Northumberland County Board adopts $48.8 million FY2027 budget, sets real‑estate tax at $0.51

The Northumberland County Board of Supervisors voted June 18 to adopt a fiscal year 2027 budget totaling $48,796,856 and set the real‑estate tax rate at $0.51 per $100 of assessed valuation.

The action came during the board’s county-administrator items. County Administrator staff presented budget documents modeled on a 51‑cent real‑estate tax rate and told the board the materials contained proposed additions and cuts for review. "We’ve prepared all of the documentation with the 51 cent real estate tax rate," the County Administrator said during the discussion.

Why it matters: the budget and tax-rate decisions determine county services and revenue for the coming year, including school funding and county department appropriations. The board also approved an appropriations resolution allocating $47,547,118 to county departments; that resolution includes previously requested language related to annual appropriations and school funding. The board confirmed that $750,000 for school cafeteria expenses is included in the appropriations.

In the same series of votes the board approved related administrative measures: adopting the FY2027 fee schedule by resolution (staff said there were no fee changes for FY2027), and raising the county’s fixed‑asset capitalization threshold from $5,000 to $10,000 on the auditor’s recommendation, citing rising costs that have pushed more items into the previous threshold.

The board also approved a reduction in personal property tax relief, moving the relief percentage from 40% for the current year to 38% for the applicable year noted in the discussion.

Board procedure and vote: motions on the budget, the tax‑rate resolution, appropriations and the administrative items were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote during the meeting. The board then entered a closed session later in the agenda (see separate report).