ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — St. Charles County released its recommended 2027 budget Friday. The county executive’s plan lists $586.9 million in expenditures across all funds, including $261 million in capital outlay.

Capital costs explain most of the gap between the proposal and what the county expects to spend in 2026. The county estimates $92.5 million in capital spending this year against an appropriation of $254.7 million. For 2027, the recommendation is about $6.3 million above the current appropriation and about $168.6 million above estimated spending.

The all-funds summary projects an ending balance of about $51 million under the recommendation, down from an estimated $273.7 million at the start of 2027. The current-year budget also anticipated a much lower ending balance than the county now expects. The comparison makes the timing of major projects important to interpreting how much cash the county will actually use.

The County Council still has to consider the proposal. Under the county charter, it must publish a summary and give the public at least 10 days’ notice before a budget hearing. The key questions are which projects account for the capital increase and how much of that work the county expects to pay for during 2027.