Delaware County adopts 2026 budget after public hearing where residents flagged shortfalls

The Delaware County Board of Supervisors adopted its 2026 budget following a public hearing in which a resident questioned several line items and warned of projected shortfalls.

During the public hearing, an attendee who identified themselves as a resident raised specific concerns about security and revenue figures, saying, “I noticed in '26 our current budget... it's 0... Am I correct in saying that that's gonna go up to $704,000?” The same speaker questioned a proposed increase in credit-card-related expenditures (noting an authorization rise from $13,000 to $50,000) and said the county had budgeted $108,000 for main searches in recent years while receiving only about $17,000 in actual revenue. The resident also warned that county insurance appeared underbudgeted compared with historical spending, and asked, “So how are we gonna cover that shortfall this next year?”

Those comments preceded a series of routine budget amendments and resolutions. Supervisor (speaker 5) moved adoption of Resolution 203, "Adoption of 2026 Delaware County budget," which the clerk carried by roll call and the board approved. Several earlier and related 2025 budget amendments and year-end accounting resolutions were also approved by roll call or voice vote during the same meeting.

Why it matters: The public hearing put focus on several line items that residents and some supervisors may revisit during implementation and monitoring of the adopted budget. Questions about security contract costs, the method of paying merchant fees, and projected revenue shortfalls represent operational and fiscal issues that could affect departmental spending and future amendments.

What happened next: With the budget adopted, board members and staff signaled next steps including reconciling recent in-year transfers and working through program-level appropriations. The board scheduled other public hearings on local laws for the next meeting and moved on to additional routine business before adjourning.

Attribution: Quotations and specific budget figures above are taken from public comments recorded during the hearing; roll-call and resolution actions were announced on the record by the clerk during the meeting.