The Nash County Board of Commissioners adopted a budget of almost $143 million by a vote of 6-1 on Monday which the board’s chairman said will help fund a new middle school and hopefully entice more public safety personnel. But education funding in the 2024-25 fiscal year budget remains the same as the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and the county won’t consider increasing education funding until commissioners find out how much money the school system will receive from the state.
The county’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $142,973,213, an increase from the current fiscal year’s budget of $134,587,602. The county’s general fund budget also increased by 6.5 percent from $117,778,300 to $125,469,132 for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The board initially held a public hearing about the budget on June 3.
Commissioner Sue Leggett was the sole dissenting vote at Monday’s meeting. She could not be reached for comment by presstime.
The budget slightly reduces the county’s tax rate from 67 cents per $100 in valuation to 63 cents. That is not a revenue neutral rate, which would have been 57 cents. At the new rate of 63 cents per $100 in valuation, and with a conservative estimated collection rate of 97.5 percent, the county would accrue $68,030,645 in ad valorem tax revenue for its general fund budget.
The new tax revenue reflects an increase of 20.8 percent over the 2023-24 fiscal year. Despite the lower tax rate, that increase is due to a growing tax base fueled by 2024’s county-wide revaluation of real property of over $10.9 billion.
“It would have been impossible for us to do,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Robbie Davis said of adopting a revenue neutral rate. “The reason being that it wasn’t a seven-year reassessment, it was actually a 15-year reassessment because we hadn’t had any increase in total assessed value after 15 years.”
County Manager Stacy Shazier told the board during the June 3 public hearing that the budget prioritized public safety, staffing pay, capital improvements, child welfare and economic development.
The county’s budget includes a 5 percent cost of living raise for all full-time employees and permanent part-time positions for the second year in a row. Staff also opted to include $2,074,232 for salary increases for emergency medical and sheriff’s office personnel to help recruit employees in a field that has been difficult to hire.
Commissioner Gwen Wilkins said the budget prioritized county employees.
“This budget shows our citizens we are dedicated and committed to serving them and moving Nash County to a secure future for generations to come,” Wilkins said. “We have produced a budget that is fiscally sound and shows appreciation to Nash County employees for their hard work with five percent cost of living increases two years in a row, a starting pay for deputies of $54,894, detention officers at $47,354, EMT paramedics at $54,975 and for EMT basic at $43,074.”
Public safety accounts for 30.2 percent of the general fund budget. Prior to the budget being passed, deputy base pay was $45,924, and detention officer base pay was $42,176.
“I think it certainly is not going to hurt,” Davis said of pay raises for safety staff. “Starting deputy pay increase will go up 19.3 percent total. That’s a big jump, so certainly we are hoping it will help in public safety.”
Human services which include the Nash County Public Health Department and the Nash County Department of Social Services account for 25.2 percent of the budget. That is an increase of 9.78 percent from last year’s total, which county documents said accommodates increased expenses for temporary placements and to account for specialized needs of children being served.
Education expenditures account for 20.7 percent of the budget, excluding debt service. That is a decrease of less than one percent compared to the current fiscal year’s revised budget.
Nash Community College received an eight percent budget increase in operating funds from $2,692,342 to $2,899,521 and in capital funding from $268,500 to $290,000. However, Nash County Public Schools’ budget remains the same as last year at $21,376,860.
Budget documents stated that is due in part to the county still weighing how the demerger of schools in Rocky Mount will impact expenses. Davis said the static number also partially stems from the fact that the N.C. General Assembly will not have passed its education funding allotments until the end of its short session in late July. He said once Nash County knows what the state will provide, the local education budget is subject to change.
Davis said he is excited about the budget’s $4 million investment in a new middle school in southern Nash County, which will supplement a $40 million grant from the state’s Needs Based Grant program funded by the North Carolina Education Lottery. The board voted for a 10 percent match on the project rather than the necessary five percent in order to stand out during its application, which Davis said worked.
The new school will have capacity for approximately 1,100 students and the existing Southern Nash Middle School is slated to transition into an elementary school, a news release from the county said.
Economic development accounts for 2.4 percent of the general fund budget. Davis said that will be essential to grow the county’s tax base and connect residents with good jobs.
Donna Wood, Nash County finance director, reported that as of June 23, 2023, the county’s total fund balance was $53.7 million with $23.7 million unassigned. Updated accounts will be reported at the close of the fiscal year on June 30 once the county’s annual outside audit is completed and submitted to the Local Government Commission.
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