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Craven County adopts $169.1 million FY2026–27 budget with no tax increase
Summary
The Craven County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a $169,121,047 fiscal-year 2026–27 budget on June 1, 2026, with no increase to the general fund tax rate or fire-district levies. The ordinance allocates school capital, opioid settlement proceeds and other fund-specific appropriations; staff noted the budget has been available since May 18.
The Craven County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted the county—s fiscal-year 2026—627 budget on June 1, approving the ordinance that balances revenues and expenditures at $169,121,047.
County Manager Jack Vite presented the ordinance and reviewed fund-by-fund details on screens and in the meeting packet. He told the board there are no tax increases for the general fund or any volunteer fire-district levies in this budget and walked commissioners through dedicated funds, including the opioid settlement allocations, water fund operations, self-insurance and capital reserve accounts. "There are no tax increases in this year's budget for any of our fire departments. There are no tax increases in the general fund either," Vite said during the presentation.
The budget packet shows revenues and expenditures balanced at $169,121,047 and identifies dedicated uses such as school capital, the opioid settlement (year three of an 18-year commitment) and debt service. Finance staff explained that lottery-allocated public school building capital funds will be applied to approximately $1.3 million of debt service on the 2013 limited-obligation bonds (previously labeled as 2007 certificates of participation), and that the remaining school debt is scheduled to retire next fiscal year.
During the required public hearing, resident Nell Hudson urged the commission to consider stepping in if school funding shortfalls emerge, asking the county to back a local teacher supplement if the district changes its supplement from a percentage to a fixed rate, to expand county athletic grants to middle schools and to consider bus fuel support should federal assistance not materialize. "A budget is a moral document," Hudson said.
After the presentation and public comment, the board moved, seconded and recorded a unanimous roll-call vote in favor of adopting the FY2026—627 budget ordinance. The ordinance and schedules will be available in the county manager—s office and online as advertised.
