Loudon County officials presented a draft fiscal-year budget that would add a four-year aerial reinspection contract with EagleView, expand 24-hour medical care at the county jail, increase fire-safety funding and give most full-time county employees a $3,000 pay increase and regular part-time staff an 8% raise.

The proposed budget was introduced at a commission meeting in which Mayor Buddy Bradshaw opened the presentation and county staff reviewed highlights, including an expected roughly $200,000 increase in insurance costs and a plan to match a $125,000 increase for fire protection funding. The commission set a public hearing on the budget for June 16.

The budget includes a four-year contract for EagleView aerial imagery and data services intended to identify new structures and changes to properties between flights. Mike Campbell, identified in the presentation as the assessor who recommended the contract, described the flyovers as episodic: “The flyover is just a single point in time. So the flight is a flight,” and said the program’s workflow pairs the aerial flight with a later processing phase to recognize newly constructed improvements. County officials said the next flight is scheduled for January 2026 and a follow-up flight in January 2028, so the county would catch changes made between those dates.

Campbell said the county would follow existing notice and appeal procedures after discovering new, unreported improvements. “We send out an assessment change notice, and that’s the official, TCA requirement that says we notify them, and they have that it opens the door for discussion for appeals and then the procedures for discussion,” he said, explaining the formal step that allows property owners to contest new assessments.

On personnel, the budget document recommends a flat $3,000 salary increase for full-time employees (prorated for employees scheduled less than 40 hours) and an 8% increase for regular part-time staff. County presenters said two additional positions are proposed: a full-time juvenile officer who speaks Spanish and a part-time employee to support expanded senior-center hours. Officials also flagged a roughly $200,000 increase in the county’s insurance line if the commission proceeds with the recommended carrier and plan.

Commissioners and staff discussed implementation questions and next steps rather than taking final votes. Commissioners asked how EagleView findings would be verified on gated or restricted properties and whether aerial detection would immediately trigger new assessments and billing. Campbell said some follow-up can be done electronically, while other cases require on-site inspection and that assessment-change notices are the formal mechanism that triggers appeals and further review. County staff noted that industrial and other restricted-access properties sometimes require additional safety protocols or court orders to inspect in person.

The presenters also reviewed the county’s longer-term fiscal picture, saying the county budgets conservatively (using a 98% revenue estimate for most funds) and has raised its fund balance over the past decade; a staff presenter said that practice “has enabled us to get our fund balance up to 17.5.” The presentation noted the budget does not increase commissioners’ salaries.

Discussion at the meeting ranged from technical details about how aerial imagery is used to catch unpermitted improvements (staff said docks and other waterfront structures are a common example) to broader personnel policy questions. Several commissioners urged study of performance reviews, pay-grade structures and retention strategies before making future raises permanent; staff recommended consulting comparative data sources such as CTAS for a formal pay study.

No final appropriations vote was taken at the session. The commission set a public hearing on the proposed budget for June 16 and scheduled a follow-up meeting after that hearing to consider changes and possible adoption.