Duplin County’s FY 2026-27 budget sets Kenansville-area service priorities
Duplin County commissioners adopted a $79,427,900 General Fund budget on June 15, 2026, for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026, and ends June 30, 2027. The ordinance keeps the countywide property-tax rate at $0.58 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The plan is administered through county government based in Kenansville, but its appropriations generally support residents throughout Duplin County rather than Kenansville alone.
What commissioners approved
The adopted ordinance authorizes $79.43 million for General Fund operations. The countywide tax rate remains 58 cents per $100 of valuation. That is a county rate, not Kenansville’s municipal tax rate, and it does not replace any separate town tax or town-funded service.
The ordinance estimates $40,051,602 in property-tax revenue, $12,228,185 in local sales-tax revenue, $10,797,535 in intergovernmental and grant-related revenue, and $7,067,306 from appropriated fund balance. Those figures describe the budget’s authorized financing plan; they do not by themselves show the year-over-year effect on any individual property-tax bill.
Largest General Fund appropriations
The largest General Fund allocations are tied to services residents use across the county:
- Sheriff/Jail: $13,265,162
- Social Services Division: $11,635,868
- Duplin County Schools: $11,320,457
- Public Safety: $10,558,912
- Health Division: $6,202,844
Other General Fund appropriations include $2,560,228 for James Sprunt Community College, $1,140,556 for senior services, $1,083,831 for animal services and $933,064 for the library. These are spending authorities for the fiscal year, not proof that a particular project has been completed or that services will increase by a stated amount.
Separate funds cover schools, fire protection and utilities
Some major allocations sit outside the General Fund. The School Capital Fund receives $6,466,702, providing a separate source for school construction or major capital work. The Emergency Telephone System Fund receives $274,460, supported in the ordinance by emergency telephone fees, interest and fund balance.
The County Fire Districts Fund totals $5,117,402 for 28 districts. The ordinance’s revenue plan combines district ad valorem and motor-vehicle taxes, sales tax and a $556,008 transfer from the General Fund. Fire-district levies are separate district taxes, and the ordinance lists different rates for individual districts. The fire-district total should not be presented as funded entirely by the countywide 58-cent rate.
The Water Fund totals $4,044,806, including $1,205,697 for debt service. The ordinance estimates $3,979,500 in system charges and fees and $65,306 in interest. The Transportation Fund totals $1,490,326 and is supported by $535,255 in state funds or grants, $652,200 in agency-purchased services and $302,871 in fund balance. These service-area funds are generally supported by charges, fees, grants or purchased services rather than solely by the countywide property tax.
Why Kenansville is the local connection
The Duplin County Board of Commissioners and county administrative offices are located at 224 Seminary Street in Kenansville. The board’s stated responsibilities include adopting the annual budget and establishing the county property-tax rate.
The county manager’s office, also located at the Kenansville administrative building, describes the manager as the chief administrator who supervises county departments and formulates the annual operating budget. That makes Kenansville the county-government base for decisions affecting schools, public safety, health, social services, transportation, water operations and other county functions.
The resulting budget, however, applies across the county and is not a Kenansville-only spending plan.
What residents should watch
The budget sets authorization and funding structures for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. It does not eliminate separate municipal taxes, utility charges or fire-district levies that may apply to a resident’s property or service area.
Residents can use the final ordinance and Duplin County’s budget archive to review the full department-by-department accounting as the fiscal year proceeds.
Sources
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