Pittsylvania County supervisors approve advertising FY26 budget, discuss landfill tipping-fee options

Pittsylvania County supervisors unanimously voted to advertise the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget — a $257,574,766 spending plan that the county presented as an $18,587,879 increase over FY2025 — and set public hearings on the budget and school funding, while also debating a proposed increase in landfill tipping fees.

The budget presentation, given by interim county administrator Shorter, laid out increases across county functions and schools and asked the board to approve placing the budget advertisements in the newspaper and holding two public hearings. “The FY ’26, total budget will be $257,574,766. This is an increase of $18,587,879 over the FY ’25 budget,” Shorter said as he summarized year-over-year changes and revenue assumptions.

Why it matters: the board kept tax rates steady while proposing additional spending aimed primarily at schools, public safety and capital projects. Advertising the budget is the formal step that triggers public notice and the hearings required before final adoption.

Shorter told the board the largest single revenue source remains real-estate taxes, which he characterized as yielding roughly “42¢ of every dollar received in revenues,” and he said state funds and other taxes make up the remainder. In the county’s proposed general-fund spending of $92,630,721, the presenter said about 28¢ of every dollar would go to education and 33¢ to justice and public safety, including the sheriff’s office and volunteer fire and rescue support.

Significant FY26 items described in the presentation include: - $26,370,554 proposed local funding for schools (the presentation described this as…