County staff unveils 2027 provisional budget; board schedules special budget meeting July 29

County finance staff presented a provisional 2027 budget, summarizing major drivers and open questions. Jordan walked commissioners through headline figures — about $135.6 million in total appropriations and baseline personnel costs roughly $71.9–72.0 million depending on modeling assumptions — and highlighted policy decisions that remain (reserve levels, outside agency funding, contingency, how to treat open FTEs and health‑insurance assumptions).

Staff noted there were roughly 84 open benefited positions on the snapshot used for the provisional figures and that much of the "unspent" personnel budget in prior years reflected vacancies. Jordan also said the county is accounting for previously unbudgeted items such as certain TIF payments and that contingency remains a lever the board can adjust. Preliminary health‑insurance premium guidance from the county's broker suggested a potential 6.5% increase in employer premiums, and staff modeled ranges for COLA and step increases.

Commissioners requested more granular information: a by‑department breakdown of open positions and payroll exposures, a list of outside contracts and miscellaneous line items, a timekeeping/software cost comparison to centralize county payroll/timekeeping, and potential savings from applying a 4% temporary wage reduction used in the prior year. The board set a special budget hearing for Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. and asked departments to provide requested detail by the Monday before that meeting.