Franklin County — Auditor Angela Gibson presented the county's proposed fiscal year 2025 budget at a public hearing, saying the plan centers on maintaining financial stability, providing a 4% cost-of-living adjustment and supporting departmental goals.

"The 2025 budget total projected revenues are 110,700,000," Gibson said, adding that the figure includes all revenues plus carryover fund balances from the prior year. She told commissioners the county projects sales-tax receipts of 32,700,000, a conservative 2% increase over 2024 estimates, and that total appropriations are 92,300,000—"1,200,000 less than 2024," she said.

Gibson outlined key cost pressures the county faces in 2025, citing increases in health and property/liability insurance, higher fuel costs, unpredictable environmental response expenses tied to weather and public safety incidents, and constraints from legislative mandates on federal expenditures. She also said personnel services will comprise roughly 37% of countywide operating expenditures.

Commissioners present thanked the auditor and county staff for their conservative approach to budgeting and for the preparatory work carried out in advance with department leaders. The presiding speaker noted the auditor's office coordinates months of meetings with department heads, elected officials and commission members as part of the annual budget process.

The commission solicited public comment on the proposed budget; no one spoke. Commissioner Cox moved to adjourn the hearing; First District Commissioner Paul Overschmidt seconded. Commissioners voted in favor, and the hearing concluded.

The record from this session contains the auditor's numerical projections and the stated budget priorities; the commission did not take a formal vote to adopt the budget during the hearing and did not receive public testimony. The next procedural step for the budget (adoption, amendment or scheduling of further hearings) was not specified during the session.