Manager proposes $120 million county budget framework; no property tax rate increase proposed, health insurance spike alarms commissioners

The Davie County manager on Thursday recommended a combined FY26‑27 budget of about $120,000,009 and a general fund budget of $94,226,586 while proposing no increase to the county property tax rate.

The budget framework, presented by the county manager, balances using a $3,516,308 appropriation from fund balance and outlines major funds including an $11.5 million public‑utilities budget, a dedicated 911 fund and an opioid mitigation fund. The manager also proposed a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment and a 1.25 step, and recommended no new full‑time positions for next year.

Why it matters: the package sets the county’s fiscal priorities ahead of the June 1 public hearing and frames decisions that will affect county services, capital projects and employee pay.

In presenting the budget, the manager said the county is not asking for a property tax increase this year and is aiming for a cautious course after recent revenue changes. “We are not requesting this year a property tax increase,” the manager said while walking commissioners through fund totals and the plan to use a limited amount of fund balance to balance the budget.

Commissioners pressed staff for details and pushed back on several items. Multiple commissioners expressed concern about the manager’s insertion of a 28.5% increase in the county’s health‑insurance premium into the budget. One commissioner called the proposed insurance rise “unsustainable” and urged staff to pursue internal policy changes that would avoid passing large costs to employees. The board asked staff to reduce their comments to writing and return recommendations ahead of the June 1 public hearing.

The manager also described personnel and positions: the recommended budget supports 419 authorized full‑time positions, and staff reported about 400 currently filled roles; several vacant positions were left unfunded in the recommendation. On personnel costs, commissioners asked for a clearer accounting of long‑open vacancies and for the cost of services such as the county health clinic and pharmacy benefit, which staff said they would provide.

The presentation included a breakdown of education funding in the general fund (about $20 million total, with roughly 94% allocated to Davie County Schools) and a discussion of utility fund pressures tied to a $50 million new water‑plant project and its debt service. The manager noted small capital spending next year (just under $2 million countywide) but flagged major utility debt service as the public‑utility fund’s top expense as the water plant’s debt begins.

What’s next: staff will advertise the budget and hold a public hearing on June 1; commissioners noted they usually do not vote the same night as the hearing and left room on the calendar for further review and an adoption vote later in June.

Action items recorded: the board unanimously adopted the workshop agenda at the start of the meeting and later adjourned by unanimous voice vote; no formal votes on the budget were taken at the workshop.