Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WINTON – Even though Hertford County local government’s operating budget breaks the 30 million dollar barrier for the first time ever, the property tax rate is not increasing.

That’s the proposal from interim County Manager Kevin Patterson who unveiled his proposed budget for FY 2024-25 here Monday morning at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Hertford County Board of Commissioners.

Patterson is recommending a General Fund budget of $30,145,172. That amount exceeds the $28,809,619 General Fund budget currently in place.

However, the ad valorem (property tax) rate remains unchanged at 84 cents per $100 of value.

In his budget message, Patterson emphasized that it was the goal of the county commissioners to “maintain core service delivery with the lowest possible tax burden to the citizens and businesses of Hertford County.”

Ad valorem taxes comprise 46 percent of Hertford County’s revenue. State sales tax is also a major contributor to the county’s bottom line, accounting for 22 percent of the annual operating revenue.

On the expenditure side, Patterson said funding for the county’s public school system remains unchanged. He proposes $4,252,063 of local taxpayer money to go to the schools’ current expense fund while another $920,000 is designated for the schools’ capital outlay.

Roanoke-Chowan Community College will receive $1,044,035 in operational funding from the county as proposed in the FY 2024-25 budget. RCCC’s capital outlay fund is set at $190,000.

Public Safety (29 percent), Education (24 percent) and General Government (20 percent) receive the lion’s share of local taxpayer money.

At Monday’s meeting, the commissioners held a required public hearing on the budget, but did not take action on approving the document. The budget must be finalized and approved by June 30. The 2024-25 fiscal year begins July 1.