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Adams County releases balanced 2026 budget proposal; board hears three staffing requests and capital list
Summary
Adams County presented a balanced 2026 budget that would raise the county tax levy by about $590,000 while lowering the mill rate to roughly $3.88 per $1,000; the board heard three staffing requests and a multi-department capital program.
The Adams County Finance Director presented the proposed 2026 budget to the board and described it as balanced. The presentation outlined the budget timeline, assumptions and major changes, including a 2.4% cost-of-living adjustment tied to the April Midwest CPI.
Finance staff said the county tax levy excluding adjustments for library, local road and bridge aid and debt service is $19,999,566, an increase of about $590,000 compared with last year; the county's total levy would be $21,138,418, an increase of about $355,839. The proposed countywide mill rate is roughly $3.88 per $1,000 of equalized value, a decrease of about 73 cents from the prior year. Net new construction was reported as 2.94%.
The presentation outlined fund-balance metrics: the general fund's unassigned fund balance was about $8.7 million at year-end 2024, and county policy targets 15'to'25% of general fund expenditures (the county's unassigned balance was above that target in 2024). Finance staff said planned capital transfers in the proposed budget would reduce the percentage toward a target nearer 30%.
Three staffing requests were presented as part of the budget.
Health and Human Services Director Kelly Olsen requested a full-time case manager for PracticalSense, a pre-vocational retail and job-training site. Olsen said demand for services and a shift to the comprehensive community services (CCS) model increased supervision and documentation needs. "This position would be cost neutral," Olsen said, explaining the position would be supported primarily by program revenue, including Medicaid billings, and not require county levy.
Planning and Zoning Director Dustin Grant requested converting a halftime code enforcement officer to full time to address a rising permit workload; the office handled about 1,540 permits in 2024 and is on pace for about 1,650. Grant said nearly 400 zoning permit site visits have fallen to the halftime officer. The additional 20 hours was budgeted at about $56,000.
Medical Examiner Bethany Spah requested a part-time position to provide scheduled office time plus on-call coverage, reduce hourly on-call expenses paid to multiple deputies, and stabilize timely scene response and statutory reporting. County staff estimated the net cost at roughly $30,000 after offsetting reductions in deputy on-call pay.
Board members asked for more time to review the budget book and raised procedural concerns about the distribution of materials and the timing of the presentation. Supervisors also questioned the size of fund balances, replacement cycles for equipment listed in the capital plan, and why some other requested positions were not included in the proposed budget.
Major capital projects listed in the proposed budget included vehicle and equipment replacements, a parking lot replacement at the courthouse northeast corner (to be funded by maintenance capital), vertical expansion and additional gas systems at the landfill, airport taxiway reconstruction phases, dam repairs at Cottonville, roof repair at PracticalSense, parks equipment and shop construction, and continued building project work. Finance staff said they are implementing project-level codes to track capital set-asides and expenditures.
No final board votes on the budget occurred at the meeting; the county's next meeting to adopt the budget was scheduled for Nov. 11.
