06/19/2026
📢 Budget Public Hearing Takeaways
Decisions have been made that will take effect July 1st.
♻️ Recycling will remain in place.
🏠 Property taxes (homes and vehicles) will decrease by 1 cent. This is expected to reduce Town revenue by approximately $6,000. Residents with multiple properties and vehicles may notice a small decrease, while others may see little to no change.
Vote:
Howington: NO
Lindsay: YES
Taylor: YES
McDaniel: YES
Ford: YES
💧 Water and sewer rates will increase by 15%. Town officials stated this is necessary because Rocky Mount has increased its rates and the Town must follow suit to maintain the budget.
🗑️ Garbage rates will increase by 4.4% due to increased rates from GFL.
👥 Staffing included in the budget:
• 2 full-time administrative employees
• 1 part-time administrative employee
• 2 full-time maintenance employees
• 1 part-time police officer
• Continued contracts with the Nash and Edgecombe County Sheriff's Offices ($50 per hour)
Two cost-saving measures were proposed by Commissioner Nancy Taylor:
🔧 To help employees perform their jobs more efficiently with better tools and equipment, a proposal was made to reduce the Town's 401(k) match from 5% to 2.5%.
Vote:
Howington: NO
Lindsay: NO
Taylor: YES
McDaniel: NO
Ford: YES
👮 To help fund a possible second part-time police officer, a proposal was made to reduce monthly board stipends.
• Reduce to $250 for Commissioners
• Reduce to $350 for Mayor
Nancy Taylor was quoted to say "Whitakers has the highest paid board in Nash County"
Vote:
Howington: NO
Lindsay: NO
Taylor: YES
McDaniel: NO
Ford: YES
Commissioner Nancy McDaniel, serving as Police Commissioner, stated:
"As Police Commissioner, I want to assure our citizens that the safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority."
This statement, on a facebook post, came following the tragic incident that claimed the lives of two people at a local business in Whitakers.
My takeaway:
The Town chose to reduce tax revenue while increasing utility costs on residents. At the same time, proposals to reduce elected officials' stipends and reduce employee retirement matching in order to free up funds for additional public safety resources and maintenance equipment were considered.
The votes on those proposals speak for themselves. Residents can decide for themselves which elected officials were willing to make personal or organizational sacrifices to increase funding flexibility for public safety and other town needs.
