Walker County reports near-$700,000 shortfall after transfers; board approves budget amendment

Walker County officials said the county collected $36,800,000 in revenue and recorded $35,500,000 in expenditures for fiscal year 2025, but nearly $2,800,000 in transfers out left the county with a deficit of nearly $700,000.

"On the transfers out, this is what the general fund is funding throughout the, 25 fiscal year," said Christian Roche, Walker County chief financial officer, as he outlined how general-fund money was allocated. Roche listed transfers including roughly $1,100,000 to fire and rescue and about $622,000 to the transit department, along with matches for multi-grant funds and capital project grants such as ARPA-funded work and Adventure Acres.

Roche also said the county moved funds to cover delayed fire department expenses and provided a general-fund contribution to a program called Mountain Cove; transcript wording on a few line items was unclear and precise recipient amounts were not fully specified.

Following Roche’s update, the board approved a budget amendment "to account for these transfers in the fiscal year 2025 budget," according to the meeting record. The transcript does not list a motion maker, a second, or a roll-call tally.

The county did not provide further detail in the recorded update about which departments will absorb the long-term impacts of the transfers or whether the amendment will be paired with spending cuts, new revenue measures, or one-time accounting adjustments. The meeting record shows only that the amendment was approved during the session.

Next steps were not specified in the transcript; the county may publish detailed budget documents or a later report with full line-item reconciliations.