Raleigh's $1.78B budget adopted for 2026 fiscal year with no tax increases, some fees will go up
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- People who and pay taxes in Raleigh will get a bit of a break from taxes. The city adopted its 2026 fiscal year budget, and it doesn't include raising property taxes. However, it does include increase in some city services fees.
City manager, Marchell Adams-David, submitted the proposed $1.78 billion budget on May 20.
According to the city, the theme of the proposed budget, "Our Greatest Asset: Our Workforce," is illustrated by the implementation of a comprehensive classification and compensation study. The study has delivered a new structure for more than 7,000 employees in more than 450 different job types. The total funding required for implementation is $35 million. In anticipation of the study results, the City set aside a penny of the tax rate - $11.4 million in fiscal year 2025. The remaining resources to fund the compensation study were realized from savings and careful budget planning that still ensures a strong fiscal position for the organization, the city says on its website.
Some other wins in the proposed budget include:
- 11% increase in starting pay for Fire Fighters
- 11% increase in starting pay for Police Officers
- 17% increase in starting pay for Telecommunicators
Click here to see the full 422-page budget proposal.
Last week, Wake County leaders adopted their new fiscal year budget by a 6-1 vote. Unlike Raleigh, the $2.1 billion budget does include a property tax increase.
The approved version of the $2.1 billion budget increases funding for the Wake County Public School System by $40.3 million, raising the district's total operating budget to nearly $743 million. That amount meets Superintendent Robert Taylor's funding request by cutting money set aside to buy land for affordable housing by $1 million, and cutting more than $780,000 for new EMS hires. It also increases the property tax rate by 51.71 cents per $100 valuation - about a $16.20 increase for the average home valued at $450,000 - on top of a .25-cent increase that Wake County voters already approved to support county libraries.
