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Catawba County adopts $338.7 million budget, sets tax rate at $0.3985
Summary
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners on June 2 adopted the Fiscal Year 2025/26 budget totaling $338,705,936 and set the county tax rate at $0.3985 per $100 of assessed value; the plan includes a 3% pay-plan adjustment and targeted performance awards.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Budget Ordinance on June 2, approving anticipated fund revenues and departmental expenditures of $338,705,936 and levying a tax rate of $0.3985 per $100 of assessed valuation. County Manager Mary S. Furtado presented the budget overview and Commissioner Cole Setzer moved for adoption; the motion passed unanimously.
The ordinance lists revenues and expenses by fund, including the general fund, special revenue funds, capital funds and enterprise funds. Notable provisions in the adopted budget include a 3 percent pay-plan adjustment for all employees, funds for a 2.5 percent performance-pay program and a $500 base increase for top performers as identified by department heads, a $1,009,062 appropriation to the Reappraisal Fund, and an allocation of $2,146 per pupil (K–12 average daily membership) for schools' current expense.
Other elements of the ordinance entered into the record cover procurement and contracting authorities, micro-purchase thresholds, capital-project procedures, hospital-fund reporting requirements, and personnel policies. The budget text also authorizes transfers and specifies conditions under which the County Manager can approve transfers up to $50,000 and awards certain bids under $250,000.
The budget document sets aside funds across multiple special revenue and capital accounts—examples in the ordinance include special allocations for emergency telephone systems, opioid settlement expenditures, school capital construction, and the Southeastern Catawba County (SECC) water and sewer district. The ordinance will be effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026.
The board had no further amendments during the June 2 adoption. The budget ordinance and related policy items were entered into the minutes for the record; next steps include routine monitoring by the Budget and Management Director and reporting to the board on required transfers and fiscal adjustments.
