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Red Springs board advances FY 2026–2027 budget after contested 3–2 vote; minutes contain inconsistent passage language
Summary
The Red Springs Board of Commissioners moved to adopt the FY 2026–2027 budget after a 3–2 recorded roll call on June 16, 2026. The draft includes a 2% staff COLA, no tax increases, outsourced curbside collection starting July 1, and a noted 4.5% tax estimate to add EMS; the minutes also contain contradictory lines about whether the motion failed or passed unanimously.
The Red Springs Board of Commissioners on June 16, 2026, voted 3–2 on a motion to adopt the town's FY 2026–2027 Budget Ordinance after a budget workshop at Town Hall. Commissioner Ellion McQueen moved to pass the ordinance, and Commissioner Chris Edmonds seconded the motion; Commissioners Murray McKeithan, Chris Edmonds and Ellion McQueen are recorded as voting in favor, while Mayor Pro Tempore Ronnie Patterson and Commissioner Duron Burney are recorded as opposing.
Town Manager Shanelle Harris presented the draft budget to the board, calling it "reasonable and attainable" and highlighting several policy and operational items that would be funded or otherwise addressed. The manager said the draft includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for staff, adds positions such as splashpad attendants, and does not raise taxes or use fund balance as part of the proposal. "The budget was reasonable and attainable for the following year," Harris said during the presentation.
Harris outlined a change to solid-waste operations: the town plans to combine sanitation staff and outsource curbside solid-waste collection, with the first bulk (white goods) collection scheduled once a month. The street department will handle yard waste. The minutes state this service change would begin July 1, 2026, and list temporary schedule disruptions around the July 4 holiday (no collections June 30, town closed July 3, and no pickups July 10).
On utilities and capital items, the manager said adjustments were made to the water and sewer AMI module without changing the overall budget. The minutes note that the CVS and Serioplast buildings were not added to the budget and that enterprise reserve funds and government-owned property matters were discussed.
The minutes record discussion of the Red Springs Rescue Squad: the board asked the squad to dissolve its board and become a town department, and the minutes state the squad "said no." The document also states, "Electrical will be occupying and renting the rescue building." The minutes do not record a formal action to change rescue-squad governance.
Harris gave an estimate for town-provided emergency medical services, saying that if the town considered adding EMS services it would require about a 4.5 percent tax increase. Mayor Caroline C. Sumpter told the board that the budget had been pre-screened under Local Government Commission guidelines and said the town's budget "is ok" and would pass the LGC if no changes were made.
The minutes contain inconsistent language about the outcome of the budget motion. One line in the document states the motion "Failed," while the roll-call reporting immediately below lists three votes in favor and two opposed; a subsequent line states the FY 2026–2027 Budget Ordinance "Passed Unanimously." The record therefore shows a 3–2 vote in favor but also includes contradictory text; the minutes do not reconcile that inconsistency.
The manager also provided handouts on animal control. With no further business recorded, Commissioner Duron Burney moved to adjourn; Commissioner Ellion McQueen seconded, and the minutes state the meeting adjourned with all voting in favor.
Next steps noted in the minutes: the manager’s draft will proceed consistent with Local Government Commission screening if no changes are made, and the town will implement the sanitation service adjustments beginning July 1, 2026, as described in the workshop materials.
