Supervisors begin work on Budget Amendment No. 3 and review rural‑service and capital funds ahead of possible $3M loan

The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors spent a major portion of its Jan. 26 meeting reviewing draft budgets and preliminary steps for Budget Amendment No. 3, which would accommodate a potential $3 million loan and several county conservation capital items.

County staff said the amendment would include items for county conservation (an example truck purchase of about $55,000, a heat pump estimated near $14,000 and additional repairs). Staff explained the bond process and proposed a public‑hearing timeline, suggesting a hearing as early as March 2 if bids and internal approvals remain on schedule.

Supervisors reviewed the rural service (RSP) budget draft — a total request of about $2,745,981 — and discussed revenue constraints tied to the county's maximum levy. Board members debated whether to use fund balances to cover non‑department requests (libraries, aging services, conservation) or wait for final revenue figures. Several supervisors urged waiting for outstanding department numbers before finalizing allocations and asked staff to call departments and schedule a department‑head meeting to sort outstanding items.

The board also discussed capital‑projects balances (roughly $300,000 on hand) and considered priorities including courthouse accessibility (north steps and handicap access) and potential office moves that could create operational efficiencies. Supervisors suggested developing a short‑term list of priority capital projects and a longer 5‑ to 10‑year plan.

What’s next: Staff will prepare the public‑hearing notice related to the loan, gather remaining department estimates for the RSP and non‑department requests, and convene department‑head meetings to refine budget figures ahead of final votes.