At a meeting of the Jefferson County Council, members voted to skip the third reading and adopt the 2026 Jefferson County budget as read. The motion to adopt followed a line-by-line reading of fund totals and was announced as carried by the presiding council member.

The budget reading included a County General fund total of $12,901,701. Other line items read aloud by staff included Local Income Tax $1,428,279; Highway $2,650,986; Health $547,785; 911 $531,539; Jail $294,008; Cemetery $29,600; City County 911 $774,304; and multiple grant and special-revenue lines such as Casino Revenue ($350,000 noted separately), Health COAG grant $47,225, and various court-related grants and incentives. The transcript lists the amounts as read but does not record a consolidated total or the final vote tally by count.

A council member moved to skip the third reading; another council member seconded that procedural motion, and the council voted in favor. Afterward a motion to "adopt the 2026 Jefferson County budget as read" was made and seconded; the presiding member called for voices and declared the motion carried. Council member Paul Rose Parrish was recorded responding "Aye." The record does not list a full roll-call vote or the final yes/no counts in the transcript.

Council members thanked staff for their work preparing the budget. The presiding member specifically thanked "Heather" for research and for consulting the State Board of Accounts and the DLG app during preparation. One council member said, "I'm just glad that we could give a good raise to our county employees," expressing support for employee pay increases; the transcript does not specify the dollar amount or scope of the raises.

No ordinances, resolutions, or other formal amendments to the budget were recorded in the transcript. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was made and seconded and the vote carried.