Cuts made to ’26 budget proposal

With an uncertain financial future, county officials are taking precautions with budget increases next year.

Jay County Council agreed Wednesday to advertise a $26.1 million budget for 2026, a decrease of about $902,000 from the budget reviewed Sept. 2. It now sits at an increase of $2 million (roughly 8%) from the current year.

The largest change comes from adjusting proposed wage increases to 2% from the previous 3%.

County auditor Emily Franks shared a spreadsheet with council on Wednesday comparing 2024 and 2025 and two options for the 2026 budget. One option for 2026 included 3% raises as well as estimates put together by department heads. The other called for 2% raises and freezes in funds for office supplies, contracts and equipment across all departments.

“I feel like, at that point, we’re to a fairly comfortable number,” said Franks, referencing the more conservative budget proposal.

Council mulled over the budget for about an hour Wednesday following a more than hour-long discussion about whether to purchase new radio equipment for local emergency responders and other personnel. (See related story.)

Council member Bryan Alexander expressed concern that the county’s budget is increasing, not decreasing, for 2026. He pointed to other local government agencies’ budgeting processes.

“I have yet to see any news report of any county or city not cutting,” he said.

He also pointed to wage increases in recent years, saying county officials at that time knew they would slowly deplete the county’s cash reserves.

Council member Harold Towell suggested several cuts, the largest of which included $500,000 from Jay County Commissioners’ budget. (Franks noted reasons for the commissioners’ budget increasing include a new computer maintenance contract and property tax software. Insurance costs also increased. Longevity pay and all county phone bills will also be paid out of the commissioners’ budget starting next year.)

Towell also suggested the county only fund Jay County Country Living through June 2026, approximately six months earlier than the deadline imposed by commissioners. Jay County Country Living’s budget would be essentially halved, cutting roughly $210,000. (County officials recently voted to close the facility while allowing time for its residents to transition to other facilities.)

As a member of the facility’s advisory board, Towell said work on shutting it down has been progressing smoothly. He anticipated it could be ready to close as soon as the end of this year. He also said some residents will stay until the last day it is open.

Bracy, who serves as president of the advisory board, said the end-of-year timeline is hopeful, but agreed closing in June 2026 would be a realistic timeline.

Sheriff Ray Newton asked the council to give department heads guidance on how to go about slashing their budgets.

“I think that’s one of the biggest problems with us right now, we don’t know what to cut, no one is telling us anything,” said Newton.

“Cut money, just cut money,” responded Bracy.

“We’d like to know how much,” Newton said. “You know, if I have to cut $100,000, at least tell me that. Maybe we can look at where to cut.”

A few council members said they aren’t experts about each department’s inner workings, questioning how they could make economical cuts without jeopardizing critical needs. Bracy noted decreases could be different among departments depending on a variety of factors.

“How many of you have actually met with your department heads that you’re over?” asked county clerk Missy Elliott.

Bracy said she had met with some, but not all of them. Other council members didn’t respond to Elliott’s question.

Council president Matt Minnich asked Franks what council would do at its next meeting. Franks explained the council needs to advertise its 2026 budget by the end of this week. (Per state law, the county can’t request a budget higher than what it advertises, but it can make cuts.)

Council will host a public hearing and first reading of the budget Sept. 24. If approved, it will hold a second reading and consider adopting its 2026 budget at its regular council meeting Oct. 8.

Alexander voiced support for publishing the proposed 2026 budget with 2% wage increases. Council then approved moving forward with that version of the budget.