The county commission approved the 2026 budget at Monday’s regular commission meeting. The county operates on a calendar year with its budget as opposed to a fiscal year; hence the approval process taking place in December instead of June.
The general fund for the 2026 budget is $23,156,000, which is an increase of 3.88 percent over last year. Most of the increase is due to employee raises and benefits. The budget also has a $500,000 contingency to cover any unexpected costs that may arise during the year.
The county also has a special revenue fund budget, which includes SPLOST money, the insurance premium tax fund, and FEMA funds. This budget stands at $57,108,400, about $30 million of which is FEMA funds related to Hurricane Helene. “I think we can agree that we’ve got a good budget this upcoming year,” said County Administrator Wesley Vickers.
Commissioners approved the budget unanimously.
The commission also approved budget amendments for the 2025 budget. Vickers reported that there was an increase of $850,000 in expenditures. The county covered the expenditures primarily with contingency funds so, according to Vickers, there was a net zero effect on the budget. There were several reasons for the increase in expenses, primarily renovations to the health department ($345,000) and some equipment for the county fire department. There are also expenditures related to Hurricane Helene debris removal.
Commissioners also approved the 2025 budget amendments unamiously.
