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Oconee County adopts corrected FY2027 budget after late amendment
Summary
Council approved Ordinance 2026-01, the county's FY2027 budget, after accepting an amendment that corrected fee schedules, shifted misallocated line items and added limited recruitment funding; detailed vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
Oconee County Council on June 29 adopted Ordinance 2026-01, the county's fiscal 2027 budget, after approving an amendment that corrected fee schedules and line items and added a $10,000 recruitment line for the fire chief association.
Mr. Jones, who presented the packet of final revisions and moved the amendment, described the package as a corrective measure rooted in updated numbers. "This budget represents that commitment. It is a corrective budget, a stabilizing budget, and it positions Oconee County to move forward with stronger financial practices and a healthier long-term outlook," he said, urging continued quarterly financial reporting.
The amendment Mr. Jones outlined corrected an airport fee schedule error, increased a delinquent tax collector execution fee from $10 to $12, adjusted rock-quarry tonnage charges (roughly $3 per ton for standard products and about $4 per ton for specialty products), corrected an underbudgeted animal-control salary line, freed approximately $41,500 by ending an expiring departmental contract, and removed a roughly $6,500 overbudgeted line item. The amendment also added $10,000 labeled for fire chief association recruitment and retention.
Why it matters: Council said the budget shifts recurring costs into appropriate recurring accounts and aims to rebuild liquidity and reserves after a recent negative financial outlook. Mr. Jones said the county has already regained a "double A2" credit rating following corrective actions and that FY28 should capture more of the savings from these adjustments.
What passed: The transcript records that the council moved the ordinance to third reading, approved the amendment by voice and then approved Ordinance 2026-01 on third reading. The transcript captures vocal "I" responses for the final votes but does not provide a roll-call tally by name for the budget vote in the record. The amendment motion was seconded and approved prior to final passage.
The council said it will continue to monitor expenditures and provide quarterly financial updates so that future decisions are based on measured outcomes rather than assumptions. No additional substantive public testimony was received on the budget during the public hearing.
The council entered an executive session later in the meeting for legal advice on special purpose tax districts; that session concluded with no items taken from executive session.
