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Yankton County approves 10% cut to operating expenses as commissioners wrestle with $4M shortfall
Summary
Facing a projected $4M gap in the provisional 2026 budget, the Yankton County Commission directed all departments to reduce operating expenses by 10% (personnel excluded) while preserving a $500,000 contingency and exploring further options for road funding and reserves.
YANKTON, S.D. — Yankton County commissioners on Tuesday voted to require a 10% reduction in operating expenses for every county department as part of efforts to close a multi‑million‑dollar shortfall in the provisional 2026 budget.
The move, approved after days of review and several hours of debate during the Sept. 16 meeting, applies to operating-line items only and does not automatically cut wages, commissioners clarified during discussion. Chair John, who introduced a cost‑saving proposal earlier in the meeting, framed the decision as a difficult but necessary step to avoid depleting reserves. “If we do a 10% cut across the board, not affecting wages…we’re going to do a 2.7% wage increase with the cost‑of‑living increase,” he said during debate.
Why it matters: County staff presented a provisional budget showing roughly…
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