# October 21, 2026 General Government; Public Works and Capital Improvement Projects Budget Meeting

Northampton County Council’s General Government, Public Works, and Capital Improvement Projects budget meeting was held October 21, 2026. Council reviewed the proposed 2027 budget and heard public comments criticizing the proposed tax increase, employee raises, reserve assumptions, and funding for Gracedale; a representative of the Conservation District requested a county subsidy of $150,000 under its recently completed MOU. Staff explained that the proposed budget restores pension/OPEB and capital contributions and does not rely on general-fund balance or the stabilization fund to balance the budget. No budget amendments, contract awards, or spending votes were recorded during the meeting.

Capital and procurement-related discussion included a proposed $15 million ERP system replacement, described as a way to consolidate multiple systems and reduce manual processing; council asked whether it could be deferred, and staff said there was no immediate requirement to proceed. The budget also includes $245,000 for Gracedale infrastructure and wireless upgrades and a data-security/computer refresh plan totaling $425,000 over three years, with $125,000 proposed for 2027. Staff said the county’s IT services contract expires at the end of 2027 and an RFP will need to be issued next year. Other funding discussed included a $5 million bond allocation for the P25 radio project, a $714,628 LANTA operating and capital grant-match request, and restored funding for open-space and farmland-preservation activity. These were budget discussions, not approvals of specific procurements.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 21, 2026

### Sources
- [October 21, 2026 General Government; Public Works and Capital Improvement Projects Budget Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pRZYYuoT7g) - Northampton County (Live Meetings)