Council members voted Monday night to approve Charlotte’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins next month.
Over the last two weeks, they had been debating whether to reduce a property tax rate increase from 1.5 cents to 1.37 cents. Lowering the size of the tax increase would have reduced the city’s Capital Investment Plan by $65 million. That meant spending less on sidewalks, uptown transportation improvements and other infrastructure projects, which some council members opposed.
The city reached a compromise to restore the $65 million. The city will still keep the smaller tax rate increase by instead spending less to resurface streets.
The budget passed in an 8-3 vote. Republicans Ed Driggs and Tariq Bokhari voted no, along with Democrat Renee Johnson.
The tax increase will amount to about $49 a year for the owner of a median-priced home in Charlotte.
The budget also includes:
- A 5% salary increase for all hourly employees.
- Increases the minimum pay for full-time city employees to $23 an hour, or almost $48,000.
- A 4% raise pool for salaried employees.
- Raises of up to 7.5% for police officers and firefighters.
