The Pitt County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to adopt a $396.9 million spending plan on Tuesday with two members dissenting because it did not include a pay increase requested by the sheriff.
The 2024-25 budget increases spending by nearly $30 million over the 2023-24 budget of $367 million and employs a tax rate of 56.63 cents per $100 valuation.
That rate is a 12-cent reduction from last fiscal year but 4.56 cents higher the revenue neutral rate of 52.07 cents per $100 valuation, meaning most real property owners will see an increase in their county taxes because property values were reappraised this year and grew by nearly 36 percent.
Commissioners Melvin McLawhorn and Mary Perkins-Williams voted against the budget because it did not include a 12 percent raise requested by Sheriff Paula Dance. Commissioners Benji Holloman, Mark Smith, Lauren White, Ann Floyd Huggins and Tom Coulson voted for the budget.
Commissioners Beth Ward and Christopher Nunnally didn’t attend Tuesday’s public hearing on the budget.
Dance, who is an elected official, will receive a 5 percent cost-of-living adjustment like other county employees.
“While I am confident County Manager (Janis) Gallagher and her staff did an outstanding job on the budget — a matter of fact, I think it is one of the best budgets I’ve witnessed in my tenure — I will not vote in favor of this budget tonight due to the fact that I think our sheriff has done an outstanding job and requested a 12 percent raise and I feel for certain she is deserving of that,” McLawhorn said.
Commissioner Mary Perkins-Williams said she also believes Dance’s request was justifiable but was disappointed with the methodology of the request.
Several members of the public spoke in favor of Dance’s increase.
“I’m here supporting Paula Dance, she is spectacular,” Belvoir resident Linda Smith said. The sheriff has worked diligently to address criminal activity in her community.
Julie George, a veteran teacher who works as North Pitt High School, said she knows what it’s like to go years without a raise.
“I know very well what it is to be undervalued and overworked. I know what it is like to constantly work outside your contracted hours. I know what it is like to be held to a higher standard. I know what it is like to be expected to jump through hoop after hoop with fewer and fewer resources and less and less support,” George said. “I don’t teach for money, I teach for the impact, and I also know Sheriff Paula Dance loves what she does. She makes a difference every single day.”
There are people who closely follow Dance to critique and criticize her, and their message is broadcast loudly, George said. “Your decision to not immediately grant her request is just as loud,” she said.
The sheriff will never be paid what she’s worth, but a raise acknowledges the work she does, she said.
Once the public comment period closed, Commissioner Mark Smith, chairman of the board, said that in 2019 Dance was granted a nearly 33.76 percent salary increase which raised her salary from $109,153 to $146,000 bringing her salary inline with sheriff’s in peer counties.
Since 2019 she also has received cost of living increases that ranged between 2 percent to 6 percent in 2023, Smith said.
The sheriff’s current salary, without the 5 percent increase, is $168,767.
“I am disappointed she didn’t get the additional raise,” George said later. “I stand by what I said in my earlier comments, she deserves it.”
The county’s appropriation for the sheriff’s office increased this year to $47.13 million, which also includes funding for the detention center, jail health, jail inmate coordinator and school security.
It’s the county’s second largest expenditure following the Pitt County Schools, whose appropriation increased this year to $52.6 million.
Other expenditures include:
$7.13 million for Pitt Community College.Nearly $10.9 million for EMS.$16.41 million for Public Health.$39.8 million for Social Services.$2.3 million for the county’s new recreation department.
J.H. Rose High School math teacher Mario Blanchard asked the commissioners to fully fund the $56.65 million requested by Pitt County Schools.
Blanchard said the additional $4 million is needed to increase the local teacher pay supplement, to make improvements to school facilities, repair or replace damaged chairs and desks and ensure support staff is paid competitive wages.
Competitive wages ensure the system has enough bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodial staff, teacher assistants and office staff, said Blanchard, who also is president of the Pitt County Association of Educators.
“Paying good wages keeps them from having to pull teacher assistants to drive buses, custodial staff from having to work extra shifts and having our office staff do the jobs of several people,” Blanchard said.
“I hope that the board will look at this as an investment,” he said. “Educators and educator support staff spend money. I’m sure our local businesses appreciate the business educators provide.” It also ensures that all North Carolina can receive a fair education.
During the commissioners’ May budget workshop, County Manager Janis Gallagher said the county budget included money for fixed salary increases, increased the local teacher pay supplement from 7.5 percent to 8 percent, funded five nursing positions and made additional money available for social workers and information technology staff.
“It’s good that we got the (supplemental pay) increase from 7.5 percent to 8 percent. I would just like to know if some of the other asks were granted. I’m not entirely sure,” Blanchard said.
At Monday’s Board of Education meeting Superintendent Ethan Lenker said if the commissioners didn’t fully fund the school system’s budget request, the board would have to look at shifting the salaries of vacant positions into other areas to meet some unfunded needs.
“I am concerned about the buildings and the desks and hopefully they can find the money to maintain the buildings and replace the desks,” Blanchard said.
Laura Jett, secretary of Pitt County Community Schools and Recreation, thanked the commissioners for creating a new county recreation department in the new budget, which goes into effect July 1.
Jett has lived in Pitt County 25 years and raised three children.
“A good portion of their childhood was spent on County Home Road,” where the Alice F. Keene Park is located, she said.
Her children are now in their 20s and she’s excited to share with them the investments that are being made in recreation.
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