Minnehaha County reviews FY2026 provisional budget; commissioners propose raising Link funding

Minnehaha County commissioners convened a Sept. 2 public hearing on the FY2026 provisional budget during which Susan Beeman of the auditor’s office outlined several post-publication adjustments and commissioners debated boosting funding for The Link, a regional behavioral-health coordination program.

Beeman said the county’s provisional budget — published July 22 and posted online and in local papers — will be updated before final consideration later this month. She listed modest changes since the provisional budget, including about $100,000 of additional general fund revenue tied to a grant in the state’s attorney’s office, salary and benefit adjustments from a compensation study, a $50,000 increase in juvenile diversion contract services and small revisions to workers’ compensation estimates.

Overall totals cited by Beeman included roughly $132 million in total appropriations across all funds, net cash applied of about $10.5 million and property tax revenue just under $79.8 million. She said public safety and justice still account for roughly 71% of the general fund — about $68.5 million.

A commissioner proposed increasing county support for The Link from the historical $400,000 to $600,000 annually, suggesting an additional $100,000 from the general fund and $100,000 from the county’s restricted opioid-settlement fund. Beeman said the county established a restricted opioid settlement fund earlier this year and currently holds over $500,000 in restricted balances; budgeted new distributions to that fund total about $196,000 in 2026. Two additional settlements are under legal review and could add more dollars, she said, but she cautioned the settlements’ distributions taper over roughly 15 years and may not sustain a $400,000-per-year draw indefinitely.

Beeman confirmed the county could make an immediate allocation of $100,000 from the general fund and $100,000 from the opioid-settlement fund as proposed, while noting longer-term sustainability will depend on future settlement amounts. Final levy and adjusted budget numbers — including centrally assessed utility values that arrived from the state after the provisional budget — will be shown at the Sept. 16 briefing, with final consideration scheduled later in September.

The hearing produced questions from commissioners and members of the public about how the opioid settlement fund is funded and how long distributions will continue. Beeman said the state opted into national settlements and jurisdictions within South Dakota receive allocations; she reiterated exact dollar amounts from two pending settlements have not yet been finalized. No final budget vote was recorded at the Sept. 2 hearing; the commission scheduled additional briefings and a final vote later in the month.