Oktibbeha County proposes $137 million budget for 2027, driven by hospital sale
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors reviewed a proposed fiscal year 2027 budget of $137 million, a $76 million increase over the current year, at a public hearing Sept. 12.
The county administrator, identified during the meeting only as "Wayne," with his surname unclear in the meeting's caption record, told the board the proposed total represents a 124% jump from FY26. "The great majority of that increase comes from the increase in cash resulting from the sale of hospital which $71 million," he said, adding that "the remainder from the increase in funds uh from bond proceeds." The board went through the budget department by department during the hearing as it moved toward adoption.
The general fund itself is proposed at $21.4 million, up $1.2 million from the current year, according to the meeting record.
The scale of the one-year increase is notable because most of it does not come from ongoing county revenue. Instead, the bulk stems from a one-time cash infusion tied to the sale of the county hospital, worth $71 million, along with proceeds from new bond issuance. That distinction matters for assessing whether the county's finances are genuinely stronger heading into FY2027 or whether the total budget figure reflects a temporary surge in available cash rather than a lasting change in revenue. The administrator's name and the precise figures cited at the hearing have not yet been confirmed against the filed FY2027 budget document.