County Adopts Preliminary Budget For Fy 2026
 | Author:
Linda Kent, MT43 News Correspondent
MT43 News Correspondent |
County Adopts Preliminary Budget for FY 2026
Linda Kent
MT43 News Correspondent
Broadwater County Commissioners adopted preliminary revenue and expense budgets for Fiscal Year 2026 during the regular commission meeting on May 28.
County Administrator Bill Jarocki presented the budgets, projecting approximately $17.8 million in revenue and $17.9 million in expenses for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Revenues for FY25 were just over $17.5 million, with expenses at $17 million for the same time frame.
Jarocki noted that one area that is still being worked through is the significant drop in the county’s public safety budget as a result of the failure of the department’s bond issue. One proposal is to increase what the county charges other cities and counties and the state for housing prisoners in the Broadwater County Detention Center.
"That will make up for a lot of the shortfall", Jarocki said. “But not all of it.”
At the request of Commission Chair Lindsey Richtmyer, Jarocki also explained that, “Property tax is not the most significant revenue in our budget. We receive significant revenue from federal and state grants. We also have fees for service, which are established by the Legislature and administered by the treasurer’s office and clerk’s office.”
Jarocki added that there are contracts, such as the public safety contract between the City of Townsend and Broadwater County to provide police service, as well as enterprise funds that receive fee payments and are managed independently from overall department budgets. Finally, the county receives payment in lieu of tax (PILT) monies from the federal government for federal land within the county’s borders. The federal government does not pay regular property taxes on that land.
Richtmyer said she will leave the hearing open for public comment through the adoption of the final budget in June.
