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Washington County quorum court fails to pass 2026 budget on first reading after heated debate
Summary
The Washington County Quorum Court failed to pass its proposed $129.7 million 2026 budget at first reading after divisions over reserves, a proposed 2.9% COLA, and public concerns about a jail expansion and nonprofit spending.
The Washington County Quorum Court declined to approve the county'9s proposed 2026 budget on its first reading after extended debate over reserve levels, employee pay proposals and questions from residents about program oversight.
Justice Lyons moved to pass a $129,707,474 budget that includes a 5% step plan for county employees and labor costs that account for 53.7% of the total. Comptroller Sherman told the court that adding a 2.9% cost‑of‑living adjustment, as proposed in an amendment by Justice Rio Stafford, would "add $1,800,000 onto the overall labor cost of the budget" and would reduce several unappropriated reserves sharply, citing specific impacts on the road and jail funds.
Comptroller Sherman said, "If we added a 2.9% COLA...…
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