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Oconee County committee schedules May 18 budget presentation; staff outlines 2.8% COLA and school resource officer plan
Summary
The Budget Finance & Administration Committee set a May 18, 2026 budget presentation and heard staff describe a proposed 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment, a plan for the county to cover school resource officer equipment (about $12,000 per SRO), and limits on new FTEs tied to general-fund capacity.
The Oconee County Budget Finance & Administration Committee set a dedicated budget presentation for May 18 at 4:00 p.m. and discussed the draft fiscal 2027 priorities, a staff member said at the committee's May 5 meeting. Staff also outlined a timeline that would include a second reading of the budget on June 16 and a third reading discussed for late June.
Why it matters: The dates set a timeline for council decisions that will determine whether proposed pay and staffing changes fit within the county's revenue projections. Committee members asked for hard copies and digital packets in advance so they can review details before the second reading.
At the meeting a staff member described several key proposals under consideration. “We're looking at a 2.8% COLA adjustment for everybody except for myself, the attorney,” the staff member said, noting the county is also developing a new approach to separate elected-official pay increases from those for county employees. The staff member said the county will present summaries of requested new positions, capital requests and full-year cost estimates for council review.
Members discussed school resource officers (SROs). The staff member said the county would cover equipment and related costs while the school district would pay officer salaries, and estimated the county portion for an SRO at about $12,000. The committee also discussed a proposed floater SRO arrangement based at Waha High School that could cover vacancies at other campuses.
Committee members raised scheduling conflicts and calendar coordination while agreeing to the May 18 presentation. Chair asked that committee members receive both hard and digital copies of the budget packet in time to submit questions before the June 16 second reading. The meeting transcript does not record any formal votes on the budget items or the presentation schedule.
Next steps: Staff will present detailed budget materials at the May 18 session and return items for formal readings on the dates discussed.
