Henry County will hold a budget work session on Tuesday at the Administrative Building’s fourth-floor conference room. The meeting will continue talks from April 3, in which staff presented a preliminary budget to supervisors.
A link to the county’s proposed 2025-2026 budget can be found on the county website. County staff managed to balance the preliminary general fund budget at $222,815,547 without having to implement a tax increase. Henry County’s current tax rate is 55.5 cents per $100 valuation.
While staff suggests the county maintain its current tax rate, that could change as supervisors meet with departments and hash out the budget details.
“Ultimately, the Board holds the power to adopt a budget that may be different from the one proposed by the county administrator, ensuring that it aligns with their strategic vision for the County,” reads information from the current proposed budget.
The budget message goes into the tug-of-war between economic challenges and emphasizing its priorities, like public safety and education.
“Developing this budget was a challenging process. Meeting statutory obligations, fairly compensating employees, and addressing inflationary pressures required tough decisions,” reads part of the budget message. “The result is a plan that prioritizes Henry County’s core needs — education, public safety, and economic development — while recognizing that not all requests could be funded.”
The budget describes the county as being economically sound but facing some future uncertainties. These include rising prices related to the cost of living, among other things.
“The challenges ahead are not new — our community has faced much more difficult times in the past. However, the pressures are greater than last year, requiring us to focus on sustainability, efficiency, and the fundamental services that keep our community functioning.”
Staff cited the economic landscape as one of the main reasons behind maintaining the tax rate. According to staff, they are able to do this by dipping into the county’s reserves or unassigned fund balance.
“Using a local government’s fund balance to cover recurring operating expenses is generally not a good idea because it can lead to financial instability, harm the bond rating, and encourage inefficient budgeting,” reads information from the budget. “The best practice is to use fund balances for onetime expenses, capital projects, or to stabilize short-term revenue fluctuations rather than covering ongoing costs like salaries, utilities, or routine maintenance.”
While the county must maintain its unassigned fund balance at 15%, Henry County is at 18%.
