Calhoun County staff present tax-rate scenarios, project $42M in revenues under proposed budget

County finance staff opened the budget workshop with detailed tax-rate and revenue estimates, outlining choices the commissioners must make before adopting next year's budget. Lucy, the county finance presenter, said the "no new tax revenue M&O rate is 0.6085" and that the county's chosen rate of 0.6222 — the same as the current year — would produce roughly $36.7 million in property-tax revenue and about $42 million in total estimated budget revenue under the current assumptions.

Lucy also outlined statutory thresholds: "The voter approval rate, which is the highest rate, is 0.7197" and the maximum voter approval rate is 0.7547, meaning any tax rate set above those voter-approval triggers would require an election. The staff presentation projected estimated expenditures of about $44.751 million with a scenario that includes a 5% salary increase, leaving a projected deficit but a large ending fund balance (reported at about $30 million, roughly 68% of annual expenditures under present estimates).

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about one-time transfers and the beginning cash balance. Staff said roughly $7 million was removed from the original $40 million beginning balance because of a $6 million repayment to Formosa and other reassignments, producing the $33 million estimated beginning cash figure. The court discussed the county's fund-balance policy (25% minimum) and several members argued keeping a substantially higher balance is prudent given local storm and coastal risks.

The finance presenter said the budget module in use would allow the staff to produce a proposed budget for formal distribution later in the week and noted the county will import fixed-asset data into its software ahead of the final adoption process.