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JACKSON – A public hearing to consider citizen input about the upcoming Northampton County budget will be held on June 9.

Northampton County Manager Julian Phillips first presented his budget proposal to the Board of Commissioners in April. Since then, they have held a few budget workshops and made minor changes to the proposal.

The FY26 budget will begin July 1, 2025 and continue through June 30, 2026.

“The challenge in this year’s budget, as in the past, is managing the county’s resources in an uncertain economic atmosphere – given the change in federal government focus on spending, declining population, competitive workforce market, and higher supply cost and its impact on past funding awards – just to mention a few,” said Phillips during his April presentation. “Nonetheless, we must forge forward and plan for future growth and sustainability.”

The total operating budget for FY26 is projected to be $43,635,030 of which $37.8 million of that will be in the General Fund. That represents a small increase from FY25.

The Fund Balance appropriation is budgeted at $1.2 million, which is roughly a half million decrease from the previous fiscal year.

As in previous years, the new budget calls for a half-cent reduction in the county’s ad valorum tax rate, which would bring the rate down to $0.825 in FY26. That marks the seventh consecutive year that property tax rates have declined in Northampton County.

Phillips noted that the budget includes a $1 million increase in revenues for the county’s rescue squad due to an increase in the Medicare/Medicaid fee. Additionally, the budget has a $400,000 decrease in debt service.

A two percent merit increase and two percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase has also been included in the budget for all full-time and permanent part-time employees, except for law enforcement, E911, and DSS employees, who will receive slightly higher percentages.

One change from the previous year budget, Phillips pointed out, was an increase in education funding. They have set aside more funds in the FY26 budget for Northampton County Schools, Halifax Community College, and Roanoke-Chowan Community College.

“The budget continues to include a $400,000 contingency fund for county, school, and other emergencies,” Phillips added.

Separate from the regular operating budget, two capital projects have also been included in the FY26 budget as one-time expenses. The first is for Emergency Services at a total of $666,500 for two ambulance remounts and narcotic diversion software. The second is for the Buildings & Grounds department at $285,000 for asphalt repairs and seven HVAC replacements.

Phillips also said they included a change in the mileage reimbursement, increasing from $0.55 per mile to $0.70 per mile. He noted that the old rate had been based on numbers from 2011 and hadn’t been changed in several years.

After the public hearing scheduled for June 9, the commissioners are expected to vote on the proposed budget during their regular meeting on June 16.