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Pierce County chairman asks departments to cut 15% from 2026 budget
Summary
At a Sept. 5 work session, Chairman Neal Bennett asked department heads to reduce their 2026 budget requests by 15%, warning that further measures — including raising the millage rate or staff reductions — may be needed if additional savings are not found.
Chairman Neal Bennett on Sept. 5 presented the proposed 2026 budget to the Pierce County Board of Commissioners and instructed department heads to cut 15% from their submitted requests. Bennett said that even with a 15% reduction, the county may still need to consider raising the millage rate or risk reducing staff levels if further savings are not found.
The request came during a work session at the NFC Building in Blackshear attended by commissioners and senior staff, including County Manager Raphel Maddox and County Clerk Donna Golding. Bennett framed the cuts as a collective effort to find savings across departments, asking each department to identify ways to reduce spending while maintaining essential services.
The board did not take a formal vote on the budget targets at the session. No specific department-level reductions, revenue offsets, or timelines for revised submissions were recorded in the transcript. County Manager Raphel Maddox — listed in attendance — was present as staff support for the budget discussion.
Next steps recorded in the session: department heads were directed to prepare revised budgets reflecting the 15% reduction; the transcript does not specify a deadline or whether the board set a subsequent meeting for final review.
