Waldo County commissioners are expected to propose a new 2026 budget that amounts to roughly a 13.6% increase over 2025, they said at a meeting Tuesday. This will be the third budget the commission has proposed in three months.
The commissioners will meet Thursday to approve the new budget proposal. After that, the county budget committee, which has final say over approving the spending plan, will meet to consider the proposal. The committee is likely to meet next week, though a date has not yet been finalized.
In December, the commission proposed a 2026 budget that amounted to a 36% hike over 2025 and was met with public outcry. In January, commissioners proposed a 17% increase, but the budget committee chose not to vote on it, and instead asked for deeper cuts.
Commissioner Tim Parker said he preferred the proposed 17% increase to the most recent version, which was reduced by shifting spending to other years and leaving positions unfilled.
“I just want to rip the Band-Aid off,” he said.
For now, the county is operating at 80% of its 2025 budget. The county will have to start reducing its spending in August or September if a budget isn’t passed before then, Finance Director Kari Hunt said.
