Costs rise while planned receipts fall
The Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards’ appropriations rise from $7,262,921 in fiscal 2024–25 actual results to $8,935,671 in the adopted 2025–26 plan. The $1,672,750 increase equals 23.0%.
Revenue falls $423,127, or 6.5%, to $6,085,573. The magnitude of net county cost consequently rises from $754,221 to $2,850,098—an increase of $2,095,877, or 277.9%.
| Measure | FY 2024–25 actual | FY 2025–26 adopted | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $6.51M | $6.09M | −6.5% |
| Salaries and benefits | $5.88M | $6.76M | +15.1% |
| Services and supplies | $1.39M | $1.42M | +2.5% |
| Other financing uses | $0 | $750,317 | +$750,317 |
| Net county cost | $0.75M | $2.85M | +277.9% |
Service charges account for most of the revenue decline
Charges for services are budgeted to fall $441,027, or 17.2%, while intergovernmental revenue rises only $44,670. Fines rise $4,991, licenses and permits fall $695, and the miscellaneous line moves from $15,475 to negative $9,790.
Payroll rises $887,896 and services and supplies rise $34,537. The new financing-use line accounts for 44.9% of the total appropriation increase, but Schedule 9 does not identify its recipient or purpose.
The county share is the central finding
The original analysis shows that the local funding burden grows far faster than the department’s spending because service-charge revenue falls while payroll and a transfer line expand. The adopted county contribution is about 3.8 times the prior actual amount.
The summary does not report inspection counts, pesticide enforcement, weights-and-measures tests, staffing vacancies or farm-service demand. It cannot establish whether the added local support improves enforcement or fills a revenue gap.
Method and limitations
The newsroom transcribed Schedule 9 and recomputed every difference from full dollar figures. Net county cost is presented as a positive financing requirement rather than the county schedule’s negative balancing notation.
Actual 2025–26 results may differ from the adopted plan. The unexplained transfer line and projected service-charge decline require transaction and fee-volume records for a complete causal account.