St. Francois County approves 2026 budget; auditor urges strategic plan to 2030

St. Francois County commissioners voted to adopt the county's 2026 budget at their year-end meeting. An unnamed commissioner moved to approve the budget and it was seconded; staff said the finalized document would be sent to IT for posting on the county website.

The change discussed before the vote involved the juvenile treatment court. County staff said the department had been excluded from earlier drafts because OBOA funding ended in 2025 but that funding was extended into 2026, allowing the program to be included in the adopted budget.

The county auditor briefed the commission on the revenue outlook and longer-term risks. The auditor said state projections show flat to mild revenue growth statewide and noted uncertainty in future grant funding from state and federal sources. The auditor highlighted increasing material, maintenance, insurance, labor and utility costs and asked the commission to 'begin an analysis for a strategic plan to take us to the year 2030' to guide capital projects rather than rely on emergency purchases.

Commissioners and staff discussed posting the budget to the county website; staff confirmed the approved budget would be forwarded to IT for publication. The motion to adopt the budget passed during the meeting.

Next steps: staff will post the approved document online and the auditor said she will prepare additional materials and a proposed timeline if the commission agrees to start a formal strategic-planning process.