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Lee County approves FY26‑27 budget, renews city planning funding and orders performance audit RFP
Summary
Commissioners approved $827,932 in county funding for contracted Sanford planning services, adopted the FY26‑27 budget ordinance and CIP, and directed staff to issue a countywide performance‑audit RFP to inform future budgets; board discussed fund‑balance use and future tax risk.
The Lee County Board of Commissioners voted on June 15 to approve the county's share of the planning services contract with the city of Sanford and to adopt the FY26‑27 budget ordinance and capital improvement program after extended public and board discussion.
Elizabeth, who filled in to present the contract, told the board the county has contracted with the city for planning services since at least 2013 and the county's share of the planning budget (less capital) has been set at roughly 45%. She asked the board to appropriate $827,932 for the county's share for FY26‑27. The board moved to recuse Commissioner Sharp from that item and approved the appropriation by voice vote. Members asked staff to research the 45/55 allocation methodology and whether the county could staff planning services in‑house; staff said that evaluation would take additional time and recommended pursuing research while continuing the contract for the coming year.
On the general fund budget, county management presented adjustments to the manager's recommended 2627 budget that reflected removing a proposed 1‑cent tax increase (leaving the rate at 65¢), additional fund‑balance appropriations (approximately $2.497M covering school funding, building improvements and positions), the use of ARPA revenue‑loss funds for three new positions, and an added transfer for LCAP debt service. The manager warned that relying on one‑time fund‑balance appropriations for recurring expenses increases the risk of future tax adjustments; several commissioners pressed for a countywide performance audit to help refine long‑term decisions.
Commissioner Smith moved — and the board approved — a directive for staff to issue an RFP for a countywide performance audit in time to inform the next fiscal year budget; the motion also requested staff review of the implementation of the previous performance audit. Commissioner Scott moved to adopt the FY26‑27 budget ordinance (with corrected Lee County Athletic Park fees); the board approved the ordinance by voice vote. The board also adopted the capital improvement program (CIP), noting that project timing and construction approvals remain preliminary until bids are received and separately approved.
County manager performance and financial reporting: Finance staff reported May revenues at about 100.27% of ad valorem budget and cited March sales‑tax growth of 10.52% over last year. The manager provided project updates on the new library closeout, historic courthouse repairs, and forthcoming bid openings for public‑safety and general‑services projects. The board scheduled a June 29 meeting to address fire‑district budgets and allowed time for summer meetings as noted in the public schedule.
What it means: The board's adoption of the budget and CIP funds county operations and projects for the upcoming fiscal year and keeps the existing planning contract structure in place while staff evaluates usage and costs. The performance audit RFP is intended to identify potential savings or efficiency improvements before the next budget cycle.
Attribution: Quotes and procedural descriptions are taken from the public record of the June 15 Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting. Financial numbers cited (contract amount $827,932; fund‑balance appropriation totals described in meeting) come from the county manager's presentation to the board.
Next steps: Staff will report back to the board on the planning contract utilization split and issue the performance audit RFP according to the timeline the board approved.
