Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Submitted Story on September 1, 2026
Dare County has announced it will host three community meetings in early October to provide residents with information about the one-quarter cent ($0.0025) sales tax referendum that will appear on the November 3 ballot in the county.
The quarter-cent sales tax increase would be earmarked for renovations and expansion at the county’s Parks and Recreation facilities and fields. The increase would raise the sales tax from 6.75% to 7.0%, which would generate additional annual revenues of about 6.1 million. The Outer Banks Voice – Dare Board approves sales tax question on the ballot.
Groceries, gasoline, automobiles, and prescriptions would be exempt from the increase, and the county estimates the added cost for residents to be about $14 per year for individuals or $22 per year for families.
According to Dare County Manager Bobby Outten, the roughly $6 million in annual revenue would allow the county to borrow nearly $57 million for the improvements as well as programmatic and operational expenses. That Parks & Recreation Recommendations and Implementation 2025-2035 Plan was developed for the county by McGill Associates.
The community meetings will be held at each of the Dare County Parks and Recreation Department’s three divisions as follows.
For more information, including the answers to a variety of frequently asked questions about the referendum, visit DareNC.gov/QuarterCent.
Comments
tax and spend republicans
With tax and spend republican county commissioners like these, who needs democrats.
Ed
The reason no one trusts them with money has nothing to do with parks.
It’s all the other stuff that seems shady. If we had – or anyone still had – a real investigative media source doing detailed, regular work on county budget expenditures, the investigation, the visitor bureau, Hennessy, beach nourishment, Outten’s double salary and such, there would be more trust when they want a tax increase.
OBXyearrounder
I’ll be voting no–I think we’ve got some really nice rec opportunities as is. Did a survey for rec interests months ago which resulted in #1 choice of a swim pool— that was shot down as too expensive so I’m wondering why do a survey if results aren’t going to be used.
jackie harris
It would stand a better chance of passing if they would include a sunset date!
Just Sayin
They are using our tax dollars to convince us they need more of our money. Dare County good ole boys again….
Coin of the Realm
Ed hit the nail on the head. This issue on the ballot is unrelated to Pennies for Parks, the real issue is our reasonable lack of trust in our county commissioners. Ed provided a short list of examples of their wasteful expenditures and corrupt crony schemes but we could all make a much longer list.
Trust is the coin of the realm and in the case of our county commissioners their purses are empty.
$andman
#1 Dare County goal = spend every penny of our tax dollars.
Hard to believe there is never a budget surplus, every penny is spent every year.
If they don’t spend every penny of the every years’ budget then they can’t ask for an increase the next year, the math is simple here.. its the addition button.
My vote will be NO
Craig
This might be the only reason I bother to vote this fall. I’m a hard no.