STEUBENVILLE — With less than two weeks to go before the final 2026 budget must be submitted, Jefferson County commissioners said Thursday there may not be much they can do at this late date to departments that chose to ignore their pleas to trim spending this year.

But in 2027, commissioners said those same department heads are going to have to deal with a grim new reality — deeper funding cuts, vacancies that aren’t filled and potential layoffs.

At the same time, the county’s water and sewer customers are facing hefty rate hikes just to make it through the current budget year: For water customers, that means paying $44.80 — a $10 increase — for the first 2,000 gallons used, plus $12 per thousand gallons (a $2 increase), prorated, for overages. Sewer customers will be billed $73.48 (a $26 increase) for the first 2,000 gallons of sewage produced, plus $12 per thousand (a $2 increase) for overages.

“The rate increases would address costs for the rest of 2026, [but] another increase would still be needed [for both water and sewer] in 2027 to keep pace with ongoing system expenses,” Water and Sewer Service District Director Jonathan Sgalla said.

“It’s unfortunate rate payers must endure these increases, however they are 100 percent necessary to ensure the district can continue providing water and sewer services that meet EPA standards. I have always said, rate increases need to occur annually to prepare for mandates, inflation and the necessary system upkeep. You cannot wait 17 years and have a miniscule 3 percent increase. [I think] customers would be much more receptive of a $2 monthly increase than a $30-$50 increase every 15 years.”

Overall, commissioners said the county’s 2026 spending plan leaves much to be desired.

“We can pass this budget, but what departments need to understand is that’s just more that they’re going to have to cut at the end of this year to make up for their lack of [belt tightening] now,” Auditor E.J. Conn said. “And we can’t allow the small number of departments that did cut (their requests) to be cut the same amount as everybody else next year.”

Conn said revenues are decreasing even as costs continue to go up. “There will still need to be significant cuts next year if departments spend the entirety of what they have requested,” he said. “Expenses will need to be reviewed, and departments should begin to examine plans now for the 2027 budget year.”

Commissioners and Conn voiced their frustrations during an hourlong work session focused on the county budget. That discussion was followed by an hourlong work session scrutinizing the water and sewer enterprise funds, both of which are mired in red ink.

Conn said that instead of cutting their budgets, some departments penciled in bigger amounts — one of the few exceptions was Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr., who submitted a revised budget this week reflecting his department’s 7.5 percent reduction. Conn said they can only cover the $25.6 million in 2026 budget requests by spending down their cash carryover, which is currently $8.95 million. While that sounds like a lot, if department heads spend everything they asked for by the end of 2026, they’d only have about a $2.53 million carryover, which, at that rate, won’t last long.

“There’s going to have to be more cuts next year, even to the ones that did make a cut this year,” Conn said. “My hope is that the ones that were able to make a cut this year won’t have to make up as much as the departments that didn’t cut anything this year, because there’s no reason that one department should be negatively affected more than another because we’re all in it together. We’ve got to right the ship and right-size county government so we can be efficient and live within our means.”

He said worst-case scenario is layoffs, “and if somebody retires, maybe not replacing (them) if it’s not a critical, absolutely necessary position.”

“I fail to see why they would increase it in the time that elapsed from our last budget session (March 12), after we asked for a 7.5 percent (cut),” Conn told commissioners, all of whom voiced their frustration that few department heads heeded their call to cut costs.

“I don’t think (it) was a huge, huge ask,” Commissioner Eric Timmons said. “And they could always come back to us later and ask (for more), if they really need money.”

Commissioner Jake Kleineke figures having a cash carryover has lulled department heads into a false sense of security.

“They’re not taking cuts because they see that we have a carryover. Until there’s zeroes, some people aren’t going to do anything,” Kleineke said, pointing out that might come sooner than they think.

“You know, we have a $2.5 million carryover the way things are right now, so it went from $9 million [after the books closed on 2025] … Next year, there won’t be anything left.”

Kleineke pointed out utility costs are continuing to climb “and we have wage increases that are union-negotiated that we can’t change.”

“It just costs more to run the county, more than the revenues coming in,” he added. “We’re trying to do different things, we’re looking at economic development (opportunities).”

Commissioner Tony Morelli figures department heads don’t believe there’s a budget crisis.

“It’s for real, folks,” he said. “I don’t like to be in the seat that has to do it.”