Sheriff Lewis Blanchard told the Augusta-Richmond County Commission that most of his department’s FY2026 budget increase reflects costs the office cannot control, including rising inmate medical bills and the need to fill positions cut in prior years.

"When we have 1,300 plus inmates, that we have to provide health care for, I mean, it's just the nature of the business," Blanchard said, explaining why the jail and prisoner-care costs drove much of the request. He told commissioners his office trimmed its original ask from about $13.4 million to roughly $6.88 million but had little room left for further cuts without reducing core services.

Commissioners pressed staff on whether the budget package under consideration — which included options to balance the general fund using a millage increase and multiple departmental cuts — would establish departmental base budgets if approved now and how any future millage vote would be implemented. County staff told the commission that a millage change must be formally voted and certified in the summer as part of the tax-digest process; the administrator said a millage adopted this fall would affect 2026 tax bills only if the commission also takes the required vote later in the process.

Legal counsel cautioned that cutting a constitutional officer’s budget too far could prompt litigation. County Attorney Plunkett described the risk commissioners face if they underfund an elected official to the point that statutory duties cannot be carried out, noting previous disputes in state courts on similar issues.

Some commissioners and the sheriff advocated for a mix of additional revenue and targeted cuts. Others sought more evidence the sheriff’s reductions were exhausted. The commission failed to approve either a 1-mill or a 0.85-mill increase during the session; both motions failed on roll-call votes, leaving the county short of a consensus on how to close the remaining budget gap.

The commission recessed the budget discussion and scheduled follow-up sessions to continue deliberations.