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Commissioners adopt $82.7 million FY‑26 budget, approve amendments, outside agency funding and capital items
Summary
Edgecombe County commissioners adopted a balanced $82,664,851 FY‑26 budget with the ad valorem tax rate unchanged at 89¢ per $100 valuation and approved related budget amendments, project ordinance amendments, contracts and outside agency funding.
Edgecombe County commissioners adopted the proposed fiscal‑year 2025‑26 budget at a special meeting, approving a total budget of $82,664,851 and keeping the county's ad valorem tax rate at 89¢ per $100 valuation.
County staff presented the budget message and recommended measures to stabilize operations and address capital needs. "I am pleased to submit the recommended Edgecombe County budget for the fiscal year beginning 07/01/2025 and ending 06/30/2026," a county staff presenter said while reading the budget message. The budget message notes the budget is balanced in compliance with North Carolina's Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act.
Key budget figures presented by staff included a proposed total FY‑26 budget of $82,664,851, a fund balance appropriation of $10,667,101 and a projected taxable valuation of $4,446,235,933. The proposed package includes a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment for employees (approximately $684,000 including benefits), a 6% increase in health insurance premiums funded within the plan, and 41 positions placed in reserve (not funded immediately). Staff also proposed using debt capacity to finance approximately $4,511,500 in facility, vehicle and equipment purchases and to plan for a $3.2 million county match for a $64 million school capital grant.
The board approved seven budget amendments intended to align the budget with finalized debt service schedules, insurance claim proceeds for vehicle repairs, interfund transfers to align USDA bond anticipation note interest across water districts, administrative fees collected for municipal tax collections, and a school capital reserve fund adjustment for updated sales tax collections. Two additional amendments adjusted how certain lease payments are budgeted to comply with recent Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) guidance.
The board also approved a second amendment to the Edgecombe Works grant project ordinance to appropriate additional interest that had accrued on the project, and approved amendment No. 4 to the Water and Sewer District 6 grant project ordinance, which reallocated funds within the project without changing the overall budget.
Contract actions approved included a net decrease change order (Change Order No. 2) to the AR Cheshen construction contract for the new animal shelter, bringing the amended contract to $4,974,007.76, and a $132,175 contract for hydrant repair and replacement for Water and Sewer District 6, funded through a USDA Rural Development grant and loan.
Outside agency funding approvals included $2,072,249 for Edgecombe Community College, $7,425 for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, $310,000 for Carolina's Gateway Partnership and $22,071 for the Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (as entered in the agenda packet). Commissioners identified and excused members with conflicts of interest before the board voted on specific outside agency awards.
The board voted to approve a set of budget ordinances covering the general fund, school capital fund, custodial funds (taxes collected on behalf of municipalities), special revenue funds (including fire taxes), solid waste operations (including an updated tipping fee schedule), and the water and sewer operations ordinance (with a recommended fee schedule by district). The budget package includes an increase the board proposed for municipal solid waste tipping fees (proposed $4/ton increase to $79/ton) and a proposed household solid waste fee increase of $25 to $150. The utilities enterprise funds plan a 5% rate increase for water customers to offset supplier rate notices from Tarboro and Rocky Mount.
Planning department fee schedule revisions were discussed but not approved; commissioners asked for additional comparisons with similar counties and agreed to revisit the proposal at the July meeting.
Why it matters: The budget sets county tax policy, departmental funding and capital financing for the year beginning July 1. It preserves the current ad valorem rate while using fund balance and proposed debt to meet capital needs, and it includes specific program funding such as Edgecombe Works initiatives that support workforce training and county employment pathways.
What to watch next: Staff will implement the adopted ordinances, present any contract details or financing approvals required by the Local Government Commission, and return with comparative data on planning fee proposals at the July meeting.
