Cumberland County commissioners table 2026 budget after heated debate; ask for written savings plan

County finance staff presented the proposed 2026 budget and asked the Board of Commissioners to place it on public view, reporting total county revenue of approximately $270.8 million and total county expenses of approximately $290.1 million. The general fund was shown with revenue around $109.9 million and expenses of about $126.7 million; no millage increase was proposed.

Commissioners raised repeated concerns about the assumptions underlying the document. Finance staff said that a 10% change in revenue or expenses would require re-placing the budget on view for another 20 days and that the board’s scheduled vote is set for Dec. 4 with a statutory drop-dead date of Dec. 31 to adopt a budget for the year. Commissioners stressed that unexpected state or federal funding changes could force amendments and additional public notices.

The meeting turned into an extended policy and fiscal debate over use of reserve funds (including ARPA-derived reserves), hiring and staffing assumptions, deferred capital projects, and whether projected savings from a new finance director and a parallel strategic-planning exercise were realistic. Commissioner Eichelberger indicated he would not approve the budget as presented. Multiple commissioners urged that concrete, written savings proposals be delivered before any approval. The board declined to take a final vote and directed Commissioner Eichelberger to provide his cost-savings recommendations in writing to the finance team and the other commissioners. Finance staff said they would provide the required dates and a plan for next steps.

Next steps: Finance will collect the requested written remedies and will return the budget proposal for consideration after the board reviews those recommendations. No budget was adopted at the meeting.