The Bulloch County commissioners, who held a budget hearing on June 18, are slated to adopt a county government budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 – which begins July 1 – during a special, public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26.

Exactly what budget they approve remains to be seen, since Chairman David Bennett and other commissioners, such as Nick Newkirk, during the previous hearing discussed possible spending cuts that could allow for a “full rollback” of the property tax millage rate, offsetting any inflation in assessed property values. But these spending reductions could also require some deep cuts in services, Bennett observed. The other option, which is in fact the budget first proposed by the county staff, would keep the millage rate the same, which would trigger a series of “tax increase” hearings.

Both options, or anything between, would still require spending some of the county’s accumulated general-fund balance, regarded as a “rainy day” reserve.

On June 20, a summary of an “alternative” budget, described as “merging cuts suggested by Chairman Bennett and Commissioner Newkirk to achieve a budget that cuts expenditures to a point where a full millage rate rollback can be achieved without using an excessive amount of fund balance,” was posted to the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners page on Facebook.

“These cuts would directly reduce service levels in many areas,” the introductory paragraph continued. “These suggested cuts have not been full vetted by staff.”

Suggested cuts included a reduction in the across-the-board pay increase for county employees from 2% to 1% and a reduction in the maximum performance-based raise from 1% to 0.5%.

The alternative budget did not include any of the departments’ requested full- or part-time new personnel positions and would cut four vacant positions from the Pulblic Works Department and one vacant position from the Recreation & Parks Department.

It would also reduce funding for employee education and training, travel, dues, professional services, vehicle and equipment maintenance, rental equipment, inmate meals and small equipment for most of the county’s departments.

Regarding “outside” agencies, that budget would increase Bulloch County’s funding to the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office by 30% but cut funding to the Development Authority of Bulloch County by 40% from its fiscal 2025 allocation. It would deny an increase requested by the Statesboro-Bulloch County Library and keep its Bulloch County contribution the same as last fiscal year’s.

With those cuts, the alternative budget would still require spending $2,063,512 in general fund balance, according to the summary.

‘Proposed’ budget

However, the fiscal 2025-2026 proposed budget included with the agenda for the Thursday, June 26, decision meeting does not incorporate all of those cuts. It still includes a 2% across-the-board raise, as well as up to 1% additional pay for performance. It would fund 23 new full-time positions and 1 new part-time position, including 21 added full-time public safety personnel, two full-time public works personnel and one part-time judicial or court employee.

Keeping the same millage rate in 2025 as in 2024, that budget is expected to require $2,255,600 from the carried-over fund balance to “balance” the general fund, according to its summary. But it “should provide a level tax amount for Homestead properties, while including an increase for Non-Homestead properties, thus shifting the tax burden away from homeowners onto other property types,” the summary states.

Homestead break

This alludes to a change in state law that creates a “floating” homestead exemption for owner-occupied homes, pegged to the generally lower national inflation rate of the Consumer Price Index instead of local real estate inflation. If homeowners are already receiving any of the Georgia homestead exemptions, they should receive the new one automatically. But if they don’t already receive an exemption, they need to apply at the Bulloch County Board of Tax Assessors office or online at bullochtaxassessors.org by a July 7 deadline.

This year, the floating exemption will largely eliminate the inflationary increase for homeowners, according to Bulloch County appraisers.

The county’s proposed budget, as shown in the agenda, includes almost $72.1 million in general fund spending but $69.8 million in projected general fund revenue. Actual general fund spending for fiscal 2025, now ending, has reportedly reached about $72.15 million. Weather disasters and previously unbudgeted cost overruns in the county’s largely self-funded plan for employee health coverage were major factors in added costs.

Thursday’s meeting is not set up as a further formal hearing, but the agenda includes time for public comments before the “new business,” item, which is a resolution to adopt the budget and 2026 work program.