County manager presents proposed FY2026–27 budget, calls for public review before adoption

Currituck County Manager Miss Morgan presented the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget on Monday, telling the Board the plan is “a financially sound proposal addressing the important needs in the community and within the county's governing organization.” The proposal holds the county property tax rate at $0.62 and sets a general fund operating budget of $92,186,308.

The nut graf: The manager said the budget balances routine services the county must provide with community priorities and includes several notable increases and capital investments. Education funding rises to $17,958,809 in local current expense (a 12.73 percent increase over the prior year), the county recommends $2,700,000 from the school capital reserve for school construction, and public-safety-related departments receive about 38 percent of general fund appropriations.

Details: The manager outlined specific capital and operating allocations in the presentation. The proposed budget would fund vehicle replacements and equipment for public safety, including $693,000 for 10 patrol vehicles, $346,500 for five sheriff’s trucks, $750,000 for two ambulances, and $600,000 for replacement portable and mobile radios. The county proposes implementing a prehospital blood administration program for fire EMS, with shift supervisors carrying cold-stored whole blood or components for field transfusions for patients in hemorrhagic shock. The Currituck County Library System (three branches) is slated to become a county department on July 1; migration to the North Carolina Cardinal catalog is scheduled for June 22. The manager said a phone-system migration is expected to yield approximately $600,000 in savings the following fiscal year.

On revenues, the manager flagged a November 2026 ballot referendum to levy an additional quarter-cent local option sales tax (Article 46), estimated to generate about $2,300,000 annually based on current collections. For context, the manager noted one penny of county property tax is estimated to raise $901,306.76 in the upcoming fiscal year.

Board response and next steps: Several commissioners pressing for additional review said they had expected more line-item work sessions before the manager’s recommendation was transmitted. “I’m a little upset about that,” one commissioner said on the record, arguing the board historically reviewed multiple drafts before a proposed budget was delivered. The manager reminded the board that the budget does not have to be adopted at the public hearing on June 1 and must be adopted prior to July 1; she said staff will post the budget documents online, provide an electronic copy of the full budget book and schedule work-session dates for commissioners.

What’s next: A public hearing on the proposed budgets is scheduled for June 1 at 6 p.m. at the Historic Currituck Courthouse; the board may modify and adopt the budget any time before July 1. The manager and staff will return with details and additional documentation at scheduled work sessions.