Pitt County manager presents balanced $414.8 million FY2025-26 budget; no tax increase recommended

PITT COUNTY, N.C. — County Manager Janice Gallagher on May 5 presented a recommended fiscal year 2025-26 budget of $414,781,324 that she called “balanced” and proposed to adopt without increasing the county’s current ad valorem tax rate.

Gallagher said the recommended budget includes a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for county employees, merit increases of 1.2 or 2.4 percent depending on length of service, and targeted increases for public safety, human services and education. She told commissioners the county would not use a “fund balance plug” this year.

Why it matters: The budget sets priorities for Pitt County government services for the year beginning July 1, and it allocates local dollars for K‑12 and community college needs, public safety, and human services. Gallagher said the recommendation reflects strong property tax growth but continued uncertainty in interest income, federal funding and other revenue sources.

Gallagher said ad valorem taxes are expected to provide roughly 60 percent of the county’s revenue and that the recommended general fund allocation is $245,004,294 — about $11 million, or roughly 4.8 percent, above last year’s general fund. "This budget is balanced, and it reflects the hard work of the…