Metro Council to revisit 2026-27 budget Monday

Initially proposed budget failed on May 18 despite receiving nine yes votes, one short of the number needed to pass

9:55 a.m. June 14, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

The Moore County Metro Council will take another run at the county budget Monday night, less than a month after the proposed spending plan failed on first reading.

But the budget will not be the only major money issue before council members.

The council also will hold a public hearing on the proposed $1 million jail renovation project at 6:15 p.m. Monday at the American Legion Building, 119 Booneville Hwy., ahead of the council’s regular 6:30 p.m. meeting.

• June 2026 Metro Council Agenda

The budget itself will be back on first reading.

The proposed tax levy included in the agenda packet sets a countywide tax rate of $1.7552. An additional urban services rate of $0.0128 would bring the total urban rate to $1.7680. The countywide rate is split among several funds, including the general fund, solid waste, highway, school, debt service, and capital projects.

The budget returns to the council after a failed vote on May 18. At that meeting, the proposed spending plan received nine yes votes and two no votes, but it needed 10 votes to pass on first reading because it required a two-thirds vote of the 15-member council.

The vote split showed a council still working through how much to raise, how much to spend, and how much to pull from reserves. The jail renovation is part of that larger question.

Why July 1 matters

That left the county without a first-reading budget vote roughly six weeks before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

If Moore County has not adopted a budget by July 1, state budget rules allow the county to keep operating temporarily under the prior year’s spending limits. That would keep day-to-day government moving through July and August, but it would not give local officials a blank check.

Under the continuation rules, county offices and agencies could not spend or encumber more in July or August than they did in those same months of the prior fiscal year. The county also could not start new programs or expand operations beyond the prior-year baseline without proper legislative approval.

Debt payments and court-ordered expenses still must be covered. But the continuation budget is a temporary backstop, not a way to govern for the year.

Voting yes on May 18 were Arvis Bobo, Gerald Burnett, Amy Cashion, Marty Cashion, Bradley Dye, Dexter Golden, Sunny Rae Moorehead, John Taylor, and Shane Taylor.

No votes were cast by Peggy Sue Blackburn and Robert Bracewell.

Four council members were absent: Douglas Carson, Greg Guinn, Jimmy Hammond, and Houston Lindsey.

Planning ahead vs. borrowing from savings

The proposed budget at the May meeting included a 2-cent property tax increase, with the revenue allocated to capital projects. District 5 Council member Gerald Burnett said the money was intended to help cover future costs, including employee retirement expenses and potential jail renovation needs.

The increase, he said, was meant to help the county avoid a larger tax hike later.

“This is one of those deals where we talked about planning ahead and not having one big increase,” Burnett said during the discussion.

District 2 Council member Robert Bracewell questioned the increase and the broader use of fund balance, saying it appeared the county was “borrowing from savings” to avoid a larger tax increase in an election year. He also pushed back on the argument that smaller, incremental increases are easier on taxpayers over time.

After the budget failed, council members tried another route: removing the 2-cent increase and keeping the tax levy flat. That failed, too, 6-5.

Voting yes were Blackburn, Bobo, Burnett, A. Cashion, M. Cashion, and J. Taylor.

No votes were cast by Bracewell, Dye, Golden, Moorehead, and S. Taylor.

Jail hearing set before meeting

The jail renovation has been part of the broader budget conversation. During the May meeting, council members questioned the costs, priorities, and whether the county should proceed with the renovation work now or seek additional bids and details.

The public hearing gives residents a chance to speak before council members decide whether to move the jail project forward.