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Carteret County manager proposes FY‑2026 budget with recommended tax rate cut to 23¢
Summary
County Manager Sharon Griffin and Deputy County Manager/CFO Dee Michal presented a recommended FY‑2026 budget that proposes reducing the county property tax rate from 34¢ to 23¢ per $100 of assessed value and sets a public hearing for June 2, 2025.
County Manager Sharon Griffin and Deputy County Manager/Chief Financial Officer Dee Michal presented the recommended FY‑2026 budget to the Carteret County Board of Commissioners on May 19, asking the board to consider the plan during upcoming budget hearings.
Griffin said the recommended budget would reduce the county property-tax rate from 34¢ to 23¢ per $100 of assessed value and set the county’s general-fund recommended budget at about $138.9 million. Dee Michal said the total-all-funds recommended budget is approximately $180.44 million, a slight overall decrease from the prior year amended budget. The manager said the proposed tax-rate change represents a recommended decrease of 11 pennies.
Deputy County Manager Michal reviewed revenue and expenditure highlights: property taxes remain the largest revenue source (about 51.5% of the general fund), sales tax and intergovernmental revenues were discussed, and the recommended general fund shows a small increase (about 0.62%) from the current year. Michal also noted a decline in occupancy-tax receipts year to date and a drop in some grant and capital roll-forward amounts compared with the prior year.
The recommended budget includes allocations for public schools and community college: public-school operating funding at about $30.6 million and capital at $2.85 million; community college operating funding of about $3.65 million and capital of $1.7 million. The county also recommended funding for parks and recreation staffing and facilities, merit/cost-of-living adjustments for county employees, and several position additions including a contract specialist and park-maintenance technicians.
Michal said preliminary total assessed value after the county reappraisal is roughly $29.96 billion and that one penny of tax yields about $2.93 million. The manager and deputy manager told the board they intend to remain near revenue neutral while accommodating department requests.
The board scheduled a public hearing on the FY‑2026 budget for June 2, 2025; the transcript does not specify a precise start time or location in the record. Commissioners asked follow-up questions and were given contact points for deeper budget materials. No final appropriation or tax-rate adoption occurred at the May 19 meeting.
