Story by Lara Manetta
Photos by Sage Russell

People began filling the court room early for the first August meeting of the Pamlico County Commission. The meeting had been moved from its usual spot in the Patsy Sadler Room in anticipation of a crowd. The back rows were filled by members of the County Sheriff’s office and the Volunteer Fire Department. Members of other county departments, along with local residents filled other rows, with more than 50 observers in attendance.

Over a dozen people signed up for the public comment period on the issue that’s been on everyone’s mind: the new budget, which, in the wake of last month’s tax rate vote, was ready to be approved.

With last session’s tax rate vote settled, it was time for the county commissioners to approve the budget they began discussing in early May. 

Thirteen speakers took to the podium to speak about the budget and related topics over a span of about 40 minutes. Many represented local departments or organizations. Others came as individual citizens concerned about taxes and the budget in the coming year.

Ed Hege, the first speaker of the night, asked the commissioners to reconsider the budget and expressed concerns about increased taxes. “The bottom line is you are asking for a tremendous increase in taxation to the community,” he said.

“Pamlico County has a very high rate of expenditure based on population [relative to surrounding counties],” Hege said. “There is very little industry, very little business, anything that brings in trade and generates income for the county. So, I believe a lot of our tax problems are based on spending, not taxation.” He recommended the county trim the budget to provide only required services.

Gordon Allison of Arapahoe described the 26-27 budget as “a monument to waste.”

“The Board of Commissioners was elected by the citizens of Pamlico County and you should be accountable to us,” he said. “Instead, you seem to be accountable to the employees of the county.” Allison expressed concern about staffing levels, questioning whether a number of positions could be made cheaper by using contractors instead of employees. 

Missy Baskerville, also of Arapahoe, read a short statement. “A no vote on this budget is the only fiscally responsible course,” she said. “We arrive at this juncture primarily due to reckless spending…. The growth in this local government in terms of employees and spending is outrageous,” she said. 

Deanna Gaskins approached the podium to make a request. “I’m here on behalf of the dedicated employees of Pamlico County Department of Social Services (DSS) to ask you to seriously consider increasing the salaries of the people who provide some of the county’s most essential services,” she said.

“Many of the employees helping county residents qualify for these benefits and are eligible for these programs themselves,” she said. DeAnna says more than half of the employees in the Medicaid unit work a second job to make ends meet. 

According to Gaskins, the department currently has a 32 percent turnover rate. And, that turnover means loss of institutional knowledge when employees leave, heavier workloads for those who stay, and months spent training new employees.

“The employees of DSS don’t do this work because it’s easy. We don’t do it because it’s something we wanted to do. We do it because we believe in public service,” she said. 

Sheriff Chris Davis got up to thank the commissioners for their work on the budget and to muse on the subject of county officials’ responsibilities. He shared a note shared by instructors at the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association New Sheriff’s Leadership Course.

“That note stated, when keeping the job becomes more important than doing the job, the mission is lost. Let me repeat that. When keeping the job becomes more important than doing the job, the mission is lost,” Davis said. “County leaders, especially those of us who are elected officials, must keep this at the forefront of our minds and our actions. In our positions, making the wisest decision is often the hardest to make. What's wise may not be what's popular to the people we serve.”

Davis acknowledged the budget was unpopular, but deemed it necessary.

Yolanda Cristiniani, Executive Director of the Hope Clinic, addressed the board to talk about the importance of public health. “Protecting access to healthcare isn’t simply about improving health,” she said. “It’s about protecting our workforce. It’s supporting local business and strengthening the county’s economy.”

She said expanding local access to healthcare is good fiscal sense. “Every time residents leave Pamlico County for routine healthcare, those healthcare dollars leave with them,” she said.

Nancy Deckard, Family Nurse Practitioner at the Pamlico County Health Department, also spoke about healthcare access in Pamlico County. “Investment in new healthcare professionals for underserved areas creates an immediate double return,” Deckard said. “It lowers long-term county safety costs while driving economic growth.”

Norma Jones, a registered nurse at the Pamlico County Health Department, concurs. Before settling in Pamlico County, she spent 30 years moving base to base with her husband during his years in the Marine Corp. “The journey of following him allowed me to practice nursing in a wide variety of clinical environments,” Jones said. “But in all those years, nowhere have I felt I was making a true difference like I do right here, right now. In a rural community like ours, a lack of local care means people go without.”

She said that people without access to regular care go without screenings and fail to manage chronic illnesses. This can result in more expensive care down the line. “If this county is looking to save money, removing medical programs from the community is not the way.”

Health Department patient Natalia Sartin praised the quality of care at the department. She said workers at the Health Department helped with referrals to specialists when her husband was ill and provided caring follow-up calls.

Sartin also emphasized the financial benefits of having care available in the county. “Having local providers saves people like me money from the gas prices and having to take even more time off work to drive to places like Newport,” she said.

The commissioners approved the 2026-27 budget unanimously.

The county will be upgrading the water treatment plant in Grantsboro. The commissioners agreed to bring in Raleigh engineering firm Wooten Engineering to navigate the $1.6 million project. The firm will assist in areas that include surveys, technical design and all phases of construction.

Experts from Wooten have also toured the Kershaw plant and proposed a number of improvements. The Kershaw plant will be gradually upgraded as funds become available. 

The commissioners approved the following unanimously:

The commissioners voted 6 to 1 with Candy Bohmert dissenting in favor of approving the plans and application for a water supply system for the Pamlico Grove Apartments. 

The board went into closed session to discuss a matter subject to attorney/client privilege.

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