Gary L Herman
The Alexander County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, April 28, at 5:00 p.m. for a work session to discuss the fiscal year 2026–2027 budget.
Two fire departments presented requests for increases in their respective fire tax rates.
Scotty Abernathy, Chief of Stony Point Volunteer Fire Department, said the department’s board of directors is requesting a 1-cent increase due to the effects of inflation on equipment purchases. The increase would generate approximately $29,000 annually.
Donovan Howell, Chief of Ellendale Volunteer Fire Department, said his department’s board is requesting a 2.2-cent increase, also citing inflation and equipment needs. He said the department plans to build a secondary fire station to bring more residents within a five-mile response radius. The proposed increase would generate approximately $80,000 annually.
Jennifer Sigmon, Animal Services Director, presented her department’s budget requests. She said renovations are needed at the shelter, with an estimated cost of $50,000. Sigmon also requested funding to establish a spay/neuter clinic, noting increasing difficulty in securing veterinary services. Additional staffing requests include a part-time kennel technician and a full-time administrative assistant due to workload demands.
County Manager Justin Mundy presented a summary of changes since the April 20 work session, when approximately $8 million in fund balance was needed to balance the budget.
“Through the cuts discussed and aggressively budgeting revenues and expenditures based on historical data, we have cut approximately $2.1 million from appropriated fund balance in the original request,” Mundy said.
Commissioners expressed interest in lowering the property tax rate for the coming year. At the current rate of 65 cents per $100 valuation, Mundy said appropriated fund balance would be approximately $6 million. A 3-cent reduction in the tax rate would increase that amount to approximately $7.2 million.
Mundy said the county has historically relied on fund balance to balance the budget, but has only used a portion of the appropriated amount once in the past decade.
The proposed budget also includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for county employees, a new 2 percent 401(k) match, and an internal salary study.
Mundy said Alexander County Schools requested an additional $348,321, bringing the total request from the county to $8.42 million for FY 2026–2027. The board will provide an opportunity for Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin to speak at the next meeting.
Commissioners will hold their next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 12. The budget will be formally presented on May 18, with a public hearing scheduled for June 1. All meetings will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the CVCC Alexander Center for Education (room #103).