BAYBORO – Despite $12 million in the bank, the seven-member board of Pamlico County commissioners agree with the recommendation of Pamlico County manager Mark Brewington and finance officer Bill Fentress to limit part of county spending over the last four months of the current fiscal year.
The unanimous vote, which came in a budget workshop Monday afternoon, gives Brewington and
Fentress – the county’s top two administrators – clout to curtail discretionary outlays, while ensuring that must pay items like wages, salaries, fringe benefits, utilities, and any unforeseen emergencies are 100 percent funded.
The decision came after Fentress, known for his meticulous and cautious projections, presented figures for February: County revenues of $1.4 million versus expenses of $2.1 million – yielding a deficit for the month of approximately $700,000.
That ‘trend line’ observed Fentress is not good, pointing to the same period of exactly one year ago – February 2024, which saw a much smaller deficit.
Insiders stress the county’s finances remain rock solid. The short-term halt of non-essential spending is expected to give Pamlico County the firmest possible financial footing, as officials tackle a budget for the coming 2025-2026 Fiscal Year, which must be in place by July 1.
Almost certain to be part of those budget deliberations is a possible hike in the ad valorem tax rate – every county commissioner’s worst nightmare!
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