Swain County commissioners trim roughly $900,000 from proposed $26.66M budget, defer layoffs

Swain County commissioners on June 9 reviewed a draft FY2026–27 general fund budget of roughly $26.66 million and made targeted reductions that the board said lower spending by about $900,000 while preserving staff lines for the coming year.

Chair opened the budget work session by telling colleagues he aimed for fiscal restraint. "I don't believe in living beyond our means," the Chair said, adding that the board had trimmed expenses so the county would rely on about $1,226,943.51 in appropriated fund balance to balance the books for now.

The Chair walked the board through a new set of line‑by‑line worksheets showing salary, FICA, health insurance and retirement as the first four lines of each department budget — these are the costs the chair said he was reluctant to cut. He noted health insurance per employee is about $12,000 and FICA is 7.65%. "I'm not interested in cutting people's jobs," the Chair said, stressing that additional cuts should be based on data and departmental assessment.

Department changes and notable decisions

- Library and building projects: Chair removed a $400,000 line that had been budgeted for library finishing work because the library is actively fundraising and had raised more than $2 million, he said. That change reduced building and grounds spending to about $1.85 million.

- Recreation: The recreation budget was trimmed by about $27,000 by eliminating a $15,000 new‑programs line and cutting contracted services, delaying some capital items and adjusting fee and uniform policies to reduce annual costs.

- Elections, finance and data processing: The elections capital program was moved to a phased approach, reducing one-time capital in the coming year; finance and data processing saw modest reductions (audit budgetary assumptions and subscription/contracted service cuts).

- Animal services: The board left animal services largely intact, citing state‑mandated supply and care costs for a department in its first full year of operation; commissioners discussed using part‑time workers and volunteers to manage human‑resource costs while noting concerns about volunteer reliability.

- Public safety and jail: The sheriff's office budget (~$4.19 million) and the jail (~$2.25 million) were largely left intact. Commissioners emphasized maintaining staffing to meet federal inspection standards. The Chair said the jail generates revenue via federal housing and transport reimbursements and that those amounts could change and help the county but did not provide a finalized projection.

- EMS ambulances: EMS requested two ambulances but the board agreed to fund one this year to spread capital costs; commissioners discussed one‑to‑four year replacement cycles and noted an ambulance price range discussed in the meeting of roughly $300,000–$400,000 each.

- Special appropriations and schools: Special appropriations totaled about $6,287,972 for items including debt service, transit and social services. The board approved a 2% local supplement for school employees after the school system requested 4%.

Fiscal stance and next steps

The Chair said the budget as presented will be posted in full for public review and that commissioners must finalize numbers at the board's next regular meeting on Tuesday. "It is not sustainable to live off your savings account and we are living off our savings account," the Chair warned, urging the board to either decrease spending or increase revenue in the coming year. The session ended after a motion to adjourn; the transcript does not record the final vote tally.

This coverage is based on statements and figures presented aloud by speakers at the June 9 work session. Where the transcript contained unclear figures or apparent transcription errors, dollar amounts are reported as discussed in the session and flagged in the meeting records for verification before publication.