Randolph County unveils proposed $202 million FY26 budget; schools and college press for added support

Randolph County leaders presented the fiscal year 2026 proposed budget at a special Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday evening, saying the plan is balanced at $202,056,073 and that the county will not seek a property tax rate increase for the coming year.

Assistant County Manager and Finance Officer Will Massey told the board the proposed budget assumes the current property tax rate (50¢ per $100 of assessed value) and balances recurring revenues, one-time transfers and a planned appropriation of fund balance. "The proposed manager's proposed budget is balanced at 202,056,073," Massey said in the presentation.

The nut of the county presentation: the Medicaid "hold harmless" payment that helped past budgets has declined sharply and is expected to keep eroding, forcing the county to rely on other, less-stable revenue sources. Massey said the county received about $5 million in FY23, lost roughly $3 million the following year, and is budgeting $1 million in FY26 to avoid relying on an unstable source.

Why it matters: the hold-harmless reduction and slowing sales-tax growth limit the county's flexibility even as the Toyota battery facility materially increases the county's tax base. Massey said the Toyota valuation produced a roughly 10.2% increase in the overall property tax base for the next assessment period; he estimated Toyota-generated property tax revenue at about $12 million but noted the county will pay…