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Beaufort County council adopts FY2025–26 budget; directs auditor to print millage breakdown
Summary
Beaufort County Council approved the FY2025–26 budget and added language stating the council's intent that the auditor print a full millage breakdown on tax notices; the budget vote carried after debate over a separate amendment to restore $200,000 for Island Recreation failed 5–5.
Beaufort County Council on June 9 adopted its fiscal year 2025–26 budget ordinance, and added language expressing the council’s intent that the county auditor print a detailed millage breakdown on all tax notices. The amendment — introduced to make the millage categories transparent to taxpayers — was debated as a matter of wording (whether to 'direct' the auditor or state council's 'intent') before passing and being folded into the ordinance that the council then approved.
Vice Chair Tabernick, who presided over the ordinance discussion, said council's goal was clarity for taxpayers: “For the public's knowledge… we want the public to know exactly what the millage is for specific things,” and the amendment was framed as the council’s intent rather than a direction to another elected official. The ordinance (identified in the agenda as the FY2025–26 appropriation ordinance) had gone through two prior readings and was brought forward for its third reading and final vote.
The budget floor also featured an extended debate about whether to restore $200,000 to the Island Recreation Association (see separate article). After amendments related to outside-agency funding were considered and put to roll call, council ultimately approved the overall budget as amended. Vice Chair Tabernick called the final vote by show of hands and announced the motion passed. The administration had told the council it expects routine implementation steps and tax-notice formatting to follow the council's stated intent.
The council’s action commits the county to levy and appropriate funds for county government and special-purpose districts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. The adopted ordinance language now explicitly directs that Section 2’s millage-rate breakdown be printed on tax notices so taxpayers can see the separate components (county operations, higher education levies for USCB and TCL, indigent care, capital improvements, debt service and other special district millage).
