Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Russell County administrator flags $200,000–$300,000 county budget shortfall as state decisions remain pending
Summary
County administrator Lonzo told the Board of Supervisors the FY2026–27 draft budget faces a roughly $200,000–$300,000 county‑side gap driven by uncertain state decisions on employee raises and a rise in health‑insurance, fuel and waste‑contract costs.
Lonzo, the Russell County administrator, told the Board of Supervisors at a June 15 budget workshop that the county faces a roughly $200,000 to $300,000 gap in its FY2026–27 draft budget as it waits for final state decisions on the data‑center tax and employee pay increases.
The shortfall stems from a combination of factors, Lonzo said: unresolved state negotiations over government raises (the House has proposed 3% and the Senate 4%), a health‑insurance premium increase that arrived lower than worst‑case estimates but still substantial (Lonzo reported insurers quoted about a 10% increase), a roughly $40,000 contractual increase on the county’s regional waste contract, and about $14,000 per month in additional fuel and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Full Access to all Government Meetings, including transcripts, videos, etc.
- Full Search and Browse across all local, state, and federal meetings
- Breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions & budgets
- Topic alerts
- Usage of our AI for Government Meetings
