Mecklenburg County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution against a proposal from the General Assembly to cap the amount of property taxes that North Carolina counties and municipalities could raise.
Some Republicans say local governments are taxing residents more than necessary, even after accounting for inflation and population growth. They are considering a constitutional amendment limiting how much counties and municipalities could raise from property taxes.
Mecklenburg Commissioners oppose the proposal. Their resolution said it “may reduce local flexibility and undermine fiscal stability.”
Commissioner George Dunlap said Mecklenburg County spends nearly $500 million annually on Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. He said that should be the state’s responsibility.
“And I think our community needs to understand that,” he said. “That’s where people are going to get it wrong if they vote for this cap, thinking they will get a reduction. They will get that reduction if the state funded the system.”
North Carolina voters could vote on the cap in November.
A John Locke Foundation study singled out Cabarrus and Wake as two counties that have raised more than necessary from property taxes, in the opinion of the foundation. Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte’s property tax rates have been in line with their natural population growth, according to the study.
There is already a state cap on the property rate of 1.5% for every $100 of taxable property. North Carolina local governments are far below that cap, in part because of rising property values.
