Chatham County

General Fund Budget · $222.4MAdopted

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Adopted Budget

The Board of Commissioners approved the FY2026-2027 budget on June 15, 2026. This explorer focuses on the $222.4M General Fund within the County's $303.2M all-funds budget.

Total Budget

$222.4M

$2,808 per resident

+4.5% from prior year

Property Tax Rate

$0.6000 / $100

1¢ = $2,325,634

Personnel

$72.0M

32% of budget

Debt Service

$22.8M

10.3% of budget

Budget Highlights

•Adopted General Fund budget of $222.4M, a 4.5% increase over FY25-26
•The County's adopted all-funds budget totals $303.2M
•Property tax rate remains at $0.60 per $100 assessed value
•Total property valuation: $23.44 billion; one penny generates $2,325,634
•Chatham County Schools: $71.2M (largest single allocation, 32% of budget)
•Sheriff's Office: $18.8M (+7.8%), Detention Center: $7.4M (+3.5%)
•717.41 FTEs (+6.5 new positions, 0.9% increase)
•Solid Waste & Recycling Enterprise Fund: $6.0M (separate fund)
•Capital transfers: $27.5M for CIP and debt reserve
•Fund balance appropriation of $7.5M (3.4% of budget)

Revenue by Source

Property Tax63%

Sales Tax14%

Transfers In8%

Intergovernmental6%

Fund Balance3%

Permits & Fees2%

Charges for Services1%

Other Taxes1%

Interest1%

Other Revenue0%

Spending by Department

Click a department for details

Spending Composition

$72.0M

Personnel (32.4%)

$126.0M

Operating & Allocations (56.7%)

$1.5M

Capital (0.7%)

$22.8M

Debt Service (10.3%)

Budget Adoption Timeline

Manager's Recommended Budget presented

May 1, 2026

Budget adopted by Board of Commissioners

June 15, 2026

Fiscal year began

July 1, 2026