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Amherst County presents FY26 budget and two funding proposals to cover a 3% COLA; board directs departments to revisit requests
Summary
County staff outlined modest revenue growth, major expenditure drivers (insurance, public safety, technology) and two one-time funding options to cover a proposed 3% employee cost-of-living adjustment; the board asked departments to return budgets near prior-year levels and asked staff to return with refined figures at the March 12 workshop.
County staff presented the Amherst County Board of Supervisors with FY26 revenue projections, operating-budget drivers and options for funding a possible 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) during a budget workshop.
Why it matters: staff said modest revenue growth and rising operating costs leave limited discretionary funds. The board must decide whether to use one-time resources, reduce or reprioritize recurring requests, or increase revenues to preserve employee compensation and county services.
Revenue and tax context: staff projected real estate tax revenue assuming 1.5% incremental growth and estimated operating-revenue growth of roughly $1.5 million from FY25 to FY26 (excluding supplemental or CIP requests). Staff reported the county27s real-estate tax at about $0.61 per $100 of assessed value and said one penny increase on the rate would raise about $252,049 for the county.
Key cost drivers: presenters highlighted health insurance (consultant estimates for insurance renewals were discussed separately), public safety increases ($372,000), technology contract renewals ($94,000), social services ($157,000, with roughly two-thirds reimbursable), and law-enforcement/jail/detention costs ($237,000). Staff also called attention to aging facilities and deferred capital needs.
COLA funding options presented: staff offered two illustrative proposals to fund a 3% COLA (staff reported the 3% cost target as $663,100): - Proposal A: use $96,000 of anticipated Compensation Board reimbursements, suspend one year of emergency services capital funding ($118,000) and draw roughly $448,000 from school bond/debt reserves (staff described $1.1 million of temporarily available school bond funds) to meet the target. - Proposal B: use Compensation Board funds and the one-time school-bond/debt resource without suspending emergency services capital.
Staff emphasized both options rely on one-time money and are not sustainable recurring solutions; staff said they preferred to finalize decisions after insurance-market quotes were received and after the Local Choice health-pool quote arrived.
Board direction on departmental budgets: several supervisors instructed staff to send department heads back to baseline budgets ("start at no more than what they were approved last year") and to remove non-inflationary increases. Supervisors asked that departments justify any increases tied to contractual or mandated costs; department heads should be prepared to explain increases at the March 12 workshop.
Public-safety and dispatch funding: presenters and the sheriff discussed local impacts from regional funding changes. Staff said the BRIMS regional EMS council is closing, which will remove some program funding previously provided regionally; the sheriff has applied to assume certain dispatch positions to access approximately $150,000 in Compensation Board funding contingent on a memorandum of understanding and state approvals. The board asked staff and affected departments to coordinate and identify options.
CIP/supplemental process change: staff proposed that the board rank CIP and supplemental requests at a March meeting but defer actual funding decisions until September, when year-end unobligated balances are known; the board appeared receptive to prioritizing projects now but waiting for confirmed one-time funds later.
Debt and other notes: staff discussed long-running items including a Brockman Park recoupment agreement with a town (staff said the balance remains substantial and estimated over $2 million outstanding) and interim financing for the Gateway project, which will require a decision about who will cover upcoming interest payments.
Next steps: staff will provide revised O&M budgets (with departments reverting to prior-year baselines where appropriate), circulate a refined insurance comparison after Local Choice delivers a quote, invite department heads to explain increases at the next workshop and return on March 12 with updated figures. No formal budget approvals occurred at the workshop.
