BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON

COLUMBIA — Tyrrell County’s Board of Commissioners met Monday, June 16, in Columbia to receive the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 county budget. What began as a procedural meeting quickly turned tense as commissioners clashed over rising expenses, vehicle purchases, and past spending decisions.

The budget proposal includes a tax rate of 90 cents per $100 in valuation, up from a rate of 78 cents, following this year’s property revaluation.

The board voted to recess until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, when they will reconvene with the goal of cutting more than $300,000 from the proposed budget before adoption.

Proposed Budget Details

County Manager and Attorney David Clegg presented a proposed general fund budget of $9,633,739, up from $9,326,368 last fiscal year. The total county valuation increased to over $520 million, up from $409 million the year before.

The budget includes:

• A 3% salary increase for county employees
• $143,000 for new law enforcement vehicles and equipment
• $163,425 for the library (a $10,512 increase)
• $143,000 for fire operations, plus $65,000 in reserves and equipment
• $100,000 in capital expenditures
• $31,670 for drainage projects
• A $100,000 litigation reserve

Clegg and Board Chairman Nathan Everett emphasized that some of this year’s increase is due to the county no longer receiving federal pandemic relief.

“We used COVID funds to pay salaries in the past,” Clegg said, “so we could stabilize and rebuild the fund balance to meet state benchmarks. Now that money is gone, and these costs are back on the general fund.”

Debate Over Vehicle Spending

The sheriff’s office’s budget request includes the purchase of a new Ford F-250 pickup and Ford Explorer. It drew scrutiny, particularly from Commissioner Robert Thompson, who questioned the need for heavy-duty vehicles and suggested alternatives like used trucks or retrofitting existing ones. Everett also questioned the purchase.

Sheriff Kevin Sawyer explained the F-250 was necessary to haul a donated boat and heavy trailer, both acquired through federal surplus. He also said a federal surplus van, a 2005 Ford E-350, would be retrofitted with a prisoner partition, an expense of $15,000.

Still, Everett challenged the price tag: “That’s a lot cheaper than an F-350. I’ve pulled boats with a 1500 and air shocks. I think we can do better.”

The F-250 was expected to cost about $54,000. An additional $18,000 would be spent to get it outfitted.

Commissioners noted that the sheriff is responsible for conducting search and rescue for any incidents occurring in the waterways in and around Tyrrell County. The agency currently has a 16-foot to 17-foot boat that can’t be used in the Albemarle Sound or Alligator River when the water is choppy. The new boat will not fit into the many canals in the county, but can be used in the other waterways.

Thompson questioned whether the sheriff’s office needed so big of a boat, along with the purchase. He suggested that the sheriff ask his neighbors whether they thought the agency needed a boat.

Commissioners Nina Griswell and Darryl Liverman noted that they would probably say that the sheriff’s office doesn’t need it until an incident happens on the water and such a boat is needed.

The sheriff’s office responds to at least one incident on the county’s waterways a week.

The sheriff’s office will give the commissioners an inventory of their vehicles during Thursday’s meeting to help with the budget discussion.

Commissioners Clash Over Past Spending, Oversight

Tensions flared between Thompson and Everett, particularly over issues of transparency and oversight. Thompson said he would not vote for the budget as presented, as it would create an unnecessary tax burden on the county’s residents.

Thompson raised concerns about past overpayments on flood insurance premiums, noting that the county received a $210,000 refund after years of misclassification.

“Somebody was committing insurance fraud,” he said.

Everett defended the board’s actions and financial decisions, arguing that Thompson’s repeated objections had been thoroughly discussed and voted on.

“You got voted down, and you won’t accept it,” Everett said. “Just because you didn’t get your way doesn’t mean you’re right.”

Thompson noted that he was there to represent the county’s citizens.

Everett again tried to explain that the budget increase was mostly due to the fact that the county used federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for employees’ salaries while the county rebuilt its fund balance.

Thompson accused the Tyrrell County government of committing fraud when it used ARPA funds the way it did.

Everett said he stood by what the commissioners did. He noted that if they hadn’t done it, the Local Government Commission would have taken over the county. “That’s how bad it was.”

Thompson also questioned the need of $27,600 earmarked in the budget to repair the county’s excavator. The machine’s engine needs to be rebuilt.

A plan for ADT to install panic buttons at 10 county buildings was also questioned. The proposed budget calls for $12,000 to be spent on the project. Thompson noted that people could use their cellphones to send emergency messages to law enforcement. Liverman noted that cellphones aren’t allowed in the courtrooms, and in some buildings, cellphones don’t work.

Thompson noted that people don’t have panic buttons in their homes. Griswell joked that residents have guns at home. They wouldn’t necessarily have them at work.

Thompson said that the panic buttons are an unnecessary expense and an example of government waste. He noted that the commissioners were focused on the wrong threat and that the real threat would be the county’s citizens, as they would be upset by the tax increase and the county digging its hands further into taxpayers’ pockets.

After Thompson personally attacked Everett by accusing him of being a bad business owner and of living off the government all of his life, Davis steered the discussion back to the budget. “This isn’t productive anymore. We need to focus on the budget.”

Despite the discord, the commissioners agreed that significant reductions are needed before the budget can be approved.

Water System Grant Approved Unanimously

In other matters, the board unanimously approved entering into a $255,000 agreement with LKC Engineering for a water system asset inventory and assessment. The project is funded through a grant and is intended to position the county for future infrastructure grants.

Next Steps

The meeting was recessed until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, when commissioners will begin reviewing line items in hopes of trimming more than $300,000 from the proposed budget.

A public hearing on the budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 30 in the county meeting room. Residents are encouraged to attend and weigh in as commissioners make decisions on spending priorities, tax rates, and long-term fiscal planning.