The Granville County Board of Commissioners approved a $92.9 million budget for FY 2026-27, keeping the county tax rate and the fire service tax rate unchanged and bumping up the Fire District budget by 1.4 percent to close to $3.5 million.
Commissioners approved the budget at their June 15 meeting. County Manager Drew Cummings presented the proposed budget in May. The budget was approved following a presentation of the proposed budget by the County Manager at the May 4, 2026, regular meeting, three budget work sessions, and a public hearing. The new fiscal year takes effect on July 1, 2026.
The county general fund budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $92,946,976, an increase of 2.1 percent, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.
The Board of Commissioners voted to keep the current county tax rate at $0.631 per $100 valuation and the fire service district tax rate at $0.06 per $100 valuation. Owners of property within the five municipalities in Granville County will also have assessed taxes set by those respective governments.
The greatest percentage of the county’s operating budget is education funding. About $27.3 million, 23 percent of the operating budget, will fund Granville County Public Schools, the charter schools attended by Granville County residents and Vance-Granville Community College. GCPS and associated charter schools will receive $20.6 million for annual operating expenses ($2,563 per pupil – an increase of 7.8% from last year). GCPS will also receive $2.2 million in capital funding in addition to $3.1 million in debt service payments for capital projects. Granville County is also responsible for 25 percent of the VGCC Main Campus operations and 100 percent of the South Campus.
Granville Health System operates the county’s Emergency Medical Service system, which will receive $3.8 million in funding in the next fiscal year. Granville-Vance Public Health will receive $1.27 million from Granville County, which combined with Vance County provides about 14% of the GVPH operating budget. The Granville County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center will receive $12.4 million in the upcoming budget to provide law enforcement services for all of Granville County, house inmates at the Detention Center, supply School Resource Officers to Granville County Public Schools, and provide security at the Granville County Courthouse.
General Government and Community Services
Commissioners approved a limited number of new positions to enhance services to Granville County residents, including an Assistant Tax Administrator, a janitorial position for the courthouse, converting a part-time Library System position to full-time to perform community outreach, a fleet management position, and a program coordinator for the Granville County Senior Center in Oxford beginning in January 2027. The budget also includes funding to implement the recommendations for an external pay and classification study to ensure that Granville County can recruit and retain the most qualified employees possible.
The Fiscal Year 2026–2027 budget also allocates funds for several upgrades at the Granville Athletic Park. Planned projects include replacing playground equipment in the park’s older section, repairing sections of wooden footbridges along the walking trails, repaving worn and damaged areas of the parking lots, and resurfacing the floor in the sports pavilion
Granville County provides funding to partner agencies who provide critical services to Granville County residents. Recipients in the upcoming year include: Kerr Area Transportation Authority (KARTS), Area Congregations in Ministry (ACIM), Boys & Girls Club, Granville Arts Council, Camp Butner Society, Cornerstone Community Church’s White Flag Shelter, Crime Stoppers, Families Living Violence Free, Franklin Granville Vance Smart Start, Franklin Vance Warren Opportunity Inc., Granville County Chamber of Commerce, Granville County Historical Society (Museum), Henderson-Oxford Airport, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, and Tar River Land Conservancy.
Learn more about the fiscal year operating budget by visiting www.granvillecounty.org/budget.
— information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood