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County staff warn slower construction growth will reduce 2027 revenue; fees review under way
Summary
Administrator Leonard told the committee net new construction came in below projection (1.54% vs. 1.65%), reducing expected revenue for the 2027 budget; staff asked departments to review fees, flagging statutory limits and market constraints such as solid-waste tipping fees.
Administrator Leonard briefed the HR, Finance & Property Committee on preparations for the 2027 budget, saying staff circulated spreadsheets to departments that incorporate a built-in 3% fee increase aligned with compensation assumptions. "We've provided spreadsheets to individual departments...with a built in 3% increase corresponding to the compensation assumption," Leonard said, and asked departments to return notes on statutory prohibitions, cost recovery gaps and business reasons to hold fees steady.
Leonard warned revenue assumptions will be tighter after the Department of Revenue’s preliminary numbers: "Our net new construction number was 1.54%." That figure is about 10% below the board’s earlier projection of 1.65%, Leonard said, and will reduce expected property-tax-related revenue. He gave the county’s solid-waste tipping fee as a market example, noting haulers may stop using the county landfill if fees rise substantially, and explained counties cannot add a private-profit margin to fees in the way businesses might.
Committee members asked for follow-up on specific program fees and whether a contingency or reallocation could cover new partnership requests; staff said the budget process will weigh the $25,000 and $50,000 partnership requests against other priorities and that any formal funding decisions will be made during budget deliberations.
