Oakland County executive unveils structurally balanced FY2027-29 budget with reserves and service investments

County Executive Dave Coulter on Thursday delivered an overview of his recommended FY2027-29 budget for Oakland County, telling the Board of Commissioners the plan is "structurally balanced" and preserves healthy reserves while funding public safety, workforce pay increases and community health programs.

Coulter said the county's general-fund revenue for FY2027 is about $633 million and emphasized the budget is presented across three years so commissioners can see both current finances and longer-term trends. "This is a three-year balanced budget," Coulter said, adding that the plan aims to maintain the county's AAA bond rating and robust reserves to weather economic uncertainty.

The proposal includes a 3% pay increase for nonrepresented employees and a 3.75% increase for represented employees, new positions for community health work, funding for lead testing and abatement positions, a sheriff's crime-lab equipment upgrade and a pilot program to bolster defense counsel for indigent defendants in circuit court. Coulter also highlighted the Oakland 80 workforce initiative and the use of grant-seeking to expand services.

Brian Loeffner, the county CFO, provided the fiscal assumptions underpinning the recommendation, saying taxable value in the county grew about 4.9% in 2026 and that property taxes remain below 4.0 mills (projected at 3.8994 mills for 2026). Loeffner told commissioners his team modeled conservative revenue growth for the out-years and that personnel costs make up roughly 68% of general-fund expenditures.

The presentation included capital funding priorities, such as $6 million set aside for routine capital maintenance and renovations and bonding for larger infrastructure and redevelopment projects; the budget also factors in the scheduled retirement of 2013 retiree-health bonds in 2027, which changes future debt-service patterns.

Coulter and Loeffner urged commissioners to review departmental details during upcoming finance hearings; Loeffner said committee-level budget hearings will begin in early August and staff will provide more line-item detail to the board. The budget document and supporting analysis are available on the county website for public review.

The board will consider the recommended budget through the committee process over the summer; adoption is expected before the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1.