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Hamblen County budget preview flags $2M gap as sheriff’s office warns of pay and staffing shortfalls
Summary
Mayor Cutshall presented an unedited draft fiscal 2026–27 budget showing an estimated $2.0 million general-fund shortfall and major cost pressures; sheriff’s office representatives urged higher starting pay and vehicle replacements to retain officers. Commissioners scheduled a full Saturday workshop to continue line-by-line review.
Mayor Cutshall presented the Hamblen County fiscal 2026–27 budget overview and told commissioners he had delivered unedited department requests for review, saying the draft currently contains roughly a $2.0 million general-fund deficit and that salaries and benefits account for about 67% of the general fund.
The mayor said recent revenue assumptions include approximately $36,000,000 in property-tax collections and about $4.4 million in county sales tax receipts (of which roughly $2.2 million is projected to go to schools). He noted the county has placed wheel-tax revenue into highway capital projects (about $3.3 million) and expects the Oak Tree Plaza health facility to open in July; federal and state grants such as a multi-year SAMHSA award are part of projected revenue increases.
The sheriff’s office presented a detailed operational budget and urged substantial action on compensation and fleet replacement. Michelle Green, executive assistant to the sheriff, said the office has used grants to cover large-ticket items but still faces escalating operating costs and turnover. She described significant maintenance and repair expenditures for older vehicles and recommended replacing several patrol units with 2026 Ford Explorer interceptors; she provided line-item figures for vehicle purchase and equipping costs and asked the commission to consider salary adjustments to reduce turnover.
Sheriff’s office representatives said turnover is driven by pay disparities with neighboring counties and state agencies, citing starting pay comparisons and multiple recent departures. County officials discussed options including a flat-rate increase for starting pay and targeted raises; commissioners asked staff to provide detailed headcount and cost scenarios at the Saturday workshop.
Commissioners did not adopt a final pay decision during the session; instead they scheduled a Saturday workshop starting at 9 a.m. for line-by-line budget consideration and for staff to return with the requested breakdowns, including the cost of various COLA scenarios and the number of employees by department.
The county plans to present a revised budget after the workshop and to reconcile department requests with available revenues, including potential use of fund balances and grant resources. The mayor reiterated that some items (library, E-911 matching) were presented separately and that the commission must decide which unedited requests to fund.
