LAWRENCE COUNTY— The Lawrence County Council is facing a difficult financial challenge as it works to trim approximately $1.8 million from the county payroll due to steady increases in personnel expenses since 2021. The issue was a topic of the council’s meeting Thursday evening in the commissioners’ room at the Lawrence County Courthouse.
Councilman Scott Smith outlined the sharp rise in expenses over the past four years, highlighting the jump from $11.6 million in 2021 to an estimated $15 million in 2025.
“The big change happened when you go back to ’21, a year of $11.6 million. In ’22 you got 12.2, ’23 you got 13.2, then all at once in 2024 you’re hit with a $14.644 million year,” Smith said. “Then you come back the very next year and it’s another $400,000. So that’s pretty self-explanatory on where we are on county general (personnel expense).”
Faced with the growing deficit, the council began discussing the difficult reality of cutting county positions and benefits to balance the budget.
“I agree with Scott,” said Councilman Jeff Lytton. “When I looked at this last year, looked at it again, and we need to eliminate positions and benefits to cure this problem. It’s not nice to say, but it’s the truth.”
The council voted unanimously to have the various department heads meet individually with Auditor Martha Turner to review budget and personnel restructuring. The department heads will first meet with the council as a group on March 31 at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the county’s 2026 budget projections.
“We ballooned our expenses, but our revenue didn’t come up,” Smith said. “We have to find a way to rewind the clock basically.”
The council is expected to continue discussing potential cuts and restructuring measures in the coming months as it works to stabilize the county’s financial outlook.
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