Some counties in the Border Belt are tightening their spending as pandemic-era federal relief money runs out and costs for services climb.
Bladen and Columbus counties adopted significantly smaller budgets for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that began July 1, compared to the previous year. Robeson and Scotland counties increased their budgets, but they too are dealing with economic uncertainties.
County officials largely shied away talking about the impact of losing federal funding, but the budgets show the loss made an impact. The funds were largely used for employee retention and supporting existing programs.
While each county is approaching the crunch differently, common themes include stagnant property tax rates, limited funding for schools and a staffing squeeze. County leaders say they’re being forced to prioritize core services at the expense of long-term investments.
Bladen County: Hiring freeze, more money for social services
Bladen County’s $53.4 million budget is a 14% decrease from the previous fiscal year. It holds the property tax rate steady at 78.5 cents per $100 valuation.
The budget includes a 1% cut for each county department except social services. It also includes a hiring freeze, although county employees will get a 3% raise. Charles Ray Peterson, interim county manager and chairman of the board of commissioners, said the pay bump was a priority amid the hiring freeze to ensure the county retains employees who might consider taking jobs in neighboring counties.
As part of the budget, county commissioners allocated $8.7 million for Bladen County Schools—the same amount the district has received since 2023. That funding is significantly less than the $9.9 million the district asked for from county commissioners. Those additional funds, the school district said, would have gone toward hiring six new assistant principals, a 4% salary increase for all staff and several infrastructure improvements.
To balance the budget, the county also had to use about $1.1 million from its capital reserves. Lisa Coleman, Bladen County’s finance director, said that may be indicative of economic uncertainty, and that the county would need to find ways to save in the future.
Peterson said the county is exploring ways to provide better services with fewer resources. “We’re going to have to look at how we can work smarter, and hopefully do more with less,” he told the Border Belt Independent.
Peterson said the county largely used pandemic-era federal funds to increase salaries and subsidize existing programs, which will now have to make do without the extra money. The county received about $6.3 million from federal pandemic relief funds to be spent over four years; the money expired at the end of last year.
One of the biggest expenses in the budget is social services. The department will see an additional $596,000 in spending this year, bringing its total budget to $10.9 million. The additional funds are necessary to support the foster care population, which has doubled in the past year, according to Lisa Coleman, Bladen County’s finance director.
“We have a lot of children being turned over back into foster care,” Coleman said. “Some of them are eligible for benefits, and some of them are not, and that puts the burden back on the county.”
Columbus County: Layoffs, no pay raises
Columbus County is shrinking its spending by 12% and dipping into its savings.
The budget approved by county commissioners includes 24 layoffs. Columbus County Manager Eddie Madden said most positions were vacant or would soon be made vacant due to retirement.
“It only impacts eight actual employees within an organization of nearly 600 people,” he said, but did not specify which positions were affected.
County employees will not receive a cost-of-living pay raise, allowing Bladen to reduce salaries and wages by 5% overall. Madden said it is possible for the board to approve a cost-of-living increase in January, if finances are on the right track.
Madden said the reduced budget is due to significant losses in property tax revenues. International Paper, which closed one of its pulp machines and laid off 200 people from its Columbus County facility in late 2023, accounted for a $2 million decrease in revenue.
Like Bladen, Columbus County also had to dip into its reserves to balance a shortfall. Commissioners approved using about $1.5 million from its coffers, largely for increased medical costs and social services expenses.
But the property tax rate will remain 80.5 cents per $100 valuation.
The budget also provides renewed funding for quick response vehicles staffed paramedics and boosts base pay for 911 telecommunicators.
“The budget is balanced, it is conservative, and it meets the priorities of this board without a tax increase,” Madden said.
Despite financial challenges, the county increased the budget of the sheriff’s office by $460,000, a 4.6% increase from last year. Madden said the funds will be used to buy 10 law enforcement vehicles and support the purchase of illegal drugs in undercover operations. The budget also provides renewed funding for paramedic service vehicles and boosts base pay for 911 telecommunicators.
Funding for Columbus County Schools and Whiteville City Schools will increase by about 4%. But the amount falls short of the districts’ requests. Columbus County Schools asked for $7.1 million and received $6.8 million; Whiteville City Schools requested $2.8 million and received $2.6 million.
Robeson County: Increased spending, but not for schools
Robeson County’s $199 million budget is a nearly 4% increase from the previous fiscal year. The property tax rate will remain 75 cents per $100 valuation.
The budget includes small increases for the sheriff’s office, emergency medical services and transportation. It also includes a 2% cost-of-living raise for county employees.
While most of the budget is optimistic, 911 services will see a significant decrease in funding. The $457,000 for the department, a 48% decrease from the previous year, is due to a dip in state funding from the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, according to Robeson County Finance Director Carla Kinlaw.
Public Schools of Robeson County received flat funding from the county for the 2025-26 fiscal year at $13.4 million, despite a request for an increase to offset rising operational costs and more students. Last year, the school board asked county commissioners to nearly double per-pupil spending, which currently ranks last in the state, according to the Public School Forum of North Carolina. That request, however, would have cost the county nearly $5 million and was denied.
The additional local funding would have also helped, as Robeson County schools face major federal funding cuts. District officials expected to receive $14.6 million in federal pandemic-era funds, but the U.S. Department of Education abruptly cut the funding in March.
Scotland County: No more funding ‘floor’ for schools
Scotland County’s $56.6 million budget represents a 3% increase from the previous year. The budget provides a 2% cost-of-living raise for county employees and holds the property tax rate steady at 99 cents per $100 valuation.
The overall growth, however, comes with some tightening in other areas, including a decrease in school funding. Scotland County schools will receive $9.75 million from the county—a 2.5% decrease from the previous year. The allocation follows the repeal of the school funding “floor” law, which previously mandated a minimum funding level. The repeal now allows county commissioners to determine school allocations independently.
Fees in the county will increase. Water and sewer rates will increase by 15%, and fire service taxes will increase by 5 cents. Beth Hobbs, Scotland County’s finance director, said residents can expect higher utility bills, too. She said the hikes reflect rising infrastructure and service costs.
Commissioners also created a new vetting system for nonprofit funding in an effort to cut costs. “This service would help and let them make a recommendation to us,” said Commissioner Ed O’Neal of nonprofits in the county. “That’s the best litmus test to make sure whatever we’re giving ends up supporting our mission.”
