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Nash County delays decision on Braswell Library FY26 shares, asks staff to review funding formula history
Summary
County staff told commissioners a recalculation by the City of Rocky Mount raises Nash County's FY26 share of Braswell Memorial Public Library from ~49% to ~54%, creating a ~$97,000 gap; commissioners voted to postpone action to December for staff to provide historical calculations and documentation.
Nash County commissioners on Nov. 3 agreed to postpone action on a funding request from Braswell Memorial Public Library after staff reported a recalculation of the county's share of the main library's FY26 budget.
County staff explained a funding formula established in 2001 among Nash County, the city of Rocky Mount and Edgecombe County that allocates operating percentages based on population and library registrants. For FY25 the county had budgeted 49% of the library's operating budget and had been applying a standard 3% annual increase. In May the city recalculated allocations using updated population and registrant figures and increased Nash County's FY26 share to 54%, producing a $96,697.82 shortfall relative to the county's adopted budget.
"It is unclear when we moved away from the funding formula," Finance Director Nikki Stanton told commissioners, and she said the city recalculation led to new allocation percentages (Nash County 54%, Rocky Mount 32%, Edgecombe 14%). Commissioner Davis, among others, asked for the record years in which the county used the 3% increases rather than the formula and for staff to trace any past underpayments or overpayments.
Commissioner Leggett moved — and the board seconded — a motion to defer the FY26 funding decision to the December meeting and asked the manager and finance staff to provide the board with additional detail on how long the formula had not been used and the historical allocations. The motion carried.
The board also discussed local library branch support: Nash County budgets $15,000 annually for each community branch, and managers said those designated funds would not be reduced by the main‑library funding discussion.
By postponing the vote, the board sought to get clarifying documentation and to consider whether an adjustment would require the other jurisdictions to change their contributions or whether prior years of practice created any retroactive liability.
Commissioners asked staff to return in December with the formula documentation and year‑by‑year comparisons so the board could take a final vote during the regular December meeting.
