Surry County budget work session: tech, recycling and public safety drive requests; tipping-fee, inspection fees proposed

Surry County officials presented department budgets and cost pressures at a March 31 budget work session, flagging steep technology and insurance expenses, wavering recycling markets and vehicle and equipment needs in public safety.

Sandy, speaking for the Register of Deeds office, said the office’s FY2026–27 request is about $564,357 on county paperwork and noted group health insurance as the largest single increase. She asked the board to consider a previously discussed second entry-level position and to continue funding technology and document preservation from the office’s automation fund. "We ask that you approve our budget as requested so that we may adequately and professionally serve the citizens of Surry County," Sandy said.

County technology costs surfaced repeatedly. The presenter said a Dobson server replacement plan and rising vendor prices have pushed capital requests upward: an early February server quote of $128,469 was followed by a March quote of $272,070, and the county’s Microsoft enterprise agreement was described as roughly $327,000. The presenter cited NCGS 161-10 when describing the automation fund’s mandated use for technology and records preservation.

Public Works Director Jessica described deteriorating recycling markets for plastic and cardboard and outlined sanitation and recycling operations funded through an enterprise fund. To shore up the landfill fund, she proposed a $3 increase in the tipping fee — an estimate she said would net about $63,000 — while keeping the annual landfill fee on tax bills steady. "Recycling is something that yes we should do and yes we’re required to do, but that cost is there and it is real," Jessica said. She also raised possible consolidation of the county’s 13 recycling centers and outlined needs for compactors and a replacement building at the Fisher River Recycling Center.

Sheriff Steve Hunt reviewed public-safety budget drivers: license and subscription increases tied to systems such as Motorola in-car cameras and records-management software, continued jail medical expenses, and capital requests for fleet replacement. The sheriff’s office requested multiple pursuit vehicles and one responder truck to replace high-mileage units.

Emergency Services Director Rick Southern highlighted roughly 19,000 annual calls and described expansion of a mobile integrated health program launched with grant funding in 2022. Southern said the program reduced some transports by treating patients at home and emphasized workforce and succession concerns after several long-tenured retirements. He asked the board to consider positions for emergency-management support and a technology/information officer to enhance public communications.

Health Director Samantha H outlined a reorganization that combines several previously separate budgets into four lines and said personnel now represent about 96% of her department’s budget; the county allocation change was roughly $553,520.

Several department heads noted they had tried to limit nonessential capital spending, but multiple presenters said external vendor price shifts — especially in cloud, virtualization and server hardware markets — remain beyond county control. Commissioners moved to enter a closed session later in the meeting and then took steps to adjourn.

What’s next: commissioners will review the requests and consider funding decisions during upcoming budget work sessions and committee meetings. The work session record shows a series of departmental presentations, fee proposals and capital requests that will feed into the formal FY2026–27 budget schedule.