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Augusta commissioners weigh cuts, excise tax and a possible millage to close a $19–21 million shortfall
Summary
Commissioners debated several paths to balance the FY2026 budget — a 1.69‑mill increase, a narrower sheriff‑only mill plus cuts, steep across‑the‑board reductions, or an energy excise tax estimated to yield millions — and recessed to continue work next week.
Mayor Johnson convened a special session of the Augusta‑Richmond County Commission to consider the fiscal 2026 budget after administration briefed the governing body on a multi‑million‑dollar shortfall.
Administrator Allen told commissioners the original FY2026 starting point showed a substantial gap: "We started out out of balance in the general fund by 11,600,000.0 and by 9,500,000.0 in law enforcement," she said, and reminded the body that previous proposals and midcycle reductions had altered the numbers but left a sizable remainder to close. Finance staff reiterated the administration’s current estimate that, after the reductions already agreed, about $19,300,000 remained to be identified to produce a balanced budget.
The meeting centered on three families of options. The administration’s first scenario would adopt a 1.69‑mill increase to the county maintenance and operations (M&O) rate and accept previously proposed cuts to departments…
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