Russell County board approves $986,849 reappropriation to cover teacher and county raises

The Russell County Board of Supervisors voted in July 2026 to reappropriate $986,849.68 in FY26 school reversion funds into the FY27 budget, the county administrator told the board.

The county administrator said the reappropriation would cover a 4% raise for teachers and leave about $165,000 to fund county employee raises. "Investing in our workforce remains a top priority to ensure that we attract and retain a high quality staff," the county administrator said during the presentation.

Board members discussed the math and the allocation. The administrator said the earlier June 29 resolution had accounted for $620,036 returning to the county in one piece of the calculation, leaving a remainder that the reappropriation would resolve. A board member asked for clarification because the presentation listed the full $986,849.68 while the intended split keeps a portion for county use; staff confirmed the intent as described in the motion.

A motion to approve the reappropriation was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. The vote was recorded as "all in favor" in the public record; no roll-call tally with individual votes was provided in the transcript.

A resident raised concerns earlier in the meeting about a tax increase and asked the board to perform an audit or consider rolling back last year’s rate; the citizen comment did not change the board’s vote on the reappropriation.

Next steps: staff will implement the budget amendment and reflect the reappropriation in FY27 accounting; the board will address further budget items during its August meeting.