Summit County council approves nine-figure budget for 2026

Summit County Council on December 10, 2025. Photo:

SUMMIT COUNTY — Summit County councilors approved a $100.5 million budget for 2026, including an increase in council salaries to $70,000, up from about $61,000 in 2025. The nine-figure budget is among the largest the county has considered.

The budget passed unanimously Thursday night following weeks of review by the council and the county’s budget committee. It includes funding for public safety, public works, county staff salaries, health services and county operations.

County councilor salaries

The council salary increase followed a discussion about making public service more accessible to people who are not independently wealthy. Council members noted that while the position is technically classified as part time, it often requires 30 to 40 hours of work per week. The increase includes cost-of-living adjustments.

County Councilor Megan McKenna said she took a pay cut when she resigned from her full-time job to run for office. She supplements her income with substitute teaching when possible but said the council schedule makes it difficult to consistently take on part-time work, leaving her living paycheck to paycheck.

Other council members agreed that increasing compensation would help current councilors and future candidates who might otherwise be unable to afford serving. The council agreed to the $70,000 figure for 2026 and discussed tying future council pay to roughly half the salaries of other elected county officials — a benchmark that would place compensation closer to $79,000 in a future budget cycle.

Allocated funds

Beyond compensation, the council reviewed how county funds will be allocated in 2026. About one-third of the budget is dedicated to public safety, with approximately 15% going to public works. General government and elected offices account for another significant portion, alongside funding for health services and county facilities.

County staff emphasized that much of the year-over-year increase is driven by a voter-approved emergency services sales tax, not property taxes. That revenue is restricted and must be used for specific purposes approved by voters.

“What’s driving this increase is the voter-approved sales tax for emergency services,” county staff told the council. “Those funds are restricted — they can’t just be used for other things.”

During the public hearing, Summit County Sheriff Casey Bates thanked the council for increased funding for search and rescue, saying the additional resources would allow for improved training, equipment and volunteer compensation.

“This program literally saves lives,” Bates said. “This is a huge step.”

Councilor Roger Armstrong said he supported passing the 2026 budget but expressed concern about its long-term size.

“This is an extraordinary budget,” Armstrong said. “I would like to get this from nine figures back down to something else.”

The council ultimately approved the 2026 budget by resolution, concluding months of work by county staff and the budget committee.