County Administrator outlines FY2027 proposed budget, flags $3.1M gap and staffing requests

County Administrator Evan Vass presented the FY2027 proposed budget and highlighted key revenue and expenditure estimates. He said an "estimated 75% of the County's revenues come from tax revenue" and reminded the Board the county will undertake equalization soon. Mr. Vass said the proposed revenues total $119 million while proposed expenditures are $122 million, leaving a $3.1 million gap. He noted a SAFER grant has increased federal funding for firefighter positions to $1.5 million for FY27, which will be used for firefighter positions.

Mr. Vass outlined personnel requests included in the proposal: a Communications Manager, an Accreditation Manager (previously funded by a grant in the Sheriff’s office), and a temporary part-time Data Support Analyst. He warned that health-insurance proposals submitted to the county showed increases around 22 percent and called that a significant driver of future budget pressure. He explained the county uses a conservative vacancy-savings assumption (about 8 percent) and that if public-safety offices become fully staffed there may be a need for a budget amendment.

The Board discussed school operating and capital needs: Mr. Vass reported a school operating request of $35,831,110 (stated in the presentation as an operating request) representing an increase of about $1.30 million from the prior request. The Board was reminded of upcoming budget work sessions and directed staff to supply more detail on insurance scenarios and vacancy-savings impacts before adopting a final budget.