COLUMBUS — Stillwater County commissioners approved their preliminary budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 this week after implementing across-the-board cuts of roughly 10% to address plummeting revenues from the county's struggling mining sector.

The cuts come as economic shockwaves from Sibanye-Stillwater's 700-employee layoff announcement a year ago continue reverberating through county finances. Mining revenue represents approximately one-third of the county's total revenue, making the industry's downturn a critical threat to essential services.

"Most departments did a really good job cutting their budgets by at least 10%. We were pretty successful in reaching our goal there," said Commissioner Steve Riveland during Monday's budget approval meeting.

Beyond departmental cuts, the county

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