County manager previews heavy school capital needs, no new positions in proposed FY26 budget; board schedules public hearing

The Iredell County Board of Commissioners set a public hearing for 6 p.m. June 17 to consider the recommended fiscal year 2025‑26 budget, and the county manager used the meeting to outline key budget priorities and operational concerns.

The county manager said the recommended budget places heavy emphasis on capital projects for the school system and debt service related to school facility borrowing. The manager said the recommended plan includes an injection of roughly $70.5 million in cash from county reserves or reallocated funds to accelerate school projects and that, notably, the county is not recommending any new county positions in the coming fiscal year.

“This is the first year that I’m aware of Iredell County has not recommended any new positions,” the county manager said, noting the decision was intended to avoid adding recurring personnel costs while funding large one‑time capital needs. The manager said the budget will be available on the county website and in local libraries for review.

The manager also addressed other operational pressures: the state’s Viper radio system and its funding approach, on which the county has invested in towers and simulcast improvements. “Iredell County is putting a lot of money into that state viper system. We’re building towers for them. We’re adding equipment,” the manager said, while noting recent state budget language would shift ongoing costs to local governments.

Staff also described operational concerns in the Department of Social Services, where a proposed state requirement to double the frequency of case reconsiderations would substantially increase workload with no additional funding. The manager said the county has asked the DSS director to pause hiring for some vacancies while leadership evaluates the effects of pending state changes.

Separately, the county manager warned residents about increasingly sophisticated scams that impersonate the county and urged citizens not to provide credit‑card or wire transfers in response to unsolicited calls or emails; official county email addresses use the county domain and staff do not request immediate wire transfers as described in reported scams.

The public hearing on the FY2025‑26 budget was scheduled for June 17 at 6:00 p.m.; the manager encouraged residents to submit questions in advance so staff can prepare responses for the hearing.