Houston County Budget Committee forwards FY27 budget and property-tax calculations to full legislative body

The Houston County Budget Committee voted to forward its proposed fiscal year 2027 budget and updated property-tax ("penny") calculations to the county's full legislative body for consideration at the July meeting.

The committee, which the chair said included Robert Park, Rand, Stephanie Smith and Lyn Bagot, reviewed revenue estimates and recommended budget figures before approving the submission by voice vote. Committee members were told the county expects roughly $5,073,000 in local tax revenue for the coming year and discussed that overall tax receipts are up compared with two years ago.

Committee member Robert Park (Committee member) and others reviewed the so-called "penny" calculation and a change in general-fund rate figures discussed during the meeting. The chair summarized that last year's tax revenue was reported at about $4.2 million and this year's figure was projected at about $4.4 million; the transcript's numerics were partially fragmented, so the committee treated those figures as approximate pending final closing numbers.

The committee noted the local school system has requested $350,000 in property-tax funding. "The school system did say that they don't believe that they will quite reach that amount again," the chair said, and the committee recorded that the property-tax calculation should generate the requested amount for the schools as presented.

Members also confirmed they had reallocated capital funds — moving $300,000 back into fund 101 — and discussed refinancing a balloon payment so the county can spread payments over four years rather than making larger lump-sum payments. The committee heard that the county is paying an additional roughly $10,000 per month related to hospital payments and that restructuring the loan would save the county approximately $1.2 million over the life of the loan, according to the discussion.

A clerical error was identified during the meeting: staff discovered an incorrect tax-revenue figure came from the wrong print file after an office move. Staff said they reran the numbers and asked members to double-check property-tax calculations before the July presentation; May's closing statements were expected to be circulated later in the week.

By voice vote, members approved forwarding the budget and tax-levy materials to the full legislative body for the July meeting for formal consideration. The chair opened a public-comment period and recorded no speakers. Committee member Glenn moved to adjourn; the motion was seconded and approved.

The full legislative body will review the committee's recommended FY27 budget and property-tax calculations at its July meeting; staff will provide final May closing figures and any updated revenue numbers prior to that meeting.