constant. He told the Board departments were instructed to limit requests and that budget staff cut roughly 55% of department asks, reducing the departments’ requested increase of about $19.4 million down to a…