Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones has proposed a nearly 7% property tax increase for the fiscal year that begins in July.
He said all of that money – $89 million – will go to the police and fire departments.
Most police officers would receive a 10 percent pay raise under the manager’s proposed budget. Firefighters would see their pay go up by 7%.
Jones said police officers are getting more than firefighters because Charlotte Mecklenburg Police has more vacancies.
“We have a problem with attracting and retaining police officers,” Jones said. “We don’t have the same problem with attracting and retaining firefighters.”
The budget also allows for CMPD officers to take their patrol vehicles home, and it provides more money for dashboard cameras.
The city’s general fund budget will be $1.04 billion – the first time the city’s budget has exceeded $1 billion. That’s a 10.5% increase from the previous year.
If the City Council approves the budget, the owner of a home with a tax value of $360,000 would pay about $68 more a year.
Jones stressed this is only the second time in seven years the city has raised the property tax rate, although rates and fees for water and sewer have gone up more frequently. And starting July first, the general sales tax in Mecklenburg County will increase by one-cent, to 8.25 percent, to pay for the city’s multi-billion transportation plan.
The budget also raises the minimum pay for all full-time employees from $24 an hour to $25 an hour.
