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Rowan County holds public hearing on proposed 2027 budget; board delays vote
Summary
County staff clarified line‑item language and proposed minor additions to the fiscal‑year 2027 draft budget and the board opened a public hearing; no one spoke and the board agreed to delay adoption until the next meeting to allow further review and Commissioner Jim Green’s participation.
Rowan County officials opened a public hearing June 1 on the proposed fiscal‑year 2027 budget but did not adopt the plan, instead asking staff for clarifying language and more time for review.
County staff member Anna told the Board of Commissioners that several wording fixes and clarifications would be added to the ordinance before a final vote. Changes include reclassifying a $5 million capital line to cover the whole Nan Nicholas Park rather than just a planned nature center, adding optional language for a monthly cell‑phone stipend in lieu of a county phone, and changing the designation of school resource officers in the budget from "deputies" to "corporals" so hires occur at the correct pay grade. Staff also reported a contract correction for ambulance‑stretcher servicing that will raise costs by approximately $37,000 and suggested covering that increase from contingency.
Commissioners discussed the stipend amount and how to present it (monthly versus annual notation) and agreed staff should prepare a clean amendment showing each proposed change. Commissioner Craig asked that the county consider replacing a wrecked animal‑services van (an insurance estimate of roughly $55,000 was mentioned) and proposed a one‑time county contribution for a nonprofit “hub” project being led by United Way, which the speaker said has raised nearly $1.93 million toward a $6.3 million goal; the county contribution was discussed informally but not decided.
The public‑hearing period opened and no speakers were registered; one audience member later asked about the general‑fund total for the proposed budget, which staff quoted as about $246,960,59 (transcript formatting); staff pointed interested residents to the county website for the full budget packet. The board agreed to postpone a formal vote until the next meeting to allow Commissioner Jim Green to participate and to give staff time to prepare an amendment spreadsheet; the budget must be adopted by statute no later than June 30.
Next steps: staff will prepare a marked‑up ordinance and amendment spreadsheet for the board’s next regular meeting, when members expect to vote on the budget.
