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Columbia County officials warn of looming $2M shortfall; committee looks at gas tax, fees and cuts
Summary
Budget committee members and staff told commissioners June 10 that Columbia County faces a likely structural shortfall in fiscal year 2026–27 and discussed a mix of small new fees (including a proposed 2% gas tax), better use of county assets, and personnel reductions to close the gap.
Columbia County commissioners and budget committee members met June 10 at the Johnbound Building to discuss options to close an anticipated general-fund shortfall for fiscal year 2026–27, with committee member Paul Langner warning the county can make it through 2025–26 but not 2026–27 without significant action.
"This is a slow moving train wreck," said Paul Langner, a budget committee member, urging the county to begin implementing revenue and cost changes before September to avert deeper cuts.
Pam, a finance department staffer, told the committee she is preparing a projected general-fund budget for 2026–27 so members can see the size of the shortfall and prioritize responses. "We need to know what kind of shortfall we're looking at, not this budget year, but the next budget year," Pam said as staff work to assemble the numbers.
Committee members discussed a portfolio of smaller revenue…
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