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Scotland County managers flag $1.9M preliminary shortfall; board authorizes budget committee to choose health plan option
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Summary
County Manager April Snead reported a preliminary FY27 gap of roughly $1.9 million (projected revenues $55M vs. expenditures $58M). Commissioners focused on a steep health-insurance increase (broker estimate ~30%) and agreed to a rapid employee survey and to give the three-person budget committee authority to select an option before open enrollment.
County Manager April Snead presented the Board of Commissioners with a preliminary fiscal-year 2027 budget showing projected revenues around $55 million and projected expenditures around $58 million, leaving a roughly $1.9 million gap. Snead said the figures are early and that revenues—particularly permit and fee income tied to large one-off commercial projects—remain uncertain.
Budget staff highlighted two items already included in the proposed increases: a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for county staff and previously approved capital projects (maintenance shop and a roof for the library). Snead told commissioners she used actual spending figures for FY25 and the third-quarter FY26 numbers as the basis for FY27 projections.
The meeting turned to employee health insurance after Bonnie English, who had solicited quotes from multiple brokers, said the county's current plan with Mark 3 could require a roughly 30% premium increase to maintain current coverage levels. She described three practical options: accept the premium increase (county absorbs a larger cost), raise deductibles substantially (e.g., individual deductible from $3,400 to $5,000 and family from $6,800 to $10,000) while lowering the county share, or raise employee premium participation/contribution through a plan redesign. A third hybrid option would change deductibles and increase the county's Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution to offset employee cost increases.
Commissioners debated the tradeoffs: raising deductibles shifts costs to employees and could be regressive; increasing employee premium participation would reduce net take‑home pay; lowering COLA to retain existing insurance generosity would require striking a balance across countywide wage policy. No single option had unanimous support. Given open-enrollment timing, commissioners agreed to a fast employee survey (staff to draft the question set) and to empower the three‑member budget committee (Shelley, O'Neil, Ivy) to select and implement a plan in the coming days, with the full board to ratify the committee's recommendation at the next regular meeting.
Snead told the board she will return with updated revenue numbers and revised expenditure projections in May. The board requested clearer payroll modeling tied to each insurance option and asked for quick quotes on the HSA‑increase and deductible scenarios to support the committee's decision.
