By GARETT VALCOURT
The Holmes County Board of County Commissioners convened for a special meeting on November 4 to finalize the 2026 annual budget, following a directive from the Florida Department of Revenue to correct an error in the advertised tax levy.
Commissioners approved a tentative millage rate of 9.4916 mills, which is higher than the rollback rate of 8.6366 mills, but consistent with the rate used for fiscal year 2025. This meeting officially completed the county’s budget process for the upcoming fiscal year.
In other business, County Administrator David Corbin requested that the board review the county’s grader leases to develop a long-term plan for the John Deere graders. Commissioner Clint Erickson motioned to allocate $10,000 in remaining funds from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office budget toward renewing the grader leases. Due to a 3% increase, the county will need to budget an additional $4,500, but the renewal will keep the equipment in operation through October 2026, aligning with the next budget cycle.
The board also acknowledged a forthcoming payment of $9,556.20 as part of an insurance claim related to a May 6 data breach. According to county records, the incident occurred when a county commissioner allegedly copied sensitive information of more than 170 county employees onto a USB drive and disseminated that data, prompting an internal and insurance-backed response. The payment represents the county’s portion of costs associated with that breach.
Commissioners took no further action on the matter during the meeting but noted that steps have been taken to strengthen the county’s data security protocols and prevent similar incidents in the future
Staff Report 