Geary County finance director outlines 2026 budget baseline; commission signals preference for flat budgets and 1% COLA for planning

Tammy Robinson, Geary County finance director, presented preliminary guidance for the county's 2026 budget and asked commissioners to give staff parameters for preparing department personnel and operating budgets. Robinson told the commission the calendar will create 27 pay periods in 2026 and said, "That impact will be about a half a million dollars in the general fund, and that includes both wages and benefits."

Robinson recommended using the Midwest Region consumer-price index as a planning guide and asked that personnel budgets be formulated with a 1% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and the existing step structure (about 3% between steps), which she said would yield an estimated 4% increase for employees eligible for both a COLA and a step. "What I would be requesting as a consideration from the commission is to allow us to formulate the personnel based on a 1% cola increase," Robinson said. She emphasized that the recommendation is for budget formulation only and that the commission retains final authority on pay decisions.

The commission discussed several factors that could affect revenue and spending in 2026, including the extra pay period, the prospect of troops leaving a local military installation and resulting changes to sales tax receipts, and possible costs tied to the county jail (either repairs to the existing facility or a new facility). Commissioners also raised the county's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) demands, noting current requests could exceed the transfers typically made from the general fund.

Commissioners asked department heads to submit budgets that are flat where possible and to present nonessential or discretionary purchases separately. Robinson said personnel budget templates would be distributed to departments on the 17th (personnel budgets) and that outside agency appropriation requests would be sent separately (outside agencies notices were discussed for early May). The commission reached a consensus (not a formal roll-call vote) that frozen positions should remain frozen unless a department demonstrates an immediate need and obtains separate approval.

Robinson also discussed employee benefits and insurance. She said county staff worked with a broker to obtain Blue Cross Blue Shield options that include lower deductible PPO plans and that the county intends to avoid absorbing health insurance cost increases in 2026. The finance director provided an average estimate that benefits cost the county roughly 42% of wages when including health, retirement, workers' compensation and related items.

Next steps: staff will distribute the personnel budget guidance and templates, departments will prepare budgets following the commission's direction, and the full proposed budget will be presented later in the spring. Commissioners and staff noted the formulation guidance is changeable through the process and that any final adjustments will be made before budget adoption.