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The Southampton County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, May 27, to adopt the proposed $87,887,099 fiscal year 2026 county budget.

With the vote, the board also adopted the FY 2026-30 Capital Improvement Plan, tax rates ordinance, fees ordinance, PPTRA ordinance, and bonus payment for constitutional office and Social Services employees ordinance.

Introducing the budget adoption agenda item during the May 27 meeting, County Administrator Brian S. Thrower told the board, “We’ve met several times, had a few budget work sessions, we did have the public hearing on May 14. At the conclusion of that hearing, you did vote to amend the proposed budget by increasing the amount given to the Western Tidewater Community Services Board by $16,588, and we did take that increase from the Contingency line item.

“And you do have the attached budget memo that outlines the General, Enterprise, Building, Public Assistance Fund, School Services Fund and the School Fund, all those are listed in that.”

Within the board meeting packet, a May 22 memo to the Board of Supervisors from Thrower listed the following fund totals:

• General Fund = $28,189,486;
• Enterprise Fund (Water and Sewer) = $4,977,323;
• Building Fund = $11,370,568;
• Public Assistance Fund (Social Services) = $3,313,525;
• School Food Services Fund = $1,549,148; and
• School Fund = $38,487,049.

A General Fund summary in the memo noted that the proposed budget includes no tax increases and a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for full-time employees. The summary also noted that one new locally funded paralegal position was included in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office budget.

An Enterprise Fund summary in the memo stated that the budget includes a $5 increase to all water and sewer rates as outlined below and a 3% COLA increase for full-time employees: 

• Water — monthly residential base rate (less than or equal to 4,000 gallons): increasing from $36 to $41;
• Water — monthly commercial base rate (less than or equal to 4,000 gallons): increasing from $36 to $41;
• Water — monthly rate per 1,000 (greater than 4,000 gallons): increasing from $14 to $19;
• Sewer — monthly residential base rate (less than or equal to 4,000 gallons): increasing from $44 to $49;
• Sewer — monthly commercial base rate (less than or equal to 4,000 gallons): increasing from $44 to $49; and
• Sewer — monthly rate per 1,000 (greater than 4,000 gallons): increasing from $16 to $21.

The memo stated that these rate increases support the Board of Supervisors’ adopted Financial Policy Guidelines by lessening the reliance on the General Fund to cover expenses, having the Water and Sewer Fund operate more like a self-sustaining Enterprise Fund over time.

The FY26 School Fund includes $11,644,980 in local funding, with $9,115,046 going toward operations and $2,529,934 going toward debt service, and the memo added that the total for operations represents level funding from the FY25 approved budget.

Southeast District Supervisor Robert T. White said, “This year, I’d just like to thank Lynette (C. Lowe) and Christy (Newsome) and everybody in the office and Brian for doing such a good job on this budget. And I know if you look at the big number, it looks like we had about $4 million more revenue this year, but we actually had $4.5 million in increases, and we still didn’t raise the price of anything.”

He provided some examples.

“Public Works budget went up $600,000,” he said, “health and welfare went up $500,000; Public Safety went up $1.1 million; judicial administration, which is the Circuit Court, combined courts and all of them, went up $300,000; and capital projects and debt service went up $2.5 million, and we covered all of that and didn’t have any increases in the real estate or personal property.”

Northwest District Supervisor and Board Vice Chair William Hart Gillette said, “We had right much discussion at our last budget session about the future and looking and taking care of some needs that are probably going to pop up in the future, and now was the time to do that legwork to be prepared. So that was a one-time expenditure that was added into the total increase of the budget. So it was an opportune time to take care of that. That won’t necessarily become a part of next year’s budget.”

Central District Supervisor and Board Chair Dr. Alan W. Edwards asked Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Lynette C. Lowe if she had an estimate on the one-time expenditure.

“There were various things in there,” she said. “So one thing that does continue, there were increases to fire and rescue as far as the capital funds that are given to them that we hold in escrow until they get ready to buy a medic or a firetruck or whatever and then also their normal operating costs, so we did give more money for that.

“As far as the one-time thing, so we have finished up with the courthouse project,” she continued. “We are well into the radio project, so that’s a one-timer that’s going to finish up probably the beginning of fiscal year ’27, but we’re kind of in the heart of that project right now. … We had the compensation study that was going to happen, potentially the building needs study as far as expansion of this building.”

She later added, “Until that compensation study comes into play, there is a one-time dollar amount that was going to be added to some of the sheriff’s department’s people that work what I’ll call a call shift, respond to particular types of emergencies, things like that, so that would not be ongoing after that compensation study is done.”

She said, “There were a few other things, and I’m sorry I don’t recall exactly right now.”

Thrower said, “Lynette mentioned the big one, the compensation study, and they’ll study the stipends for the sheriff’s office employees when they do the study. But those are big things going forward.”

Edwards said, “In essence, there were some planning issues that would be cheaper to do now than wait and kick the can down the road and do them in the future.”

Lowe added some more details.

“So there’s a water supply plan,” she said. “We wanted to do a study for that because with our economic development issues, sometimes we’re having water withdrawal. We need to be able to withdraw more water for different type projects. Economic development site study, that’s a one-timer. … And then the water tank maintenance contract, that’s going to be something new that we’re doing to have all of the water tanks on a normal, rotating schedule.”

Thrower said, “So to echo Robert, I do appreciate the board’s work with the staff this year. It’s gone very well. I appreciate Lynette and Christy and Tina (Bradshaw) and the department heads putting together their budget request, so thank y’all for y’all’s work and consideration on that.”

The board’s vote to adopt the budget and associated ordinances followed shortly thereafter.