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Auditor outlines cash‑reserve allocations; council weighs using surplus for pension, health fund and one‑time projects

St. Joseph County Council (committee meeting) · February 10, 2026

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Summary

The auditor presented year‑end 2025 balances and recommended a waterfall of transfers to meet reserve targets, pay down police pension liability and consider one‑time uses (paving replacement, $1M capital planning fund, employee stipend); council discussed bond rating, tradeoffs and next procedural steps for appropriation ordinances.

Abby Doyle of the auditor’s office presented the county’s newly adopted cash‑reserve policy and the 12/31/2025 fund balances. Doyle said the general fund ending available balance was $56,269,308 and that a 30% reserve target requires about $28.2 million; a modest excess in the rainy‑day fund (~$452,902) would be folded into the waterfall. The auditor proposed using available cash to shore up the county health insurance fund and workers’ compensation reserves, reduce unfunded police‑pension liability and consider three one‑time appropriations: (1) replace lost community‑crossing paving funds ($1.5M proposed by a council member), (2) a $1M capital planning allocation to seed departmental capital projects, and (3) a non‑recurring employee stipend.

Council members asked whether transfers should be handled in one omnibus ordinance or several separate ordinances and whether some expenditures should wait to the regular budget process. Finance staff said rating agencies examine adherence to cash‑reserve policies and combined fund balances when assessing bond ratings; maintaining demonstrated policy discipline matters for credit. Several council members argued for using some of the surplus on paving and employee support now, citing a one‑time favorable revenue outcome in 2025, while others urged caution and recommended defined purposes and further analysis before spending.

Doyle and Auditor John Murphy said certain transfers will be processed as appropriation forms or ordinances in committee in March; the capital planning committee would collect department requests and report back in late spring if the council approves a capital allocation. The presentation also reviewed outstanding purchase orders at year‑end (over $20 million in encumbrances) and the auditor recommended approving the encumbrance report at the next public hearing to carry forward necessary projects.

Council members directed staff to prepare appropriation requests and vendor cost estimates where needed; no final appropriations were adopted at the meeting.