Southampton County supervisors advertise proposed budget with 76¢ real-estate rate; water, sewer and car taxes set for publication

Southampton County supervisors on April 29 directed staff to advertise a proposed fiscal plan that would present a 76¢ real-estate tax rate, a $4.75 personal-property (car) tax rate and higher water and sewer monthly fees for public notice and hearings in May.

The board’s action — taken at a budget work session after more than two hours of public comment and staff briefing — sets the advertised numbers the county will publish for the required public-notice period. A final vote to adopt the budget is scheduled for June 4, after a public hearing on May 21, staff said.

Why it matters: staff warned the board that a county share of a regional radio system and higher courthouse utility costs are driving pressure on the budget. To limit the increase for homeowners, staff presented a package of expenditure reductions and revenue changes that staff said would allow the board to advertise a lower real-estate rate than originally proposed.

“What I see is a lot of questions,” the staff presenter said while walking the board through a laundry list of proposed cuts and shifts. Lynette, a finance staff member who ran updated numbers, told the board that…