By Miles Layton

PLYMOUTH — Washington County commissioners gathered Monday for a special-called meeting that covered strained county finances, paddle trails, water infrastructure, and a new appointment to the Travel and Tourism Authority board — you may want to read Mr. Harrison’s thoughts about two families.

For more Washington County Commission news, read next week’s Roanoake Beacon.

The evening’s sharpest moment came during the public hearing on the recommended budget, when Commission Chairman John Spruill stepped away from procedural formalities to deliver a frank warning about the county’s fiscal direction.

“During my time on this board, we have voted to hold this county’s tax rate — the same 84 cents plus the one cent for drainage. And I’m proud of that vote. I would vote that way again tonight,” he said. “But I have to be honest with the people in this room and this county, because if not, I’m not doing my job as a commissioner.”

Spruill laid out the math plainly. “We have been balancing this budget by spending our savings. Last year, we pulled $2.94 million out of the fund balance. The manager budget in front of you tonight puts another $1.93 million — which is now $2.17 million. That’s almost $5 million out of our savings account in just two years, just to keep our rate at 84 cents.”

The county’s tax rate has held flat for a decade, a record Spruill said he values — but one he warned cannot continue without consequences.

“Inflation has not been flat,” he said. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the dollar has lost more than 10 percent of its purchasing power since I took office in December of 2022. The fuel cost, the cost of insurance, the cost of every contract this county signs — it’s all up.”

Spruill defended the county’s cost-of-living raises for employees — 2.5 percent in each of the last two budgets — while acknowledging their cost.

“We cannot afford to lose these people,” he said. “But it’s not free, and it does not come out of thin air — it comes out of the same fund balance that we are talking about tonight.”

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Spruill then offered a stark accounting of the county’s financial cushion. With roughly $6.7 million in available fund balance and a policy floor of $3.9 million, the proposed budget would leave only about $880,000 in breathing room. 

“That means one bad hurricane, one federal or state cut, one bad budget year, and we are inside our reserve limits,” he said. “There is no rescue coming.”

Federal COVID relief funds are gone, opioid settlement money is restricted, and major grants are winding down, he noted. Meanwhile, the General Assembly is discussing capping how much counties can raise property taxes annually. 

“If they cap us in place, that doesn’t let us pay our bills and keep our reserves,” he said.

To illustrate the depth of the problem, Spruill walked through a scenario in which commissioners eliminated the entire recreation department and all library funding.

“That saves us $500,000 roughly,” he said. “That doesn’t touch the $2 million. That still leaves $1.5 million. So I say all this not as an alarmist, but just as a matter of fact.”

He closed with a direct appeal. “I want to ask you — the people that are here today, the people that live in this county, the people that pay the bills — what do you want us to do? Do you want us to cut detention staffing, EMS coverage, recreation, or close the library? Or do you want that rate to move, or some of both? Tonight is your night.”

County Manager Curtis Potter then walked commissioners through a series of budget corrections. Spreadsheet formula errors had failed to capture the full costs of the county’s relatively new economic development department — amounting to $133,583 — along with $4,419 in opioid settlement funds and a discrepancy in detention line items. Combined, the errors added $178,921 to the shortfall. The appropriated fund balance now stands at $2,107,706, with total general fund revenues of $19,600,770.

Potter also flagged a structural concern: the county budgets for 168 full-time positions but never has all of them filled simultaneously, creating what he called “lapsed salary.” That built-in cushion has historically served as insurance against year-end shortfalls. “The fact that we’re starting to think about our lapsed salary as an intentional insurance to where we’re going to land at the end of the year is a bad sign,” he said.

Discussion also touched on the sheriff’s department’s requests for bulletproof vests, body cameras, tasers, and patrol vehicles. Potter explained that the $100,000 budgeted covers one-fifth of a required five-year contract with Axon, the dominant vendor in the market. “There’s something akin to a national monopoly on who sells tasers now,” he said, adding the contract will require approval from the Local Government Commission. Grant funding is being pursued for the vests, which Potter said offer the county’s best chance of outside support.

In other business, Travel and Tourism Authority Director Tom Harrison then delivered his annual update. Social media has seen strong gains — 34 percent growth in views and 26 percent growth in engagement over the past 28 days, with 77,000 total views across the last 90 days. Harrison unveiled a new paddling brochure mapping 16 paddle trails and seven launch sites across the county, with 5,000 copies heading to print. He is also pursuing a grant to address drainage pipes over Kendrick’s Creek near Roper that currently block paddlers from completing what he described as one of the county’s best water trails.

Harrison flagged a broader concern alongside the good news. Room occupancy tax revenue has trended downward since last summer, a pattern he said is industry-wide. 

Harrison also told commissioners that contentious local government meetings – Plymouth Town Council – have cost the county potential residents and businesses. 

“I probably shouldn’t get political, but one of the things that’s really hurting us is the drama that’s taking place in council meetings. You know, two businesses and at least two families have watched those meetings on TV and decided not to come. And the families, one family moved to New Bern and another one moved to Edenton, and two businesses didn’t come. Because of the drama, there’s a scene. The best thing that I can do is unplug that TV.”

The board voted to approve the TTA’s unanimous recommendation to appoint Bo Thomason — manager of the Holiday Inn Express — to fill a vacant hotel-owner seat on the authority board.

For more Washington County Commission news, see next week’s Roanoke Beacon.