Spending is up. Here’s why your property tax rate isn’t in Mecklenburg’s budget
Mecklenburg appears poised to avoid a countywide property tax increase this year.
County Manager Mike Bryant on Thursday presented his proposed budget for the new fiscal year that starts July 1. County officials previously warned of a projected budget shortfall in the millions, citing a slowdown in revenue growth and uncertainty around federal and state funding.
But Bryant’s calling for the county’s property tax rate to stay flat at 49.27 cents per $100 of property value. To make it happen, he’s proposing the county reassess some spending and tap into savings and money that would normally go towards paying down debt.
“As an organization we are at a critical crossroads, one that calls for intentional innovation,” Bryant told the Board of County Commissioners during Thursday’s presentation.
His budget calls for $2.6 billion in spending, up 1.8% from the county’s current budget.
Much of the budget will go towards Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, raises for county employees and investments in other county projects.
County commissioners will decide the plan’s fate by early June.
No proposed property tax increase for Mecklenburg County
The county began putting together its budget for fiscal year 2027 with a projected shortfall of $21 to $36 million, staff said Thursday.
County leaders previously warned of potential impacts from federal spending cuts by the Trump administration and uncertainty surrounding the delayed state budget out of Raleigh. Revenue growth is down, too, from an average growth rate of $75.5 million for the past four years to $47.4 million.
“Mecklenburg County cannot alone bridge the service and opportunity gaps that continue to exist in our community. We cannot do all things,” Bryant said during his Thursday presentation.
But, he said the county found about $38 million through nips and tucks to the current budget. He also noted the county found savings by postponing and rethinking some long-term capital plans.
Bryant’s proposed budget also calls for spending $95 million in fund balance, which is partially a savings account, on onetime expenses. He also wants to tap into money that would normally go toward the county’s debt service fund, the metaphorical credit card bill. The county determined it could move some dollars while still being “able to meet the obligations of paying the debt service bill,” Bryant told reporters after his presentation.
Together, those measures will allow the county to avoid a property tax increase that would’ve been more than 2 cents for $100 of value, Bryant said.
Despite the county avoiding a property tax increase, many residents will still pay more in fiscal year 2027. The city of Charlotte is considering a 1.89 cents per $100 in valuation property tax increase, and the county’s sales tax rate is set to go up by a penny to fund transportation projects approved by voters last year.
More money for schools, new main library
The proposed county budget fully funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ request for about $730 million in county dollars. That includes $691 million for operating expenses, which include teacher pay supplements. The county will also give $6 million for student devices and about $33 million for capital expenses.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will get $2.4 million to support programming and 24 jobs at the new main library branch under construction in uptown and other operational costs.
County employees also will see bigger paychecks if the budget passes as presented.
Bryant proposed spending $2.5 million to raise the county’s minimum wage from $20 an hour to $25.53, the living wage threshold in Mecklenburg according to research by MIT. The budget also includes $16.9 million for 3% across-the-board pay raises for county employees, $13.2 million for performance-based raises and $4.4 million for one-time $500 salary supplements for all county employees except department directors and executives.
What’s in county budget for public safety
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office will get $5.3 million in new money under the proposed budget that would go toward medical services, maintenance at the county jail and overtime due to the growing jail population.
Overcrowding worsened conditions at the county jail in recent months, people held there told The Charlotte Observer. Sheriff Garry McFadden attributed overcrowding to “Iryna’s Law,” a criminal justice bill that, among other changes, created stricter pretrial release rules.
Some of the sheriff’s new money would also go towards off-site juvenile housing, an issue that’s been in the headlines as McFadden floated the need to reopen a juvenile detention facility in Mecklenburg.
MEDIC is slated to get $8.9 million from the county. Some of that, $2.7 million, will go toward implementing recommendations from an ongoing study into the county’s emergency medical services sparked by disputes between MEDIC and area fire departments.
What’s next for county budget
County commissioners, who have the final say on the budget, will meet throughout the following weeks to go over Bryant’s proposal in more detail and debate the plan.
The community can weigh in at a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in uptown. Those interested in speaking should visit BOCC.MeckNC.gov/Clerk, call 980-314-2914 or email Clerk@MeckNC.gov to sign up by 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 20.
The board is scheduled to vote on the final budget June 2.
