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Effingham County finance panel keeps levy under 5% as it finalizes FY26 budget
Summary
The Finance Committee reviewed the FY26 layover budget, reported narrow margins and contingency adjustments, and said a final budget and levy (targeted below 5%) will go to the full board after outstanding sheriff negotiations are settled.
The Finance Committee reviewed the proposed FY26 budget and was told the package reflects recent updates on health-insurance open enrollment and a liability-insurance increase. The chair said staff tightened contingencies in part by reducing the county's assumed insurance contribution and that roughly $309,000 remained available before exceeding a 4.99% levy target.
The committee heard that final, binding figures for sheriff wages remain unresolved and could change the budget. "We have about $309,000 that could be spent without going over the 4.99," the chair said, adding the committee intends to hold the levy under 5 percent as a county tradition. Staff scheduled a special meeting on the 24th to finalize the budget and levy.
Committee members also flagged a data issue in the packet: historic FY24 figures displayed in some tables are inaccurate after a software migration and should be corrected or struck. A staff member recommended marking those lines to avoid misleading comparisons.
Members questioned projected interest income and where county funds are invested. Staff said the working cash balance across the general fund is about $15 million and that recent yields on invested cash and CDs have been roughly 4 percent, which raised projected interest revenue but does not reflect a local tax increase.
The committee agreed to send the budget package as updated to the full board on the understanding that the sheriff's negotiations and any last-minute corrections could alter final numbers. The special meeting to finalize the levy was set for the 24th.
