Speaker 3, presenting on behalf of the commissioners, said the county is proposing a calendar-year 2026 operating budget of $93,507,853, with offsetting revenue of $47,477,953 and $46,029,890 to be raised by taxation. "A total of $93,507,853 in total operating expenses being offset by a record of $47,477,953," Speaker 3 said.

The presentation emphasized a late notice from the state that reduced the county's Medicaid-related revenue. "Our revenue from Medicaid was gonna be reduced, by some $442,000," Speaker 3 said, adding that the letter arrived just days before the budget was published. That reduction, together with rising employee health-insurance costs, led the commissioners to trim staffing and impose a hiring freeze.

The draft budget identifies a reduction of 15.5 full-time-equivalent positions; Speaker 3 described that figure as a mix of vacant positions and reorganizations rather than immediate layoffs in every case. The county has instituted a hiring freeze and will authorize only replacement hires for certain roles, officials said. "We had reduced our workforce from 15.5 full time equivalents," Speaker 3 said.

Commissioners said they sought offsets by expanding revenue where feasible in county facilities, including Riverside Rest Home and the House of Correction, and by modestly increasing employee pay in some areas to retain staff amid a tight labor market. Speaker 3 said these measures make the county's tax impact relatively modest compared with other counties, while acknowledging variation in local tax outcomes caused by municipal revaluations and tax-cap mechanics.

A public hearing on the proposed budget was scheduled for Jan. 22 to give residents about 10 days to review the document and submit questions. Speaker 3 said the budget pages include the state adjustments (councilors pointed to the budget document, page 39, for the line showing the Medicaid change).

What happens next: the county will hold the public hearing, record public comment and then further consider revisions ahead of final tax-rate setting later in the year. The presentation noted the commissioners operate on a calendar year and that final tax-rate and growth assumptions will be resolved closer to the tax-rate-setting timeline.

Clarifying details: the budget documents presented listed operating expenses of $93,507,853, offsetting revenue of $47,477,953 and a proposed amount to be raised by taxation of $46,029,890; the transcript recorded an 'increase of 5.97' (noted as given in the record) and the state Medicaid reduction was cited as approximately $442,000. The presentation also referenced a reduction of 15.5 FTEs and a hiring-freeze policy.

The county's next formal step on the budget is the public hearing on Jan. 22; no final adoption vote on the full budget was recorded in the public portion of this meeting.