LISBON — Columbiana County commissioners approved a general fund tax budget for next year that’s nearly $1.5 million higher than the general fund appropriations for this year.

But they’ll still need to cut budget requests by $390,947 to hit the mark the auditor says they can spend next year in the general fund.

“The requests are always much more than we’re given,” Commissioner Mike Halleck said.

The projected income totals $28,376,130 while the funding requests from the various offices dependent on the general fund total $28,767,077, for a difference of $390,947. Historically, commissioners don’t always appropriate the entire amount of projected revenue that’s certified for spending when they approve the actual general fund appropriations in late November or early December.

Each year at this time, the county auditor works with the commissioners and determines how much revenue is anticipated for the next year’s general fund. The various offices will submit their requests, which the commissioners will review, determine where to cut and then approve the appropriations for 2027 before the end of this year.

The tax budget, which must be turned in to the auditor’s office this month, is sometimes referred to as the wish list because it’s based on the budget requests, not what commissioners actually provide offices.

Last year at this time, the projected revenue for this year was $26.9 million and the requests totaled more than $27.1 million.

Throughout the year, as the revenue comes in, the commissioners determine whether they can appropriate more money to some of the offices that may request or need more funding. Some of the requests for next year are considerably more than this year and some are slight increases. For example, the commissioners were requesting $650,000. This year’s appropriation when the year started was $643,615. The treasurer requested $639, 964, but this year’s appropriation was listed as $393,586.

The biggest number in the general fund belongs to the sheriff’s office, which is requesting $5,615,698. The original appropriation was $4,630,500. The other big number belongs to housing prisoners, with $4575,000 requested and $4,630,500 appropriated to start 2026.

A lot of the numbers will change when the commissioners determine the appropriations later this year.

During the meeting, the commissioners held public hearings for the county Veterans Service Commission and the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District regarding their budget requests.

Columbiana County Park District Board Chairman Tom Butch also presented commissioners with a copy of the park district’s budget for next year, which totals $86,350, a nearly $6,000 increase from this year’s budget.

The park district receives no money from the county general fund. The only set funding the park district receives is $15,000 per year from the Local Government Fund distribution the county receives, which comes from the state. The Local Government Fund is divvied up by all the subdivisions, with the county keeping half, then the rest divided by the townships, cities and villages, along with the set amount for the park district, with the distribution following a set formula to determine the amounts. The amount for the park district doesn’t change — it’s always $15,000.

Debra Smith, executive director/service officer of the Columbiana County Veterans Service Commission, read from a one-page budget brief explaining the need for $1,463,500 from the general fund for 2027, an increase from the $1,267,300 requested for this year.

She noted the impact of inflation on key expense categories, including training costs, transportation costs and financial assistance programs, saying increased costs compound operational expenses across multiple categories and require higher baseline funding.

She said training expenses are higher due to “higher costs for instructional services, materials, technology platforms, and personnel.”

She said reductions in training are not an option because by law, the VSC must have trained staff.

With higher gas prices, the transportation expenses have increased significantly, too. The VSC transports veterans to daily to local clinics and to Wade Park in Cleveland for medical care. Financial assistance demand continues to increase too for veterans needing help with housing, food and utilities.

“The Veterans Service Commission has always been a good steward of county tax dollars,” she said.

Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District Program Administrator Pete Conkle and board member Duane Nickell spoke briefly regarding their programs, sharing copies of the 2025 annual report. They’re requesting the same as this year, $108,400. Conkle said they finally have a full staff and they’re excited. He explained that for every dollar the county gives them, the state matches it. They’re also helping local producers, who benefit from U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill programs, bringing thousands of dollars back into the county.

The 2025 Environmental Quality Incentive Program/Conservation Stewardship Program had 31 applications approved, resulting in $284,533 in direct payments to producers. For the 2025 USDA/FSA Emergency Commodity Assistance Program, which aids in crop and forage losses, 182 applications were approved, resulting in direct payments totaling $369,940 to producers. Last year, there was a drought.

Conkle said they still do a lot of soil testing and also provide technical assistance related to agricultural conservation, forestry, wildlife habitat, water quality, easement monitoring, watershed planning, pond management and pollution abatement. SWCD employees conducted more than 250 site visits and wrote multiple conservation plans.

The newest staff member is agriculture technician Haley Santee, which Conkle said they’re happy to have to bring them back to a full staff. John Beilhart serves as wildlife and forest specialist and McKinsie Klim serves as the Little Beaver Creek Watershed Coordinator.

To learn more about SWCD, visit the website at www.columbianacoswcd.com.