Grottoes council approves budget amendment to pave Little League parking lot with county funds

The Town of Grottoes council unanimously approved a budget amendment at its May 11 meeting that includes a $105,000 contribution from Rockingham County to pave the parking lot servicing the town's Little League fields and a donation of roughly $13,100 to fund pool fencing.

Kyle, a town staff member leading the public hearing, said the $105,000 county contribution will allow the long‑discussed parking project to move forward in June and that the amendment package contains roughly $170,600 in changes (transcript contains inconsistent phrasing of the amendment total). He said such amendments that exceed 1% of the general fund require a public hearing.

A resident raised a request that the council clarify the Grand Caverns rental fee schedule before budget adoption, noting duplicate entries with differing amounts in the packet. "Which one is correct can be clarified before the budget adoption," the resident said, urging the town to also consider allocating more funds to heavier‑duty street repairs rather than only patching water main break damage.

After the presentation and the public hearing — during which the mayor stated there were no speakers for or against the amendment — a motion to approve the amendment was made, seconded and carried. The meeting record reflects the motion carried unanimously; the transcript does not record individual vote tallies by name.

The amendment funds the parking lot work to be completed this summer; the council took no separate vote at the meeting to adopt the full FY26–27 budget.

Reported figures and points of clarification in the record: Rockingham County contribution, $105,000; pool committee donation, about $13,100; amendment total stated in the presentation as approximately $170,600 (transcript also references $176,000 in places). The town will publish final budget paperwork and fee schedules when available.