Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County manager warns of tight budget as he departs; urges review of FY2026–27 plan
Summary
Outgoing County Manager Edwin H. Madden Jr. told commissioners on May 18 that rising costs and reduced state/federal revenues have constrained the county budget, noting a $2 million 2025 revenue loss and sharp growth in public‑safety costs. He urged careful study of the proposed FY2026–27 budget.
Edwin H. "Eddie" Madden Jr., Columbus County manager, told the Board of Commissioners on May 18 that the county must confront a narrowing set of budget choices as he prepares to leave the post.
"In many ways, I’m confident the county is better today than it was five years ago," Madden said, reviewing facility upgrades, new jobs and the county’s emergency‑communications investments. But he warned that revenues have not kept pace with costs: "The sheriff’s office, for example, due to unfunded mandates, has increased from $10.7 million to over $17 million in the same five‑year period." He also noted a roughly $2 million revenue loss tied to the International Paper release in 2025.
Madden outlined several structural pressures facing the FY2026–27 proposed budget: reduced state and federal revenues for programs such as DSS and SNAP, new administrative burdens from pending policy changes, stagnant property‑tax income outside revaluation years, and higher operating costs for insurance, retirement and facility maintenance. He said the county currently collects about $30 million in property taxes annually and that the total budget of all funds has fallen from about $112 million in 2024 to $105 million in the present year.
The manager urged the board to weigh raising revenues or making additional reductions: "You either have to make further cuts in other departments... or you have to generate additional revenue," he said, adding that continued reliance on fund balance is not sustainable under state guidance.
The manager's remarks followed routine meeting business and drew several commissioners' comments thanking him for his service. The Board had already set a public hearing on the FY2026–27 proposed budget for June 1, 2026 at 6:30 P.M.
