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Burke County manager presents balanced FY 2026-27 budget; public hearing set for June 15
Summary
County Manager presented a structurally balanced FY 2026-27 recommended budget with no new headcount, an unchanged tax rate of 55.5 cents, modest fee adjustments and a focus on public safety, education and economic development. The board scheduled a public hearing for June 15, 2026.
Burke County Manager Bridal Hipley presented the county's recommended budget for fiscal year 2026-27 on May 18, telling the Board of Commissioners the plan's theme is "managing disruption." The proposed budget would keep the property tax rate unchanged at 55.5 cents and does not include new full-time positions, the manager said.
Hipley said the draft is structurally balanced and emphasizes continued investments in public safety, education and economic development while responding to external revenue pressures at the federal and state level. "The theme was managing disruption," he said, and described revenue losses tied to recent federal and state changes including reductions related to federal Medicaid and the federal bill referred to at the meeting as HR 1.
The recommended budget would hold the tax rate steady and relies on a diversified revenue mix the manager described as about 52 percent ad valorem tax, roughly 17 percent sales tax and about 16 percent intergovernmental revenue. Hipley described targeted fee adjustments: a tipping fee pass-through increase for municipal solid waste from $92 to $97 per ton and household-level adjustments in the county water/sewer fund, including a proposed increase for municipal customers and a new base connection fee structure to help move enterprise funds toward self-sustainability.
On compensation, the recommended plan includes a guaranteed 1.5 percent increase July 1, 2026, with a contingent additional 1.5 percent on Jan. 1, 2027, if economic performance allows. Hipley said the schedule is intended to address pay compression and preserve competitiveness without adding headcount.
The board accepted the manager's report and scheduled a public hearing on the recommended budget for Monday, June 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. The manager said staff will provide supporting documents and continue public outreach and quarterly accountability reporting. The board took no final budget vote at the May 18 meeting.
What happens next: the public hearing will allow residents to comment on the proposed budget before commissioners consider adoption later in the process. The county manager and department heads said they will return with more detailed line items and continue to monitor external revenue risks during the budget cycle.
