Hancock County Commissioners Send 2027 Budget to Advisory Committee

Hancock County commissioners voted to refer the proposed 2027 county budget, with amendments, to the Budget Advisory Committee after a lengthy debate over a possible stipend for a District Attorney's office supervisor and a proposed new budget department for the Hancock site. Commissioners also approved the 2027-2028 Unorganized Territory budget as proposed and approved minutes from their September 15 special meeting. No members of the public commented at the budget hearing.

Key points

• Commissioners voted to refer the 2027 proposed Hancock County budget, with amendments made during the meeting, to the Budget Advisory Committee.
• A motion to refer both the county budget and the Unorganized Territory budget to the committee was withdrawn, and a new motion covering only the county budget passed; the UT budget goes to the public hearing instead.
• Commissioners voted to approve the 2027-2028 Unorganized Territory budget as proposed.
• Commissioners approved the minutes of the September 15, 2026 special meeting as presented.
• Discussion centered on whether to add a stipend to the District Attorney's budget for an employee who might serve as office supervisor, with the chair citing a legal opinion that the district attorney cannot serve as department head; the district attorney said he never refused the role and that the opinion letter was not universally accepted.
• Commissioners discussed creating a separate Department 22 for the Hancock site, weighing RCC equipment costs, IT, EMA, maintenance, and insurance, and the chair proposed adding $250,000 for construction and $50,000 in rental revenue, with the RCC equipment expense removed as a one-time cost.
• The county received a $2,000 check at a county convention for a fourth-place finish in a safe driver competition, to be distributed proportionally among departments that contributed mileage.

Next steps

• The Budget Advisory Committee will review the proposed 2027 county budget with the amendments discussed.
• Commissioners will continue refining Department 22 numbers, including construction costs and rental revenue, over the next two months.
• The county will obtain space specifications and requirements from the state for the proposed Hancock site substation project.
• The $2,000 safe driver award will be distributed proportionally among the departments that contributed mileage.

Read the full transcript