By AMBER PATINO
The Washington County Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted a $60.7 million budget and maintained its 8.5000-mill property tax rate during a Monday, September 28, public hearing.
The adopted millage rate remains unchanged and is 7.02% above the county’s rolled-back rate of 7.9424 mills. According to the county’s final millage resolution, Washington County’s certified taxable value for operating purposes increased to approximately $1.64 billion for fiscal year 2026-27.
Commissioners approved both the final millage resolution and final budget resolution by 5-0 votes.
During public comment, Greenhead resident Benita Crittendon questioned several aspects of the proposed budget, including what appeared to be a 40% increase in fire-services funding.
Crittendon also noted that increasing property values are expected to generate additional ad valorem tax revenue despite the millage rate remaining unchanged.
“I’m getting about a 1.3 [million] increase in ad valorem taxes even though the millage rate has stayed the same because taxable values have gone up,” Crittendon said.
County Administrator Andrew Fleener said the increase in ad valorem revenue would not fully offset the county’s financial needs.
“It’s not enough,” Fleener said.
Later on, Commissioner Ashlynn Marquez addressed Crittendon’s question the regarding apparent increase in fire-services funding. Marquez said the increase reflected the consolidation of funding previously budgeted for Greenhead, Five Points, Wausau, and Orange Hill Fire Departments into a county fire-services fund rather than an increase in spending.
“It stayed the same, but then we just took those monies from those other departments and put it in,” Marquez said.
After commissioners approved the final millage rate, Fleener also addressed questions about the size of the county’s overall budget, explaining that a significant portion of the $60.7 million budget consists of grant funds and restricted revenues that can only be used for specific purposes.
“Most of those funds are allocated to specific things to where we can’t spend them on anything except for the grant or what they’re allocated for,” Fleener said.
According to figures presented during the hearing, the county’s budget includes approximately $26.4 million in General Fund expenditures, $4.24 million in transportation funding, $21.6 million in grant-funded projects, and approximately $8.9 million in special revenue funds.
Fleener said many of those funds are restricted by grant requirements or state law.
“Those buckets of money are set aside specifically for certain things and we cannot touch all the different buckets except for the intended purpose of what that use is,” he said.
Crittendon argued that county leaders should focus on discretionary spending when addressing budget challenges.
“My point is there’s several million dollars of discretionary services that can be trimmed,” she said. “There’s fat in this county and I feel like it is disingenuous every time there’s a budget crisis to make our sheriff’s department and EMS the whipping boy when there’s discretionary income that could be cut.”
Crittendon also noted that county officials and constitutional officers had previously been asked to examine potential budget reductions, but argued no actual cuts were ultimately made before adoption of what officials described as a status quo budget.
Following the budget vote, Commissioner David Corbin clarified that constitutional officers had been asked to consider potential reductions but that no cuts were ultimately implemented.
“Originally the constitutional officers were asked to look at doing a 10% cut and then we got down to five,” Corbin said. “The BOCC was going to do the same.”
Fleener said county staff also evaluated possible reductions as part of the budget process.
“We were working on the same exercise to cut 10%,” Fleener said. “We have those laid out to where it’s services if we cut that.”
Crittendon clarified that she was not implying that budget cuts were actually made.
“To clarify, there has been no BOCC cuts in their budget… or the other constitutional officers,” said Crittendon.
Commissioners also unanimously approved the fiscal year 2026-27 budget for the Sunny Hills/Oak Hills Municipal Services Benefit Unit, or MSBU.
The adopted MSBU budget totals $1.51 million and includes an estimated cash carryforward of $850,000.
During public comment, Sunny Hills resident Ken Attard questioned the need for a recent MSBU assessment increase, pointing to the large carryforward balance.
“The entire MSBU budget is $1.5 million, a little over, yet $850,000, that is money already sitting in that fund,” Attard said. “Where was the documented or demonstrated need for the money?”
Marquez responded that the carryforward balance is intentionally maintained to support the community’s road-paving program.
“That money is meant for paving roads,” Marquez said. “We do that every two years, and we do that because we save money on mobilization fees and grouping the roads together with the contractors.”
Attard argued there was no need to increase the assessment, while Marquez said commissioners had also received feedback from residents supporting the program and additional road improvements.
“Not only did they want the amount raised, they wanted it doubled or maybe tripled so y’all could really get some work done in Sunny Hills,” Marquez said.
Commissioner Corbin added that completing paving projects on a two-year cycle has been standard practice throughout his tenure on the board.
The MSBU budget resolution was approved by a 5-0 vote.
GARRETT VALCOURT 
SKYLA CARTER