Commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting on budget planning for 2026, weighing employee pay proposals, a sheriff-requested pay increase, a juvenile-justice staffing request and an intergovernmental judicial supplement.

County finance staff presented a draft operating plan that showed roughly a $107,000 surplus on the draft page and about a $257,000 cushion when contingency is considered. Staff said those numbers would allow commissioners to consider pay adjustments but cautioned that front-loading raises (giving a full COLA Jan. 1) increases ongoing costs that compound into subsequent budgets.

The sheriff requested an 8% adjustment to remain competitive with city pay; commissioners debated phased approaches. "If we're going to say, hey, we have to get public safety more competitive," the chair said, "we can do 6% at the beginning of the year and not add something to next year's budget." Other commissioners argued for a 2.75% county-wide COLA with step increases tied to anniversary dates in order to manage year-over-year compounding.

On juvenile court staffing, commissioners heard a presentation on caseloads and by consensus agreed to include an additional position for further budget consideration. County manager and commissioners noted juvenile caseloads are high relative to peer counties and said the additional staff could prevent higher downstream costs.

Commissioners also considered a request from the Griffin Judicial Circuit for a locality supplement for superior court judges. After amending the agenda to include the resolution, the board approved the measure by roll call; staff will work on intergovernmental agreement details and reporting as needed.

Next steps: finance will produce comparative historical pay and step data for commissioners, schedule required public hearings on the budget and return with refined figures before a December vote.