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Bourbon County commissioners seek clarity on budget instructions, agree to use 2026 as benchmark
Summary
Commissioners debated staff budget instructions and agreed departments should use the 2026 budget column as the baseline; staff were asked to return clarifying guidance and departments must note justifications for requests above 2026 levels.
Bourbon County commissioners spent a large portion of their meeting debating budget instructions that staff had circulated to department heads, ultimately agreeing that the 2026 budget column should serve as the benchmark for 2027 requests and that any increases must be explained in the notes section.
The discussion began after commissioners raised concerns about two bullet points in an email instructing departments not to modify personnel costs and to keep 2027 requests equal to or below the 2026 amounts. County staff member Ben, reached by phone, told the commission he had assumed a set of goals were in place and asked for direction on how to proceed. "I've not changed my perspective on assessing more money to the taxpayers. I do not intend to ... I am not going to vote to take the assessed valuation increase," Ben said during the call.
Commissioners pressed for clarity about whether the earlier work session had produced any binding decision on revenue or expense cuts; several members said no formal vote occurred and that the work session had been a fact-finding conversation. One commissioner summarized a practical outcome: the 2026 budget column will be the working baseline and departments should return budget worksheets with notes explaining any request above that amount so the commission can review and justify deviations.
Several elected officials emphasized the competing priorities in play. "I want our taxes to be as low as possible," one commissioner said, while also noting concern that deep cuts could harm essential services such as roads and public safety. Commissioners agreed staff should reissue the instructions with clarified language explaining the purpose (information-gathering rather than a directive to freeze services), and called for the department worksheets to be returned promptly to keep the budget schedule on track.
What happens next: staff said they will resend clarified instructions to department heads and aim to collect completed worksheets before the end of the month to allow the commission to workshop proposed changes over the summer.
