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Blackford County Council advances draft 2026 budget cuts, schedules follow-up on probation fee
Summary
At its Aug. 4 budget workshop, the Blackford County Council approved multiple proposed reductions to department budgets, unanimously removed Planning & Zoning 'Extra Help' funding, and requested a briefing on Adult Probation user fees at a follow-up meeting on Aug. 6.
The Blackford County Council met at 6:00 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2025, at the Blackford County Courthouse for the first 2026 budget workshop and reviewed a series of line-item adjustments to the draft County General Fund.
Council members advanced cuts including $20,000 from the Coroner (autopsies), $35,000 from the Assessor (dues and subscriptions), and a $2,000 reduction to Purdue Extension summer intern funding. Commissioners’ budget lines showed reductions of $5,000 for legal services and $20,000 tied to the Animal Shelter contract. The Jackson Twp Reg Sewer Dist allocation was trimmed by $50,000; Storm Water received a $20,320 addition. The Public Defender budget proposed a $67,200 reduction in a Full Time PD line and a $5,000 cut to clerical support. The council also reduced $2,400 in office furniture tied to Adult Probation user fees and asked Warren Brown to attend the Aug. 6 meeting to explain the fee and how it is used.
The workshop included a presentation from Molly Hunt, Area Extension Director with Purdue Extension, on local Extension programs. Two formal motions recorded at the workshop passed unanimously: removal of Extra Help in Planning & Zoning ($14,663) and an increase to employee longevity pay (see separate article). President Jack Beckley adjourned the meeting at 9:53 p.m.
