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Decatur County commissioners review 2027 budget; assume 3% salary increase and adjust vehicle, fairgrounds and audit lines
Summary
At a working session to review 2027 budgets, Decatur County commissioners agreed to budget for a 3% salary increase, trim the vehicles line to $80,000, boost fairgrounds appropriations to cover an event coordinator and increase audit and GIS estimates while asking staff to investigate a fuel-reporting discrepancy.
Decatur County commissioners met in a working session to review proposed 2027 budgets and agreed, in discussion, to assume a 3% salary increase for budgeting purposes while making targeted line-item adjustments across capital, facilities and program budgets.
The panel discussed the county’s CUMCAP and vehicle accounts and concluded the vehicles appropriation should be reduced from last year’s $110,000 to about $80,000, an amount commissioners said should cover up to two replacement pickup trucks, routine maintenance, and modest outfitting. Commissioners emphasized they are not budgeting for luxury purchases and that a council approval would be sought if vehicle acquisitions required it.
Commissioners reviewed courthouse and annex funds and flagged several facilities items — including roof, boiler controls and elevator maintenance — as potential 2027 projects. They agreed to try to carry forward remaining annex funds via encumbrance or to request an appropriation from the county council next year so money is available if work is needed.
Staff noted an unexpected invoice mix for GIS and pictometry (a cyclical aerial imagery service) and recommended showing a larger two‑year estimate for planning. Commissioners directed staff to plan around a roughly $45,000 pictometry/GIS estimate for future budgets and to confirm which fund should pay the initial invoice.
On the fairgrounds and parks side, commissioners discussed creating a dedicated event‑coordinator position to market facilities and recruit sports and small-conference events. The group discussed splitting cost among the fairgrounds, parks and tourism, and one commissioner supported increasing the fairgrounds appropriation to $50,000 so seasonal payroll and marketing needs are covered; staff was asked to refine a cost‑sharing plan.
Several operating lines were adjusted in discussion: courthouse lawn care (restored at about $15,000), a modest marketing/professional‑services budget for fairgrounds (roughly $15,000), and membership/dues increased slightly (to about $4,000). The county’s exam‑of‑records/audit line was raised from the prior $30,000 to about $45,000 after staff reported annual audit costs have exceeded the prior appropriation.
A recurring operational discrepancy drew attention: highway fuel charges show roughly $160,000 of fuel purchases since January, but internal chargebacks from other departments total only about $9,600. Commissioners directed staff to investigate whether the mismatch is caused by data entry, the fuel‑fob system, software reporting, or other issues and to report back with recommended fixes.
Commissioners also reviewed regional planning dues, service contracts referenced by departments (for example, a long‑term contract noted for ball‑diamond operations), and smaller program lines. Staff was asked to finalize FICA and PERF calculations for the assumed salary changes and to prepare a balanced draft for presentation to the county council. The session ended with a motion to recess.
Next steps: staff will update line items to reflect the discussed changes, confirm which invoices should be reallocated between funds (notably for GIS/pictometry and certain janitorial/maintenance charges), investigate the fuel reporting discrepancy, and deliver the revised package and FICA/PERF estimates to the council for consideration.
