Franklin County commissioners adopt mix of cuts and revenue assumptions to balance 2026 budget

Franklin County commissioners on Monday finalized a plan to balance the county’s 2026 budget, approving a mix of personnel reductions and revenue assumptions and instructing staff to prepare resolutions for adoption.

Mister Danzel, the county administrator, told the board that staff had identified a combination of steps that would bring the budget into balance without raising taxes. The package included reducing two Corrections positions (rather than four, after accreditation concerns), trimming roughly $160,000 from the prosecuting attorney’s budget, removing an assessor position (about $90,000–$100,000), a $100,000 cut in information systems (IS), and adding revenue assumptions for a $120,000 increase in sales-tax receipts and $50,000 from investment earnings and interest.

The proposals followed a series of executive sessions the board held to clarify legal issues about using the veterans assistance levy. County finance staff reported the veterans assistance fund has built up for multiple years (finance staff gave a balance of roughly $1.277 million) and said Department of Revenue guidance and local policy determine how those levy dollars may be used. Commissioners asked counsel to confirm whether, and under what conditions, excess veterans levy collections could be moved to the general fund.

Prosecuting Attorney Sean Sandler told the board that deep cuts would reduce prosecution capacity. "You would be asking us to cut out a level of service," Sandler said, warning that substantial cuts could shift focus away from property crimes and toward more severe offenses as the office prioritized limited resources. He said his office had added roughly $340,000 to its budget over recent years and that the proposed reduction would force difficult service tradeoffs.

Commissioners and staff also highlighted an unexpected $700,000 increase in the county’s risk-insurance renewal, a factor that widened this year’s budget gap. Staff described statewide insurance-rate increases and larger settlement payouts as drivers of the renewal spike and said they were exploring alternatives such as adjusting deductibles and soliciting other risk-pool options.

After discussing the options, the board reached consensus on the package and a commissioner moved that the administrator and auditor implement the adjustments and prepare the necessary resolutions for adoption at the next meeting. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Under the plan the board voted to move forward with: two Corrections positions removed via attrition (estimated $200,000); a $160,000 reduction to the prosecuting attorney’s budget (subject to further discussion with the elected official); approximately $90,000–$100,000 from the assessor’s office; $100,000 from IS; assumed additional sales-tax revenue of $120,000; and $25,000 each to investment earnings and investment interest. The board also directed staff to continue working with legal counsel on the veterans fund question and to have resolution language ready for the commission meeting tomorrow.

The budget hearing recessed with the board asking staff and counsel to finalize paperwork and agreements, including a pending agreement related to Martin Hall operated by a contractor the board said would be required for full implementation. The board will reconvene following the regular commissioners’ meeting to act on the resolutions.

What’s next: staff will prepare the resolutions and legal memoranda requested by the commissioners so the adjusted budget can be considered for formal adoption at the next commission meeting. The board instructed the administrator and auditor’s office to finalize the documents and to bring the prosecuting attorney and other separately elected officials into the public discussion where their budgets are affected.