Burke County commissioners voted to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget during a regular meeting, with Commissioner Bridal making the motion and Commissioner Lively seconding it.

County presenters told commissioners that total budgets have declined in recent years; the figures given during the meeting were $114,963,000 for 2023, about $102,000,020.25 for 2024, about $100,000,000 for 2025 and $95,000,000 for 2026. Commissioner Bridal moved to adopt the FY2026 budget and Commissioner Lively seconded the motion; the board approved the motion in the meeting voice vote (exact vote tally was not recorded in the transcript).

The budget discussion followed a brief public-comment period in which speakers urged attention to general fund priorities. Commissioners and staff thanked department heads and county staff for work on the budget. A speaker in the meeting named Michael Wiseman was singled out in remarks of appreciation for work on the budget process.

Why this matters: the FY2026 adoption finalizes the countyspending plan presented at the meeting and sets the spending framework that county departments will operate under until the next budget cycle. The commissioners proceeded from the vote to discuss a separate personnel request from the sheriffs office.

Discussion versus action: the meeting combined presentation of budget figures and a formal motion to adopt. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or changes to the proposed budget during the vote.