Supervisors approve 2026-27 budget with no tax increases

Pulaski County logoBy MIKE WILLIAMS

Patriot Publishing

The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved the county’s budget for Fiscal Year 2027 with no change in tax rates.

The new budget covers the fiscal year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

The budget totals $189,291,223 and holds the real estate tax steady at 74 cents per $100 of assessed value. The Machinery and Tool tax rate also remains at $1.50 per $100 of assessed value. And the Personal Property tax rate holds at $2.35 per $100 of assessed value.

Also included in the budget resolution is a continuation of the current sliding scale BPOL tax on business gross receipts with no change in rates, and a Motor Vehicle Decal Fee of $25 per assessed motor vehicle.

Also approved Monday was a total appropriation of county funds to the school system totaling $23,861,564. That is part of the school system’s total $73,899,799 budget, which includes local, state and federal funding.

Supervisors Chairman Laura Walters thanked School Superintendent Rob Graham for the school board’s, “working so hard to give us a reasonable and balanced budget, your efforts are greatly appreciated.”

Both acknowledged they and their boards are “waiting on pins and needles” for final state budget figures for both the county and schools.

Also Monday, the supervisors heard from Emily Viers of Robertson, Farmer, Cox Associates on the county’s audit results for 2025. She said the county received a clean – unmodified opinion.

“That’s what you want,” Viers said.

She also noted the county’s unassigned fund balance (reserve) at that time totaled 18 percent. She said while 17 percent (or two months of operating revenue) is recommended, she personally urges localities to hold 20 to 25 percent.

Cox said the county’s expenses had grown by just over four percent, while is increasing at three percent.

Three re-zone requests were approved by the board, with the most impactful being a request from Shah Development to re-zone 5.5 acres in Fairlawn for a 50-unit townhome development.

The townhomes are planned to have 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and two-car garages.

The development is planned for the area behind Rocas and the Goodwill store in Fairlawn.

In the county’s continuing One Bag Challenge anti-litter campaign, 210 people and groups have participated with one month to go. So far a record 1,876 bags of trash and 545 discarded tires have been collected.

In the campaign’s coloring contest to engage children in One Bag Challenge, 231 entries were received. The Patriot and The Southwest Times, beginning this week, will publish the first and second place entries for kindergarten through fifth grade in county schools.