Beaufort County commissioners approve 2025–26 budget after heated debate over SW Snowden school and $300,000 conditional offer

Beaufort County commissioners approved the 2025–26 budget on Tuesday after a marathon meeting that included a public hearing, multiple amendments and an emotional dispute over whether to keep SW Snowden Elementary School open.

The county opened the statutorily required public hearing on the budget before the board voted to delay final adoption until a follow-up meeting the next Monday to allow more time for discussion. Commissioners later approved a motion to include a conditional $300,000 allocation to the Beaufort County School System “to keep Snowden open,” and then adopted the budget ordinance with recorded opposition from several commissioners.

The budget debate centered on several tied issues: whether the school system’s financial calculations about saving by closing the small Aurora-area SW Snowden School were accurate; how the county should use fund balance and special funds for one-time items; and whether to expand employee 401(k) matching…