Franklin County commissioners adopt 2026 budgets, uphold $160,000 cut to prosecuting attorney amid dispute over therapeutic-court funding

Franklin County commissioners voted to adopt the county's 2026 budgets and certify levy amounts on Tuesday following debate about whether therapeutic-court costs should be charged to the mental-health tax and after the board agreed to a $160,000 reduction to the prosecuting attorney's office budget.

The move formalized levy certifications and budget resolutions the board was asked to sign, including a road-department levy certification for $4,200,000 and a current-expense levy of $13,500,000. County staff presented totals for the proposed budgets and noted the county had built a $1,400,000 reserve to guard against revenue shortfalls.

The vote capped a lengthy budget hearing in which the prosecuting attorney's office, represented in discussion by an office speaker who identified himself as Sean (Unidentified Speaker 5), urged commissioners to allocate therapeutic-court personnel costs to the county's restricted mental-health tax line. The office sought roughly…