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Woodford County fiscal court recommends first reading of FY 2025-26 budget after line-item updates
Summary
At a special Committee of the Whole meeting, Woodford County magistrates reviewed updates to the proposed FY 2025-26 budget, trued up multiple line items and voted unanimously to recommend a first reading of the budget ordinance for the full fiscal court meeting.
Judge called a special meeting of the Woodford County Fiscal Court Committee of the Whole to review updates to the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget and invited Finance Officer Beverly Flagg to summarize changes to the budget worksheet. After discussion, the court voted unanimously to recommend the ordinance for first reading at the next full fiscal-court meeting.
The budget review included numeric adjustments across several departments and reserve accounts. Finance Officer Beverly Flagg summarized the changes and explained how the worksheet had been updated since the committee’s prior meeting: “the version that you have in Eagle as the our Eagle software that's been presented to you is the version that is up for first reading tonight.” The judge also noted the county’s general reserve for transfer increased because the county’s estimated receipts had increased.
Key line-item updates discussed in the meeting included: the fiscal-court purchase of property (account 0150257150) increased from $200,000 to $350,000; courthouse maintenance renewals (line 216) rose to $167,000; a maintenance new vehicle (line 218) was included at $95,000; a shared man-lift (line 221) was included at $50,000; County Clerk satellite office renewals (line 225) rose to $63,000; off‑site repairs and maintenance (line 229) was adjusted in the worksheet (discussion referenced a change reported in the meeting to $1,880,000); Annex repairs were reflected at $1,900,000; recycling/solid‑waste new vehicle (line 360) included $49,900; carcass removal funding was discussed and reflected at $15,000; parks special capital projects (line 396) were trued up from prior figures to $1,414,213.96; the general reserve for transfer (line 472) was recalculated to $10,375,705.93; road materials (line 505) increased to $604,325.07; road maintenance equipment (line 513) was changed to $287,500; the flood fund reserve for transfer (line 698) was reduced to $304,132.81; opioid program support (line 701) rose to $498,053.68; and the sheriff asset forfeiture reserve for transfer (line 717) moved to $630,000. Several of these adjustments were described as “truing up” the worksheet to reflect receipts or expenditures discovered since the prior meeting.
Committee members asked for clarifications on items that remain contingent or require outside commitments. Squire Varner asked about the stadium/field-house work and whether the county would seek cost-sharing with the local school board; the judge said the stadium line assumes 50 percent revenue and that further discussion with the new school superintendent is planned. On the theater modernization project, the committee discussed prior work the theater performed (about $140,000) and the court’s budgeted estimate of about $200,000 for additional courthouse-funded work; director Wade said some work may be done in-house to lower costs.
The court discussed procedural limits: Flagg said the Eagle software version presented is the form that will go forward for first reading and that the budget “can obviously change between the first and second reading, but it cannot be increased” except in extraordinary circumstances requiring Department of Local Government (DLG) approval. The judge confirmed the county must submit the first-reading version to DLG for review before a second reading.
Votes at a glance (formal committee actions recorded during the meeting): - Motion to reject the theater lighting bid and authorize the maintenance supervisor to seek quotes and other avenues to complete the project — carried unanimously. - Motion to renew the community stadium lease with the Board of Education for one year and remove automatic renewal language (contingent on county attorney review) — carried unanimously. - Motion to accept a donation of $37,945 for portable safety barriers and subsequently authorize Emergency Management to advertise and begin the bid process — carried unanimously. - Motion authorizing appraisals to establish fair market value on identified properties for possible county acquisition — carried unanimously. - Motion to approve relocation of the historic Crittenden cabin to county park contingent upon a lease with the Woodford County Historical Society and County Attorney review — carried unanimously. - Motion authorizing staff to pursue purchase/bidding for a tracked bobcat if the item is not on state contract — carried unanimously. - Motion to recommend the proposed budget ordinance (Ordinance 2025-06) for first reading by the full fiscal court — carried unanimously.
What happens next: the committee recommended the budget for a first reading at the regular fiscal-court meeting; the county must submit the first-reading version to the Department of Local Government for review before a second reading. Several items discussed (stadium cost sharing with the school board, the theater scope, property acquisitions, and equipment purchases) will require follow-up, interagency coordination or procurement processes before they can be finalized.
Ending: The committee recessed and said it would reconvene for the regular fiscal-court meeting where the recommended first reading will be presented.
