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Knox County administrators lay out draft 2026 budget as ARPA funding ends
Summary
County administrator presented a draft fiscal 2026 budget Oct. 9, 2025, saying key cost drivers include corrections, IT and the end of ARPA funding; officials set a public hearing schedule and warned major line items remain under review.
The Knox County Commission heard an overview of the proposed fiscal 2026 budget at a special meeting on Oct. 9, 2025, where the county administrator described the draft as preliminary and noted several still-unresolved items, including ongoing union negotiations and a pending market-realignment (MRI) study.
"This is a proposed draft budget. We're still massaging numbers," the county administrator said, adding that the team intends the process to be "seamless and transparent." She told commissioners that wages would not be finalized until union talks conclude and the MRI study is completed.
The administrator listed specific cost and savings changes: the county removed a paid Zoom subscription and will shift town-hall streaming to free platforms, moved certain GIS-related equipment into the admin budget because the GIS manager position is being absorbed, and flagged increases in sewage and water costs. She also said the county will absorb the cost of an MDEA drug-position that is no longer state-reimbursed.
The administrator said the county had relied heavily on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for recent projects and that the end of ARPA means those revenue sources will not be available going forward. Budget binders will be available the week after the next meeting; the first public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 and the final public hearing for Dec. 11, with weekly Thursday presentations in between.
Department summaries included:
- Building maintenance: County staff and the IT director are soliciting quotes for a county-wide security and access system; town and airport facilities are included in planning.
- Deeds: The Deeds office (staff member Maddie present) reported few changes beyond small increases in copy and license lines; she will provide details during departmental presentations to the budget committee.
- District attorney: State requirements for the DA office (including specified videoconferencing equipment and tablets) are driving some line increases.
- EMA and communications: The EMA director and communications staff reviewed bringing the Rave public-alert system into the EMA budget now that prior internal pools are spent; communications staff also requested one additional dispatcher mid-year to reach more sustainable staffing in a 24/7 dispatch center.
- IT and cybersecurity: County staff said the county has implemented two-factor authentication, VPNs and stronger password requirements; an IT director review found many of the cybersecurity practices that grant programs would fund are already in place.
- Airport: Staff said no new airport capital projects are planned for 2026, though ongoing 2025 work will be wrapped up. Solar generation has substantially offset airport utility expenses and a new aircraft-parking tracking system may lead to revised rates and higher billed revenue.
The administrator emphasized that the binder and line-by-line review at next week's joint commission and budget meeting will address detailed questions and that many numbers in the draft will evolve.
The meeting ended with a motion and voice approval to adjourn; no votes on budget measures were taken during the session.
