Taul presents Hardin County Fiscal Court budget for 2025-2026

Hardin County Judge/Executive Keith Taul gave a presentation on his proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during the Hardin County Fiscal Court’s second meeting of the month Tuesday.

“It’s difficult because it’s trying to balance out the fact that you’re needing to take and consider growth in the county, but at the same time with limited, very limited funds, so how do you balance that out?” Taul said.

Taul proposed a total budget of $60,780,515, up from the previous fiscal year’s budget of $59,615,729. Taul said challenges in the budget include the continued impact of inflation, accounting for a 1.8 percent increase in personnel costs, and necessary commitments such as subsidies for county departments, which Taul noted at $12 million comes in higher than the county’s property tax draw of $11.6 million.

“It kind of gives you an idea, I believe, of what we’re up against here,” Taul said. “All of our property tax is gone, even in excess of that, even before we get to some of our departments and other things that we are trying to do, some of the other services.”

Taul said the net operating budget is balanced with revenues and expenses both estimated at $23,646,154. That revenue includes a 4 percent increase in property taxes and $2.5 million of the annual hospital sale payout funds.

“I’m not saying that we should use all $2.7 million every year for the next 20 years, but we have it available to us as we try to figure out how to continue to grow our services at a very efficient way, but as we try to figure out how to increase revenues to cover all those, right now we have this available to us,” Taul said.

Taul’s budget presentation can be found on the county website. The fiscal court’s finance committee will hold meetings on the budget, with the first reading of the budget ordinance scheduled for the next Hardin County Fiscal Court meeting on May 13.

(Photo Credit: Hardin County Government YouTube Channel)