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Knox County commissioners preview draft 2025 budget as personnel and capital costs rise
Summary
At an October workshop, Knox County officials reviewed a working 2025 draft driven by personnel (projected +8%) and capital (+9%), highlighted a $129,990 Homeland Security grant and asked departments to refine capital requests ahead of the Oct. 31 budget committee meeting.
Knox County commissioners met in an October budget workshop to review draft department budgets and assumptions that finance staff say are driving an overall 5% projection in next year's spending.
The finance team presented the working assumptions behind the draft budget, including a 2.9% cost-of-living adjustment and a 2.2% step increase where applicable, and told commissioners that personnel costs are projected to increase about 8% while capital is up about 9%. "Right now, personnel is 8% increase over last year and capital is 9%," the finance director said.
Commissioners and staff highlighted a mix of cost pressures and one-time adjustments shaping the draft. A commissioner urged staff to publicize recent grant wins, saying, "We just got a Homeland Security grant for $129,990," and asked departments to continue seeking non-tax revenues to offset pressures on property-tax-supported budgets. Finance staff also said the county is carrying assumptions of a 10% increase in health and workers' compensation costs and a 15% increase in the risk pool.
Department managers and HR met with finance and the sheriff's office during the preliminary review. The county moved information technology out of the admin budget into its own department for clearer tracking, and some capital projects were deferred or re-scoped to soften the immediate tax impact. Staff noted that several one-time items previously covered by ARPA now appear in departmental budgets, boosting lines such as computer repair and tablet replacement.
Finance asked departments to finalize quotes and firm invoices by Oct. 16 so the county can better define what is available and what must be shifted into next year. Officials said any leftover ARPA funds will be evaluated for application to capital needs, and reminded departments that ARPA allocations must be determined by Dec. 31.
The budget committee will take up department-level details at a public meeting scheduled for Oct. 31, where commissioners expect refinements to capital requests and a vote on some reassigned AFA funds.
