Greene County Commissioners Review Tight FY26-27 Budget, Salary Study and Possible Changes During Workshop
Greene County commissioners used a recent FY 2026-2027 budget workshop to question spending priorities, employee raises, utility fees, recreation concerns, landfill planning and whether the county should continue funding a lobbyist contract.
The workshop followed County Manager Kyle DeHaven’s presentation of a proposed budget that keeps the county’s property tax rate unchanged while recommending fee increases, salary adjustments and limited new staffing.
DeHaven told commissioners the budget is balanced, but tight.
“You have before you a balanced budget,” DeHaven said. “It uses the same tax rate as prior year.”
He said the county has held the same tax rate for more than a decade while costs and service demands have continued to rise.
“We’re providing increased levels of service,” DeHaven said. “It just continues to get tighter and tighter.”
Commissioners questioned whether the proposed 2% cost-of-living adjustment for employees should be increased closer to the current inflation figure discussed during the meeting. DeHaven said he would review the number, but cautioned that any increase would affect the county’s use of fund balance.
A 1% employee raise was discussed as costing roughly in the range of $100,000 to $130,000, before related benefit costs. Commissioners also discussed projected sales tax growth, including a 4.7% forecast from the state Fiscal Research Division. DeHaven said the county used the full projected increase this year because the budget needed the revenue.
A major portion of the workshop focused on the county’s salary study. Consultant Becky Beasley explained that the study reviewed job classifications, market pay and compression, which occurs when long-term employees end up too close in pay to newer employees.
Beasley said the study was designed to help the county recruit and retain employees while maintaining fairness across departments.
“The classification plan is a position classification plan, not an employee classification plan,” Beasley said. “We study jobs, not people.”
DeHaven said the budget includes one version of the salary-study recommendations that the county could afford. He said the proposal places particular emphasis on addressing compression for employees with time in their positions. Larger departments, including the sheriff’s office, jail, EMS, dispatch, DSS and health department, were described as among those most affected.
Commissioners also discussed whether to continue funding lobbyist Jim Perry. DeHaven said the proposed budget had removed the expense, but commissioners discussed keeping the contract for six months and revisiting it depending on state budget activity. The contract was described as month-to-month with a 30-day notice provision.
The county’s recreation department drew extended discussion. Commissioners raised concerns about Little League conduct, alcohol at ballgames, possible signage, security presence, playground shade, trash, road signs and the draft process for teams. Commissioners also discussed whether a law enforcement presence could be coordinated at certain games without pulling deputies away from broader patrol responsibilities.
Landfill planning was another area of concern. DeHaven said the county is still working to address landfill closure costs and is trying to do so gradually through solid waste fee increases. Commissioners discussed whether the county should begin negotiating for future landfill expansion property now rather than waiting until land prices rise.
The workshop also covered water and sewer rates, transportation funding, vehicle replacement, software costs for tax and inspections, and a proposed information technology position. DeHaven said the IT position would help support in-house needs while continuing the county’s relationship with its outside provider.
No final budget action was taken during the workshop. The discussion gave DeHaven several items to review before commissioners consider adoption of the FY 2026-2027 budget.
