On Tuesday, the Wayne County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year Budget Ordinance.

During the meeting, Wayne County Manager Craig Honeycutt noted it was no easy task putting together this year’s financial plan in the age of COVID-19.

Honeycutt reminded there would be an expected drop in sales tax revenue this year.

Wayne County’s new budget includes no property tax increase, with the tax rate remaining lower than all surrounding counties.

Honeycutt had said that in order to balance the budget, the county was trying to limit new positions and there will be a freeze on rehiring for many vacant positions.

The county has also made the difficult choice to eliminate its non-emergency medical transport service, WayneNet.