Charlotte City Council members will vote Monday night on a budget that boosts salaries for police officers and firefighters. The $2.6 billion budget would also increase Charlotte’s property tax rate for the first time in five years.
Last month, City Manager Marcus Jones proposed a budget that included pay raises of 6.5 percent for CMPD officers. That was short of the 15 percent that the local Fraternal Order of Police had requested.
City Council members asked Jones to find more money for police pay, and he responded witha plan that gives many officers raises of 7 to 9.5 percent.Those with less experience would get bigger raises, while veteran officers would see smaller increases. Charlotte firefighters would get scheduled salary increases, plus a 1.5 percent market adjustment pay boost.
The city manager’s revised public safety pay plan adds more than $550,000 to his original budget. To help offset the additional costs, the latest proposal would eliminate three city government positions, remove funding for 11 police take-home vehicles and make other adjustments.
The budget that council members will vote on Monday night would raise Charlotte’s property tax rate by a penny, adding $25 in property taxes per-year on a $250,000 home. The proposed city tax hike is in addition to a 3/4 cent property tax increase that Mecklenburg County commissioners are scheduled to vote on next week.
Monday's City Council budget vote would also set in motion the steps to place a $223 million bond referendum on the November ballot. That plans includes a proposed $50 million for an affordable housing trust fund, which is more than triple the city’s current contribution.
