Surry County opens public hearing on FY 2025–26 budget proposing 71¢ real‑estate rate, raises audit and debt concerns

Surry County officials opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget, which county staff described as $62,490,000 for all funds and $36,790,000 for the general fund. The proposed real‑estate tax rate is 71 cents per $100 of assessed value, and county staff said the plan includes a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for most county employees and about $448,000 in operational support to the school division plus $135,000 for school transportation capital planning.

County Administrator (presenter) described the budget as reduced from the prior year because several one‑time capital projects concluded, and said the proposal includes roughly $1.1 million in one‑time personal‑property billing revenue allocated to a revenue stabilization fund. Staff also described a one‑year approach to the capital improvement plan (CIP) to allow additional review before multi‑year commitments.

During the public hearing, several residents questioned the timing of certain projects and the county's financial picture. Susan Corbello (Claremont District) asked for clarification: “So are these numbers $4 or are these numbers $3.75? Because if you add up these columns, they don't match these totals. So I'm a little confused.” Corbello also said the 2023–24 audit had not yet been posted and urged caution on large lease or borrowing commitments until the audit is completed.

Commenters raised specific debt concerns about a proposed community project that has been discussed publicly: multiple speakers said the county is already carrying significant debt and questioned plans to borrow for new amenities. One commenter said the county carried about $23.28 million in debt and said adding $24 million would be “dangerously close to $50,000,000 in debt for a small county of approximately 6,000 people.” Another speaker called the proposed borrowing “ludicrous.” Dr. Shea (Surry District) said he had “serious issues with debt funding” but thanked staff for the budget work.

County Attorney Perkins told the board that the county posted notices on its website extending the audit completion date: an earlier notice extended the date to April and a later notice extended it to July 1, 2025; the notices also were posted in the government center's public notices cabinet. Perkins said the postings keep the county in compliance with state requirements for audit posting.

Board members took no final vote on the budget at the hearing; staff said the board is scheduled to reconvene to adopt the FY2025–26 budget and remaining tax rates on May 8. The public hearing was opened and then closed as part of the meeting record.