Walker County commissioners are moving closer to adopting the county’s fiscal year 2027 budget after holding a public work session Tuesday, Aug. 18, to address a projected budget shortfall.
The Board of Commissioners postponed a vote on the budget during its Aug. 6 meeting as officials worked to close a roughly $1.9 million gap between projected revenues and expenses.
Following additional work by county officials and the finance team, commissioners are now considering two primary options, with the remaining debate largely centered on compensation for county employees.
Option A would provide county employees with a 3% cost-of-living adjustment. Under that proposal, the county would use approximately $900,000 from its fund balance to balance the budget.
Option B would provide each county employee with a one-time $1,500 payment. Those payments would total approximately $750,000, while the county would need to use about $650,000 from its fund balance.
Both proposals would require the county to draw from its reserves, but Commission Chairwoman Angie Teems said she favors the option that would require less money from the fund balance.
Regardless of which option commissioners ultimately approve, Walker County spokesperson Joe Legge said residents will not see a property tax increase or a change to the county’s public safety fee. The county plans to fully roll back the millage rate.
Officials have also scaled back plans for additional staffing. The county now plans to add three new firefighters instead of the nine previously considered. No other new positions are expected to be added under the current budget proposals.
Teems said the county’s finance team has worked to reduce the overall budget and operating expenses as much as possible.
“We are down to the last dollar, basically,” Teems said.
Commissioners are expected to make their final decision when they vote on the FY2027 budget on Sept. 3.