Wake County adopts $2.08 billion budget heavy on school funding

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to adopt a $2.08 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2025.

"I'm proud of the budget we adopted tonight because it invests in public safety, affordable housing and child welfare to meet state mandates and address the impacts of growth," said Board Chair Shinica Thomas. "It also heavily supports education, with 54% of the funds going towards Wake County Public Schools, Wake Tech, and Smart Start."

County Manager David Ellis initially recommended increasing the investment in the Wake County Public School System by $49 million. The board added $9.34 million more, bringing the total increase in funding for WCPSS over FY2024 to more than $58.3 million, which meets WCPSS Superintendent Robert Taylor's funding request.

This brings the county's total investment in the school system's operating budget to $702.6 million for FY2025.

The county also funded the Legal Support Center to an extent above the $31,000 increase Ellis proposed last month. Commissioners voted to provide an additional $80,000 to the center to expand its hours and hire more staff to assist residents who can't afford an attorney and need help navigating the justice system.

Property Tax Hike

Increased funding comes at a cost, of course, and commissioners raised the property tax rate by 0.3 cents to 51.35 cents per $100 of valuation. This means a resident who owns a $462,000 home, which is about the median assessed value in Wake County, will receive a tax bill of $2,372 this year.

The effect of the new tax rate depends on how each taxpayer's property value changed during the Jan. 1, 2024, revaluation, when the Tax Administration staff updated all the property values in Wake County. As a result, some will see their tax bill increase but others may actually pay less in taxes in FY2025.

Fire Tax Rate Adopted

The budget decreases the fire tax from 12.27 cents to 10.75 cents per $100 of property value for households in the Fire Tax Special District, which funds fire services in the unincorporated areas of the county and the Town of Wendell.

The budget also includes deploying 10 more ambulances, along with the EMTs and paramedics to staff them, and adding 16 law enforcement officers to the Wake County Sheriff's Office patrol unit.

The Child Welfare Program will gain seven new positions aimed at keeping children safe, recruiting more foster families, and placing more youth in stable, permanent homes.

The budget adds an additional $4.5 million for the Affordable Housing Development Program in line with the board's goal of creating and preserving 2,500 affordable housing units by 2029.

Funding was also included to add staffing and resources to open Beech Bluff County Park and Kellam-Wyatt County Park.

Learn more about the new budget here.