Yadkin County commissioners trim FY2026 budget recommendations, shift staffing priorities and commit to ambulance LOI

County Manager Lisa Hughes presented revisions to the recommended FY2026 budget during the recessed June 3 session and answered commissioners' questions about staffing, equipment and capital requests.

Hughes said she removed some of the previously recommended new positions and adjusted budgeted months for positions that would not be filled for a full year. The net new positions cost was revised to $819,181, a $132,332 reduction from the earlier recommendation; removing a proposed $0.02 tax-rate increase left expenditures higher than revenues by about $30,000.

Hughes recommended a 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA); she said if the board adopts the COLA, the Classification and Pay Plan would be adjusted accordingly and new positions would be included in the revised plan to be considered June 16.

On communications staffing, the board asked to lower a requested Operations Manager pay grade from 72 to 70; Hughes agreed, noting pay grade 70 has a base pay of $46,714. The manager also described a proposed Public Buildings position and a planned Economic Development Director position budgeted near $100,000 (suggested pay grade 78–80) with an anticipated start date of Oct. 1 if approved.

Fire-and-safety staffing was a central issue. Hughes said she would remove the Assistant Fire Marshal position from the recommended budget after discussion; several commissioners favored hiring a full-time Fire Inspector (pay grade 68 base $42,371) instead of creating an assistant-fire-marshal role. Staff provided inspection counts from July 1, 2024 through the day prior to the meeting: Fire Marshal Ricky Leonard 209 inspections; Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Handy 553; part-time inspectors 107 and 181. Keith Vestal told the board the office has conducted roughly 70 fire investigations since January and that part-time help currently covers only about half of needed days. Hughes said the Assistant Fire Marshal position, if funded as requested, would cost about $95,339 including salary and benefits; the board directed staff to return with clearer data on inspection backlogs to inform a final decision.

On capital and equipment, Hughes asked the board to consider committing fund balance for several vehicle and equipment requests not included in the recommended budget. Items reviewed included replacement ambulances, a replacement van for social services (with partial state reimbursement), an HVAC van, a Parks & Recreation tractor, and a detention-center CCTV replacement estimated at about $109,000 that would include equipment, removal of the old system, installation, project management, and staff training.

Commissioner Cliff Collins recommended the county seek Letters of Intent for two ambulances (approximately $700,000 total) rather than one; the board consensus supported pursuing LOIs for two ambulances. The board also agreed not to fund replacement patrol vehicles for the sheriff's office at this time and asked for a detailed inventory of sheriff's office vehicles (assignments and odometer readings) before approving replacements.

Hughes left a proposed Veterans Services Officer position in the budget because grant funding previously sought had not been awarded. The board also agreed to reduce the requested Environmental Health supervisor vehicle from $60,000 to $40,000.

No formal votes were recorded on most of these budget changes at the June 3 discussion; the manager said she would make changes directed by the board and return revised budget materials.