Lee County public hearing draws residents urging higher school and nonprofit funding as manager defends proposed tax increases

The Lee County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the recommended FY 2026–27 budget, during which the county manager outlined a proposed package that would raise property tax revenue to cover continuation costs, restore capital reserves and close a growing deferred-maintenance backlog.

County manager (speaker 3) told the board the recommendation reflects a “continuation budget” at the current 65¢ rate plus targeted increases to sustain services. She said the recommendation includes a 2¢ tax-rate increase to fund essential services (with the EMS contract accounting for roughly 1.73¢ of that increase), a 1¢ restoration to capital funding and an additional penny aimed at deferred maintenance and facility repairs. The manager identified a $1,767,665 projected increase in EMS contract costs for fiscal year 2026–27 and said the county faces an estimated $373,354 loss in federal reimbursement tied to a change that raises the county’s share for food and nutrition administration from 50% to 75%.

During the public-comment portion, many speakers urged the board to adopt the school board’s funding proposal or otherwise increase school support. Aaron Rainer (speaker 9) said Lee County is “not competitive with our surrounding counties anymore” and urged commissioners to fund the full Lee County Schools proposal. “Let’s invest in children and young adults who make up the future of Lee County,” Rainer said. Several other parents, teachers and school-affiliated speakers, including Kayla Wavalda (speaker 10) and Angie Licata (speaker 14), told the board that increased per-pupil spending and teacher retention measures would yield long-term community benefits.

Nonprofit providers appealed for restored or continued county support. Gwendolyn Lee Cooper (speaker 12), executive director of the Helping Hand Clinic, described the clinic as the county’s only free brick-and-mortar health clinic and said recent county grant support has fallen from $2,500 to $12.50 under a reimbursable grant model; she asked commissioners to “recognize the unique role that Helping Hand Clinic plays in Lee County.” Bill Huggins (speaker 2), chair of the clinic’s board, told the commissioners the clinic frequently receives referrals from both the county health department and Lee County Hospital and uses volunteer clinicians to deliver services.

Speakers with fiscal concerns urged caution on a tax increase. Jim Womack (speaker 15) and others criticized nonstatutory spending (he cited library and athletic-park operating costs) and urged renegotiation or rebidding of the EMS contract rather than locking in a multiyear price increase. Womack suggested using bond surplus funds or scaling back nonessential items to avoid raising property taxes.

The board also heard from representatives of Haven (speaker 20), which provides shelter and services to domestic-violence survivors; Tanya Gray Young said reductions in Victims of Crime Act funding and county grants have lengthened clients’ stays because of limited affordable housing. David Smoak (speaker 19) urged transparency and voter approval for large CIP borrowings.

No formal budget adoption occurred at the meeting; the board closed the public hearing and scheduled a work session for June 5 at 8 a.m. The county manager said she had not recommended new county positions and reaffirmed the need to address deferred maintenance, school funding and debt-service obligations.

What’s next: The board will finalize budget deliberations at the scheduled work session and later consider formal adoption; commissioners received resident input on both sides of the tax question in advance of those votes.