[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6569157,"mediaKeyId","3192501-79d3952633f65a7c85851c11a6e46af4","parentId",3192501,"title","Dare County presents fiscal 2026 budget plan; approves opioid settlement spending and early college construction contract","audioSeconds",3085,"startMs",13091000,"endMs",16176000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192501-79d3952633f65a7c85851c11a6e46af4&start=13091&end=16176","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192501-79d3952633f65a7c85851c11a6e46af4/thumbnail_13091000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6569157/Dare-County/North-Carolina/Dare-County-presents-fiscal-2026-budget-plan-approves-opioid-settlement-spending-and-early-college-construction-contract","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569157-113026955851449cef097f6f0544ae02/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196929&Signature=Y0ssYCzPDutqNgOnS4IS40IIixy4W~uHUArncUhQ~mqbl9HEr3FRtVym3mtdw5M6x-IAnu09VqcO71wBDTCu2HTjfxYtry-Sgj6wZ75-QRDyoRby8D3RNRaKndsaM6gOAMr-XoVQd7dGrta4VroKLPWoW15sRDxjaqJd9ESfs-k3rl9uiHnp-vMfQLa1G47IFlTlQkV2x7Lc3uLtZ0d-TIbG-zc4i67YUAJb12l8odauD0JnwHPCQiAWESJiJp8ZCEMk81FIVP-vmPykI5Pmv~-UQ8d8Mc~9tQkvRLLFSRKsGlRCQzq9sjYnRusuy0kRjb8rA0pUeI-KQSKFunw0Fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dare County","date","2025-05-05T18:48:20.387Z","article","Dare County officials presented the manager’s recommended fiscal year 2026 budget and a planned FY27 projection during the Board of Commissioners meeting on May 5, and the board approved several related capital and program actions.

County staff proposed a FY26 operating budget of $242,865,850 and a planned FY27 budget of $247,340,675. The recommendation preserves existing service levels, implements a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for full‑time employees and a $0.50 hourly increase for part‑time staff, continues the county’s 3% 401(k) contribution, and does not include a general‑fund property‑tax increase; the recommended revenue neutral property‑tax rate is 26.32¢. The manager and finance staff told commissioners they balanced FY26 using a portion of the county’s available fund balance and a $1,000,000 transfer from the community development/housing fund, while warning that repeated use of fund balance to cover recurring costs would be unsustainable in later years.

The budget presentation noted major cost drivers including a requested increase for Dare County Schools (local current expense and other items), health‑care and retirement costs, utility and contract increases, and information‑security spending. The county has budgeted continuing school funding under the county’s preexisting formula, and staff reported that existing school capital capacity and restricted funding sources make the early college project financially feasible under the proposed plan.

The board approved the manager’s recommended budget package and voted to schedule a public hearing on the FY26 budget for June (the board later adjusted the public hearing date to June 9). Commissioners asked staff to return with the capital improvement plan and the capital investment fund details for final adoption at the June hearing.

On capital projects, commissioners approved a pre‑construction contract with Barnhill for a package of county facility projects (public works and sheriff/EMS facilities) and approved a separate contract awarding the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for construction of the Dare County Early College. The board voted to authorize the county manager to sign the construction contract. County staff said the GMP for construction came in at $21,100,676 and that the total project budget (including related costs) remains within the capital plan submitted to the board.

Separately, the Saving Lives opioid‑settlement task force presented its recommended FY26 allocation plan for local opioid settlement funds. The board approved the task force’s recommended distribution (FY26 total $383,700) to support a mix of ongoing peer‑support and recovery‑court coordinator positions, treatment and aftercare grants to local providers, naloxone and test‑strip purchases, transportation and social‑determinants supports, and a continued allocation for services within the detention center. The measure passed unanimously.

County officials said they will present final budget ordinances, the capital improvement plan and any required bond resolutions at the June public hearing, along with a resolution to issue limited‑obligation bonds needed for school and capital financing. The board approved placing the required public hearing on June 9 and instructed staff and bond counsel to finalize the documents needed for LGC review and final adoption.

Votes taken at the May 5 meeting included unanimous approvals of the opioid‑settlement allocation plan, the Barnhill pre‑construction contracts, the Early College GMP contract and related capital project ordinances, and the motion to call a public hearing on the budget and bond actions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dare County Board of Commissioners Meeting - May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dare County officials on May 5 presented a manager’s recommended FY2026 budget of $242.9 million with no general‑fund property‑tax increase, approved committee recommendations for opioid‑settlement spending, and authorized construction contracts and pre‑construction work for county capital projects including the Dare County Early College.","taxTitle","Dare County, North Carolina","taxId",71389,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6569160,"Dare County tables proposed removal of Buxton Woods buffer, requests legal review",6307,1796000,8103000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192501-79d3952633f65a7c85851c11a6e46af4&start=1796&end=8103","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192501-79d3952633f65a7c85851c11a6e46af4/thumbnail_1796000.jpg","/articles/6569160/Dare-County/North-Carolina/Dare-County-tables-proposed-removal-of-Buxton-Woods-buffer-requests-legal-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569160-eed4b26e03d94cc60339c0d9832bb7fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771196929&Signature=GkZYQxs2VMq8umAZnRiAhN5YRvQUX4Qw6CuiUIkbCCD-2uvKATik~59WinmGwT0fTt3xfLPErch2mfsRjMvy-Ws-xJj2H2W3SEArkQd0q5Rs7s4zXm3LRZU9HF2~rb8OjMC-J05QwQV5nQvG598m1TYyvZN9oD-~ZuBleT8rYc63YS4trhjREWYE9mMwqORSmnJEUaxiZqx53N2VCwXHJLUMBlCDDEWHbGhnSQK3QWUIg~p1CFryCDZP0x-YgsSPjs5u7Bbzp7RSuXdkMJeX5353D~0l8FXGDnJB18f-d3M~IqRWO40ueC-mE6s72qxhgPPWYWssBn7td06jZtmUtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Dare County Board of Commissioners on May 5 voted unanimously to table a proposed text amendment to the SED 1 “zone of influence,” a half‑mile buffer north of the Buxton Woods Special Environmental District, and to request a formal written legal opinion on the issue.

The amendment, requested by OBX Timber Trail LLC, would remove a density limit that currently bars more than three multifamily units per acre in the zone of influence and would also delete a short vegetation‑removal provision. Planning Director Noah Gill told the board the planning board had unanimously recommended approval, saying the language had become difficult to enforce and was inconsistent with the underlying zoning districts established in 1993.

The question drew more than a dozen public speakers from Buxton, Frisco and other parts of Hatteras Island. Residents, civic association leaders and conservation attorneys warned the board that removing the ordinance language could increase development pressure along a roughly eight‑mile corridor adjacent to the maritime forest core known locally as Buxton Woods. Dirk Carter of the Southern Environmental Law Center said the overlay was originally adopted to protect the maritime forest and the community’s drinking‑water resources and urged the commissioners to deny or table the amendment so the community could craft alternatives.

Supporters of the amendment, including a local civil engineer and the applicant’s representative, told commissioners the ordinance language had been effectively invisible to property owners and county staff for years, was not indexed clearly in the zoning code or on county maps, and therefore was unenforceable. Engineer Joe Anloff said that in his 29 years of practice he had never found the overlay language and that the lack of indexing meant landowners and consultants could reasonably rely on the underlying base zoning districts.

County attorney Bobby Owens (speaking in his capacity as county counsel at the hearing) told the board the issue has become a legal problem: the overlay was not properly indexed in the zoning code, which under case law and state practice makes it difficult to enforce, yet a December 2024 state law now requires unanimous consent of affected property owners before a local government may down‑zone property. Owens said that combination leaves the county with an ordinance that is both hard to enforce and that the county cannot simply “fix” without running afoul of the new down‑zoning rule.

Commissioners heard repeated calls from Buxton residents and advocates to preserve the buffer because it provides vegetation and dunes that protect the maritime forest and shield inland areas from storm impacts, rising tides and runoff. Speakers emphasized concerns about potable water treatment, septic setbacks and the local tourism economy.

After public comment and questions of staff and the planning board, the chairman moved to table the text amendment for 90 days and to request a formal written legal opinion (to be provided in the tabling period). The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners also directed staff and the planning board to work with community stakeholders on next steps during the tabling period.

The board’s action does not change zoning in the SED 1 district itself; commissioners and staff repeatedly clarified that the core SED 1 protections remain in place and that the contested language applies only to lands outside the SED 1 boundary.","After hours of public comment from residents, environmental lawyers and local property owners, the Dare County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to table a proposed text amendment to the Special Environmental District (SED 1) “zone of influence” for 90 days and to obtain a formal written legal opinion before taking further action.","actionData","errors"]

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Dare County presents fiscal 2026 budget plan; approves opioid settlement spending and early college construction contract

Dare County tables proposed removal of Buxton Woods buffer, requests legal review