Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio presented her 2025-26 county budget on Wednesday, and amid cuts across county government, cuts to nonprofit partnerships and a proposed tax increase, Diorio proposed fully funding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ budget request.
The $2.5 billion operating budget fully funds CMS’ more than $666 million request. That’s more than 4% higher than the county’s allotment from last year. With another $33 million in capital maintenance expenses for the district, CMS would receive a total of $699 million — 40% of the county’s total general fund.
The increase would fund raises in the county teacher supplement, pay raises for non-teaching staff and new Chromebooks for students. CMS has said 93% of its request to the county funded salaries — which Diorio said was a major selling point.
“CMS’ proposal was very clear in what they were proposing, and that was all about employee compensation, and we know that education is best served when you have a teacher in every classroom," Diorio said.
Diorio’s budget would also increase funding to Central Piedmont Community College by $1.7 million to $49 million, and allocate an additional $3.4 million to the county’s MECK Pre-K program to fund 10 new classrooms.
In a tight budget year, the county is making $13.8 million in cuts elsewhere in the budget and proposing a roughly 2% increase in the property tax rate.
Diorio told commissioners that with a 1.6% spending increase, the budget is more conservative than it could have been, and doesn’t dip into the county’s reserves to fund ongoing operations. That’s because there’s uncertainty about tax revenues and the overall economy.
"That revenue forecast and the uncertainties on the horizon are key reasons that this budget does not rely on the use of county's fund balance for operating expenses. In order to protect the county, I want to make sure that fund balance is available should economic conditions significantly worsen," she said.
The board will vote on the budget request June 3.
