Fulton County officials presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget that would rely on a $232.7 million carryforward balance and generate about $996 million in revenue while spending $1.053 billion, producing a projected ending fund balance of roughly $175.6 million. The county’s chief financial officer told the board the plan’s baseline millage assumption is 9.26 mils, using a 3.11% growth in the digest and a 95.2% collection rate.

The presentation highlighted an additional, discretionary set of consent‑decree‑related expenditures estimated at $32 million and noted that those costs could increase, perhaps by another $30 million. The CFO said adding the larger amount would raise the millage by roughly three‑to‑five tenths of a mil, depending on final assumptions.

Commissioners asked staff for more transparent scenarios showing multiple options — for example, one that holds the millage flat, one that includes the full consent‑decree costs, and one that shows the effect of requested departmental enhancements. Several members urged staff to publish clearer written and online materials so the public can see the assumptions behind the presented millage estimate.

The board debated how to trim the budget. Staff proposed a uniform 1% reduction to operating budgets as a pragmatic, implementable step; some commissioners opposed a blanket cut and argued for surgical, department‑specific cuts tied to nonmandated programs. Questions also arose about treatment of certain line items labeled as “consent decree” in the presentation: some commissioners said separating that amount created a misleading appearance because property tax revenue is a single pool and consent‑decree costs are ultimately spent across departments.

County staff said they will return in January with revised budget documents incorporating actual 2025 results, any additional consent‑decree recommendations and clearer scenario charts that show the millage impact for alternate assumptions. The presentation and discussion set the stage for formal adoption procedures in the January meetings.

What’s next: staff will update the proposed budget at the first January meeting to include year‑end actuals and alternate millage scenarios; commissioners asked for publicly viewable slides and scenario tables in advance.