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 approximately $8.6 million in performance-based incentives tied to that development.

Revenue and spending priorities: Massey said property tax and local option sales tax together account for roughly 75% of the county's total revenue budget. On the expenditure side, public safety would be about 30% of total spending, education about 21% and human services about 19%. The proposed budget uses about $3.7 million of fund balance, including $3.3 million for capital outlay and restricted funds for law enforcement and health department purposes.

Personnel and retention: the manager's proposal includes a countywide 3% cost-of-living/labor market adjustment (totaling about $2,160,000) and an additional 2% retention increase for sheriff's office employees to address recruitment and retention pressures. Massey said the proposed budget reduces the number of new positions requested by county departments from 20 to seven full-time positions (three tied to the new agricultural center), and contains several position reclassifications.

Education and related transfers: the proposed budget adds $1.4 million for the county's two public school systems and $500,000 for Randolph Community College in current expenses. Massey said these additions do not fully satisfy the systems' requests but represent a substantial increase within the proposed outlay. Massey also described timing and mechanics for school funding tied to average daily membership (ADM) certification from the Department of Public Instruction.

Asheboro City Schools presentation: Asheboro City Schools Superintendent (identified in the record as Dr. Woody) reiterated staffing and inflation pressures facing the district and asked the commissioners to maintain the local supplement rate at 11.53¢ per $100 of assessed value. The district requested $8,177,158 for local current expense—about $835,000 above this year's appropriation—including $515,000 for continuation costs and $320,000 for a 1% local supplement increase intended to aid recruitment and retention.

Dr. Woody highlighted a state lottery needs-based public school capital grant of $29,728,490 awarded for South Ashford Middle School, which requires a 15% county match. He told the board the project budget has been revised to $35,720,423 (including $750,000 for furniture) and that construction work began in December 2024; the district said the total project cost decreased by about $1.1 million after eliminating the need for leased mobile units.

Randolph Community College presentation: Randolph Community College President Dr. Shah and college officials reported enrollment growth (noting a headcount figure of 9,661 at the time of the presentation) and described workforce training projects tied to local employers, including Toyota. The college asked the county to consider support for a multi‑phase Liberty Center project; Dr. Shah described a conceptual budget for phase 1 in the $25 million range, and said the college hopes for roughly one-third funding from the state, one-third from the county and one-third from the college/private sources—an $8 million county contribution was discussed as a planning figure but not formally requested in this meeting.

Other items and timeline: Massey reviewed the budget schedule: additional presentations (including the Randolph County Schools superintendent, who was not present), department hearings, a public hearing on the budget, and final adoption and fee-setting in mid-June. He warned that investment earnings and federal interest-rate expectations are uncertain and said the county plans to ‘‘stabilize’’ funding sources rather than build recurring programs on one‑time revenues.

Action and next steps: the board did not take substantive policy votes at the meeting; the only formal motion recorded in the transcript was a routine motion to adjourn, which passed by voice vote. The board will continue hearings and department presentations per the posted schedule and reconvene to consider adoption and fee schedules.

Ending: county leaders framed the rollout as the start of a multi-week budget process. "We are here to listen to you and try to make it work," County Manager Zeb Holden said at the start of the meeting as staff prepared to answer commissioners' questions and refine proposals during the adoption process.