PENDER COUNTY — After Pender County commissioners disapproved of the initial budget proposal presented last week, they have now come to an agreement.
ALSO: Pender County budget not approved, employee salaries, funding top concerns
Commissioners voted against the budget on June 16 citing concerns with the amount of funding for education and employee salaries but on Thursday, June 26, they voted to approve the fiscal year 2025-26 budget ordinance, 3-1. Commissioner Jerry Groves dissented; Commissioner Brad George was absent from the meeting to care for an ill relative.
In the $111 million budget, the tax rate will remain at 73.75 cents per $100 of valuation and fire and EMS tax rates and utility rates also remain unchanged.
In contrast to the previously proposed budget, the now approved budget raises Pender County Schools funding for capital outlays from $2.9 million to $4 million. The money will be used to improve the infrastructure of aging schools like Pender High School.
“Like Commissioner Burton and Commissioner George have stated, and many times in the school board meetings, I would say I went to every single school when I’ve seen what shambles they’re in,” Commissioner Brent Springer voiced at the meeting. “A new teacher coming into a school that’s been refurbished or taken care of is probably going to have a higher level of wanting to teach more there.”
The budget also allocates an additional $150,000 for merit based employee bonuses, at the request of Commissioner Jimmy Tate. On top of these bonuses, employees will earn a 3% cost of living adjustment as well as a one-step class increase. Additionally, over 200 employees will see pay increases as a result of reclassification. The amount allocated to salaries in the budget is $5.3 million, a 12% increase from last year.
Groves was the only dissenting vote, expressing concern with the elimination of the tourism department.
“My request is to put tourism back like it was,” Groves stated. “I’m not sure if I can vote on this budget tonight, unless we have some kind of assurance we go into July to try to reinstate the way it was.”
Chair Commissioner Randy Burton previously said the tourism department was cut because “the return on investment” was not there. Burton suggested the county communications department manage tourism responsibilities for the county going forward.
Commissioner Jimmy Tate, although voting in favor, wanted to lower the tax rate and have larger increases to employee salaries.
“I think this raise that we are recommending here tonight is just, it’s disgraceful,” Tate said. “It’s very distasteful to our employees. Many of these employees have served in our county a long time. They have been here and they weathered the storms when it was days that the funding was much restricted and I think we ought to look at least doing a seven to 10% raise.”
The budget will go into effect on July 1.
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