Budget workshop lays out $93M gap to fully fund county and city services; commissioners split on mill levy

Budget Director Reginald Lindsey presented an overview of the proposed 2027 Unified Government budget, including a comparison between the current 2026 budget and what staff called a fully funded operating model. Lindsey said the 2026 original budget across all funds was about $367 million and that a fully funded government would total roughly $460 million — a $93 million difference driven by personnel, capital and operating needs.

Lindsey and CFO Shelley Knievin outlined assumptions in the proposed 2027 budget: a structurally balanced plan, 4% departmental growth targets, funding of positions at 100% of inventory where feasible, and an inserted 1-mill increase (half city, half county) to cover critical requests. Key drivers cited were personnel reforecasting (raises, new recruit classes), increases in jail billing and inmate costs, replacement of aging emergency-radio and siren infrastructure, and system maintenance and platform enhancements. The staff presentation identified $2,000,000 in city-side reductions and $3,300,000 in county-side reductions that could be considered if commissioners declined any mill increase. Commissioners debated whether to ask staff to find targeted cuts, use fund balance for one-time gaps, or approve the mill(s). No final consensus was recorded at this meeting; staff asked for clear direction on the mill proposal so they can return with line-item reductions aligned to a revenue target.