Pitt County Government

   Pitt County, the City of Greenville, and the Towns of Ayden, Bethel, Farmville, Winterville, and Grifton operate under the manager form of government.
   Electoral process of County and City is by districts or wards, assuring minority representation.
   County and Municipal governments are recognized for efficiency of operations, stable tax rates, expanding tax base and commitment to economic growth.
   Pitt County's Bond Rating is AA (Fitch), AA- (Standard & Poor's), and Aa3 (Moody's); City of Greenville's Bond Rating is A+ (Standard & Poor's) and AA (Moody's)
   Expenditure of local county revenues, in order of magnitude, are: human services, education, public safety, and environmental protection.
   Expenditures of local revenues by the City of Greenville, in order of magnitude, are: public safety, public works, parks and recreation, and community development.
   The County and all major communities are involved in land-use planning and employ full-time staffs to prepare and plan for continued economic development.
   The County and the City are recognized for progressive leadership within the eastern region of North Carolina.

Relationship of Local Government to State

The State Constitution gives the North Carolina General Assembly the power to organize local government: the power to establish or to abolish counties and cities. The General Assembly also determines the scope of county and city government: local governmental units must have legislative grant of power before dealing with any particular issue (from elections to zoning ordinances to parking regulations).

Counties operate as the second tier of government, administering and delivering many programs to city as well as rural county residents such as education, health (including operation of sanitary landfills), social services, registration of real estate transactions, and supervision of elections, as mandated by state and/or federal law. Several county positions are held by elected officials, stipulated by State law, including members of the Board of County Commissioners, the Sheriff, the Register of Deeds, and members of the Board of Education. Other positions are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (or designated representatives).

Towns and cities offer supplementary services such as utilities, garbage collection, recreation, street maintenance (all county roads are state maintained), and intensified police and fire protection. Elected town/city officials are the Mayor and members of the council.

Back to the top

County Government

The Mission of Pitt County Government is to enhance the health, safety, and well being of the community by advocating for and providing quality services in a friendly and cost-effective manner.  To achieve its goal of better efficiency, the County has implemented many programs over the last several years including privatizing or outsourcing some functions, developing software products in-house, consolidating purchases, and utilizing internal assessment teams to evaluate and streamline daily functions.

Form: Pitt County operates under the Commissioner/Manager form of government (adopted in 1970) whereby an elected Board of Commissioners: 1) establishes board operational policies and guidelines and, 2) selects a professional manager to be responsible for day to day administration and implementation of objectives. The manager also prepares the annual budget and capital improvements program for the Board's approval.

For more information:
County of Pitt
1717 W. Fifth St.
Greenville, NC  27834
(252) 902-2950
Manager: Scott Elliott
www.pittcountync.gov

Election of Commissioners: The nine members of the County Board of Commissioners are elected to staggered, four-year terms ensuring a smooth transition of county policies from one year to the next. Commissioners must reside within and are elected by the district they serve. Six Commissioners are elected from individual districts and three are elected from combining individual districts.

Financial Condition: Under State law, all units of government in North Carolina must operate with balanced budgets. Pitt County has been fortunate to maintain an excellent level of service without assessing numerous user fees for the past several years. Annual independent audits continue to confirm the County's sound financial condition and use of excellent accounting procedures.