Supervisors Approve 2026 County Budget In Split Vote
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COFFEEVILLE – After a public hearing and a half-hour discussion, the Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors adopted the county’s budget for the 2025–2026 fiscal year during a Sept. 8 meeting at the Coffeeville courthouse. The $11.7 million spending plan passed on a 4–1 vote, with District 5 Supervisor Gaylon Gray casting the lone dissent.
The new budget takes effect Oct. 1 and increases from $11,486,285 in the current year to $11,716,419. A large portion of that revenue comes from the county’s ad valorem tax levy — the property taxes paid on homes, land, vehicles, and other property. While the county also receives money from state and federal sources, grants, fees, and fines, the property tax levy remains the most important local source of funding. This year collections from the ad valorem tax levy will rise by 10 percent, from $5,642,961 to $6,216,397, an increase of $573,436.
Gray said he could not support the budget, noting that the county cut only 2.18 mills from the general fund tax levy, even though property assessments have increased. “I am concerned,” Gray said. He added that the county’s millage rate would have needed to drop to 66 mills to generate the same revenue as this year. “And we only cut it 2.18 mills,” he said. The overall county ad valorem millage rate for the new year will be 74.91 mills.
The sheriff’s department will see one of the largest increases, up $163,002 to $946,743. Supervisors agreed to fund two additional deputies to improve overnight coverage, along with pay raises and health insurance contributions that other departments also received. Countywide, pay raises for full- and part-time employees will surpass $100,000 as full-time workers will receive a $150 monthly raise.
Other increases in the budget include $7,500 to fund $2,500 raises for each of the three MSU Extension Service employees, along with a $1,500 donation to the 4-H program; $17,573 more for the Yalobusha County Library System, after library director Patty Bailey warned that hours or services could be cut without more funding; and a 10 percent increase budgeted for health insurance premiums. The county currently pays $681 per month for each of its 52 full-time employees.
Other countywide levies will remain unchanged but will generate additional tax revenue because of the increase in assessments due to higher property values. The 9.20-mill bridge levy will generate $807,474, up from $710,902 in the current fiscal year for an increase of $96,573. The 4.65-mill road levy will grow from $275,089 to $316,861, an increase of $41,772, or about $8,354 for each supervisor district. The 3.07-mill county fire protection levy will also see a bump in collections, rising from $152,125 to $171,332.
The meeting opened with a public hearing, giving citizens the opportunity to comment on the spending plan before adoption. No comments were made.
