Mecklenburg County Manager Michael Bryant made his official budget recommendation to the county board of commissioners Thursday, and the $2.6 billion spending plan keeps the property tax rate steady at 49.27 cents per $100 of assessed value.
County officials have been warning about a storm of headwinds this year: slowing revenue growth, federal cuts and the lack of a state budget. But Bryant says the county offset those by moving some tax revenue from the county’s debt service fund, finding savings and using fund balances.
“I am so proud to share that I have utilized all the tools at my disposal and made the necessary adjustments in our investment practices without compromising our services, having to propose raising property taxes or even implementing employee layoffs,” Bryant said Thursday.
The budget increases the minimum wage for county employees from $20 per hour to about $25 and also offers a 3% increase in employee pay across the board.
It fully funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ requested budget, allocating nearly $700 million to the district’s operations. That includes a $25 million increase in the district’s operating budget from the current year and an additional one-time $6 million investment in new devices for students.
Along with the $33 million that goes to the district’s capital maintenance fund, it means CMS is getting a total of $730 million from Mecklenburg County, up from a total of $699 million last year.
The budget also fully funds Central Piedmont Community College’s budget request.
Other investments include a new behavioral health facility-based crisis center and affordable housing initiatives. Those include a $4.3 million plan to support the county's critical home repair program and $451,000 to support the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing.
Bryant also confirmed plans to work with CMS to build 100 to 300 units of affordable housing units for both county and CMS employees. The CMS Board recently voted to sell the vacant Smith Family Center, next to the Collinswood Language Academy in south Charlotte, to the county, with a plan to build affordable housing, with 20% of units reserved for teachers.
The budget also invests in various workforce development initiatives, such as a $1.7 million investment in Road to Hire, a program that helps high school students line up careers.
