Oconee County holds first public hearing on proposed FY 2026 budget; commissioners and residents raise questions on school resource officers, body cameras and a

Oconee County Board of Commissioners on a Tuesday in May held the first public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, a plan county staff described as balanced but drawing on reserved fund balance for some capital items.

Melissa, speaking for county administration and finance, told the board the proposed general fund is $45,704,250 and that the overall, multi-fund proposal is $83,700,551. "This is a balanced budget, and we are balancing this budget with fund balance usage," she said. She said property taxes and local-option sales taxes are the largest revenue sources and highlighted changes driven by House Bill 581 and by a new school resource officer (SRO) program.

Why it matters: the plan funds a full 12 months of the county's new SRO program and several law-enforcement capital purchases while relying on some one-time fund-balance uses for equipment and building improvements. The hearing also produced public questions about privacy and public access to budget materials.

Key details from the presentation

- General fund request: $45,704,250. Melissa said the proposed general fund is up roughly 12% from the current-year original budget and that the county will use reserved fund balance for certain purchases.

- School resource officers: The SRO program is budgeted at $2,500,000 for FY26, representing a full 12 months of funding after a midyear implementation in FY25. Melissa said the Board of Education will reimburse the county "90% of our costs expended on the program" and that one reimbursement line in the budget includes $2,200,000 related to the SRO arrangement.

- Law enforcement equipment and lifecycle costs: The sheriff's office budget includes purchases and a five-year service plan for body cameras, additional crime-scene equipment, and other lifecycle replacements. Melissa listed planned equipment purchases including "armor, tasers, rifles, pistols, medical kits, car cameras, and radars." She said the county will set aside an assigned fund balance for future purchases of body cameras and MDTs.

- Capital and enterprise funds: The total proposed budget (all funds) is $83,700,551. Melissa said SPLOST and T-SPLOST and the water resources enterprise fund are major components of that figure; the water resources budget was proposed at $16,495,616.

Public questions and comment

After the presentation, residents asked about where the budget would be posted and about several program details. Jeff Morgan asked, "Is this available online? Can the public see it right now currently?" Melissa replied it would be posted online "after this meeting."

Suzanne McConnell asked about "the facial recognition" software Melissa had referenced in the law-enforcement line items. The chairman replied that it was a sheriff's office request and that anyone with specific questions about how the sheriff planned to use the technology would need to check with the sheriff's office.

Other public remarks included support for maintaining the SRO funding. Blake Underwood, who identified himself as a local parent, told commissioners, "Please keep that fund in there. There's happy to pay taxes towards, you know, going to that, aspect of the budget out of all that that's up there." (quote as spoken.)

Process and next steps

Melissa said the board will hold a second public hearing in May with the same presentation unless changes arise, and the board has scheduled budget adoption in June. She also said a one-page budget summary and the proposed fee schedule will be posted online and at public locations following the meeting.

On fees, Melissa summarized several proposed changes: sanitation will consolidate to a single bag size, the Civic Center rental schedule is restructured with a 10% nonprofit discount and a 25% out-of-county upcharge, animal services will add a $100 line item for private cremation and raise the distemper vaccination fee by $5, parks program fees will rise, and water and sewer rates would increase (water by 3.5% and sewer by 5.25%).

Ending: The public hearing closed without a vote on the budget; commissioners will consider adoption at a later scheduled meeting after the second hearing and any adjustments are posted.