Stephens County commissioners adopt $41.6 million FY2026 budget and raise the millage rate

Stephens County commissioners began budget work in late May, making the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget available for public review on May 27. A first public hearing on the proposed budget followed on June 10.

After a second public hearing on June 24, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and authorized the chairman to sign the resolution, setting the government-wide operating budget at $41,623,134 and the General Fund at $23,275,844.

To fund the adopted budget, commissioners proposed keeping the county's maintenance and operations millage rate unchanged at 10.38 mills for the unincorporated district and 12.62 mills for the incorporated district, which county officials said amounts to a 7.54 percent increase over the rollback rate for unincorporated areas and 8.48 percent for incorporated areas because of rising property values. The board held three public hearings on the rate, on July 28 (two sessions) and August 4, where several residents spoke in opposition and none spoke in favor.

At the August 4 called meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the county millage rate along with the Board of Education's recommended millage rate and the 2025 tax levy.