By Nicole Bowman-Layton

Edenton and Chowan County elected officials will consider adopting spending plans for the new fiscal year.

Both the Edenton Town Council and the Chowan County Board of Commissioners will hold special meetings at 6 p.m. Monday, July 27, to adopt budgets that were delayed while local governments awaited the outcome of state legislation affecting Chowan County’s property revaluation.

Copies of the agendas appear below the article.

Edenton

The Edenton Town Council will meet at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Edenton Municipal Building, 504 S. Broad St. In addition to adopting the town’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget, council members will consider purchasing land for the future relocation of the town’s Electric Department, reducing the speed limit along a section of Broad Street and supporting a regional economic development project in neighboring Perquimans County.

The proposed budget calls for a property tax rate at 55.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. The General Fund budget totals approximately $10 million, while the Electric Fund totals $15.46 million, the Water and Sewer Fund $3.79 million, the Airport Fund $435,753, and the Powell Bill Fund $247,087.

One of the meeting’s most significant items is a proposal to purchase approximately 14.2 acres at 251 Yeopim Road for the future home of the town’s Electric Department. The property is located within the town limits near the intersection of Old Hertford Road and Paxton Lane, adjacent to the Coastal Warehouse LLC property. According to Chowan County GIS records, the tract is part of a larger 196.76-acre parcel owned by Nancy Ward Perry.

Utilities officials say the department has outgrown its current facility, which is located in the middle of a residential neighborhood. A larger site would provide additional room for utility trucks, equipment, material storage and future growth while relocating daily operations away from nearby homes.

The proposed purchase price is $85,000, with the agreement calling for $100 in earnest money, $40,000 in labor and materials to install a three-phase electric power line along Hobbs Lane, and the remaining $44,900 to be paid in cash at closing. The agreement would also allow the seller to continue farming the property for up to five years or until the town begins development.

Council members will also discuss reducing the speed limit on Broad Street from 35 mph to 25 mph between East Freemason Street and Blade Street, a change requested by the town’s Public Works Committee.

Also on the agenda is a letter of support for the Town of Hertford’s application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a new electric transmission delivery point to serve the Perquimans Marine Industrial Park. Town officials say the project would improve electric reliability and support future industrial growth in the region.

Chowan County

The Chowan County Board of Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. at the Public Safety Center, 305 W. Freemason St.

Commissioners will hold a public hearing before considering an amendment to the county’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget ordinance following the General Assembly’s approval of legislation delaying Chowan County’s scheduled property revaluation by one year.

Under legislation that recently went into effect, Chowan County will continue using its 2022 Schedule of Values for the upcoming tax year, requiring the county to revise its budget and tax calculations before adopting the new spending plan.

Following the public hearing, commissioners are expected to consider adopting the amended budget ordinance.