Knox County officials preview draft 2026 budget; public hearings set beginning Oct. 30

Knox County Commissioners met Oct. 9 for a special session to review a draft of the county’s 2026 budget and to set the schedule for public hearings and budget-committee review. The county administrator told the commission the document remains a work in progress and that wages and several line items are pending union negotiations and a “MRI” classification study.

At the outset the county administrator said, “This is a proposed draft budget. We're still massaging numbers,” and noted the end of federal ARPA funding and a need to absorb a state-funded drug enforcement position (MDEA) into the sheriff’s budget after the state stopped reimbursing it. The administrator also described noncritical cost reductions, including dropping a redundant Zoom subscription in favor of fewer platforms and rotating IT equipment replacement to smooth capital spending.

Why it matters: Commissioners were asked to approve a timeline so departments can present details to the budget committee and the public. The administrator set key dates: budget binders will be available Oct. 27, the first public hearing is Oct. 30, weekly hearings will follow, and the final public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.

Department highlights presented to the commission included: - Building maintenance and countywide security upgrades: staff said IT and maintenance are coordinating to budget countywide access/security upgrades, with vendor quotes still pending. - Deeds: the deeds office will bring fee and tax-change details to the budget committee; the administrator said she left departmental requests largely as submitted. - EMA (Emergency Management): the EMA director said the county will restore Rave emergency-communications costs to that budget line and listed small equipment replacements planned for 2026. - Finance and IT: IT reported higher computer-supplies and equipment costs, a negotiated contract with the county’s longstanding radio/technology vendor that will raise ongoing costs but add public-safety features, and existing cybersecurity steps (two-factor authentication, VPNs) already in place. - Airport: the airport manager reported wrapping existing projects rather than launching new capital work in 2026; solar arrays are offsetting energy cost but have added vegetation-management maintenance needs. Airport revenue projections are lower in the draft, producing a sizable net increase in next year’s airport budget that administrators said may be temporarily offset with undesignated funds. - Communications/Dispatch: the communications center included a sizeable increase driven by staffing (a dispatcher position included in the draft), replacement of worn equipment and UPS batteries, and preparation for the state’s new NG911 phone system.

The administrator emphasized fiscal restraint while aiming to give departments the resources they need. “We’ve built a trust with the towns and with our department heads where I trust what they’re asking for is something that is a collaborative need,” she said.

What’s next: The commission scheduled a joint budget-and-commission meeting next Thursday to dive deeper into line-by-line changes and invited departments—including nonprofit grantees listed in the packet—to present at their assigned hearings. The commission adjourned after a procedural motion; no public speakers addressed the body during this special session.