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Marlboro County delays budget and capital plan as finance director reports pinch in revenue
Summary
Marlboro County Council postponed second readings of the FY2026 budget and five-year capital improvement plan May 13 after a finance report showed general fund receipts lagging last year by roughly $1.4 million through April; council set no new adoption date in the minutes.
Marlboro County Council voted unanimously May 13 to postpone the second readings of two key fiscal ordinances — the FY2026 budget (Ordinance No. 865) and the FY2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan (Ordinance No. 866) — after members raised questions during discussion.
The deferrals came after Finance Director Wes Park reported that general fund revenue for the 10 months ending April 30, 2025, totaled $11,662,608, down from $13,071,434 in the same period a year earlier and short of the adopted budget of $14,748,543. Park told council that the year-over-year gap largely reflects delayed state payments and reimbursements that in 2024 totaled more than $1.2 million during March and April.
“We received significant state fee-in-lieu and manufacturer reimbursements last spring that haven’t arrived this year,” Wes Park told council, explaining the timing difference that has reduced year-to-date receipts. He said general fund expenditures for the period totaled $11,941,742 and staff will continue to monitor collections as the budget process proceeds.
After “various comments” from members, Dr. Damien Johnson moved to postpone the second reading of the budget ordinance; the motion carried unanimously. Jason Steen moved, and Pearly Lawson seconded, a separate postponement of the capital plan’s second reading; that motion also carried unanimously. The minutes do not record a new date for either item or a list of specific changes that would clear the ordinances for final vote.
County officials did not describe in the minutes whether programmatic cuts, tax-rate changes or timing adjustments are anticipated; Park said only that staff will continue to monitor revenues and expenditures. The council’s recorded action preserves time for further review as the county approaches the July 1 fiscal year start.
The council also received related budget oversight reports, including cash balances, capital projects and reports on State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, though those documents were summarized in the meeting packet and not detailed in the minutes.
What’s next: the minutes show the council postponed both second readings and provided no schedule for reintroduction. Council members and staff will continue fiscal monitoring and review before the county adopts an appropriation ordinance for FY2026.
