Pasquotank County proposes balanced FY2025-26 budget with no tax increase, approves $200,000 for student laptops

Pasquotank County Manager Sparty Hammett presented a proposed FY2025-26 general fund budget Monday that the board described as balanced and that does not raise the county property tax rate.

The proposed budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all county employees effective July 1, 2025; full funding of compensation-study increases for most general fund employees; and capital and operating increases for local priorities, including a $3,784,850 capital increase requested for ECPPS and a $1,079,061 operational increase for the Albemarle District Jail (ADJ). County staff said those and other increases are offset by higher projected sales-tax and property-tax revenues and planned use of contingency and fund balance.

Why it matters: County staff said Pasquotank’s FY2025-26 proposal maintains the current property tax rate — continuing the county’s streak of budgets with no tax increase — while increasing pay and funding capital requests for schools and county services. Commissioners voted Monday to advance the budget process to allow public review and a hearing before final adoption.

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