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Martin County manager unveils $40.5 million FY2026-27 budget, tax rate set at $0.72 per $100
Summary
County Manager Drew Batts presented a proposed $40,516,087 budget for FY2026-27 that includes a proposed tax rate of $0.72 per $100 of assessed value, a projected $3.06 million use of fund balance, a 3% cost-of-living salary adjustment and no new full‑time positions.
County Manager Drew Batts presented the Martin County Board of Commissioners with the proposed FY2026-27 budget on May 14, calling for $40,516,087 in total appropriations and a levied tax rate of $0.72 per $100 of assessed value.
Batts said the budget anticipates a $3,061,151 appropriation from fund balance and includes a 3% cost-of-living salary increase for county employees while not funding any new full‑time positions. Major department totals in the presentation included general government at $5.82 million, public safety at $10.02 million, education at $8.82 million and human services at $8.82 million.
The presentation highlighted several program and equipment requests. The sheriff’s office budget includes allocations for four patrol vehicles (estimated at $45,000 each or equivalent), equipment packages, and plans to buy a new patrol K-9 and a therapy K-9 (each budgeted at $12,000). Batts also listed $590,000 in the budget for continued maintenance and improvement projects at the hospital facility and $1,399,990 proposed to support rescue squad operations amid ongoing local healthcare transitions.
Batts described several cost-conservation measures: repurposing county vehicles (moving two retired sheriff’s vehicles to other county departments), shared equipment use with the town of Williamston, and recommended modest reductions to outside agency appropriations, which collectively lowered outside-agency funding by approximately $52,830 compared with the prior year.
On workforce and public-safety priorities, Batts said the budget supports initiatives to modernize public safety and justice functions and includes preliminary steps toward a paramedic program (see related article). He framed the proposal as a baseline for board deliberation; no final adoption of the FY2026-27 budget occurred at the May 14 meeting.
Ending: The board received Batts’ presentation and discussed the highlights; the manager said changes to the budget would be made only by formal amendment and further board action.
