Wake County manager presents $2B budget plan to commissioners, with $693M proposed to WCPSS
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County Manager David Ellis presented a $2 billion budget proposal to the Wake County Board of Commissioners for Fiscal Year 2025 on Monday night.
Ellis is asking for $200 million more than the previous budget.
"This budget aligns with the county's newly adopted strategic plan," Ellis said. "It includes funding to advance each of the plan's six focus areas, so we can improve the quality and reach of our programs and services while remaining fiscally responsible."
Ellis is also proposing a lower overall tax rate for county property taxes. However, with the property valuations skyrocketing this year, many may still end up paying for in property tax than in years past. The tax rate is going from 65.7 cents down to 51.05 cents per $100 of assessed value. Back in January, 53% of Wake County residents saw an increase in their property valuation, and therefore their taxes.
The proposed budget decreases the current tax rate from 65.7 cents to 51.05 cents per $100 of valuation. Of that, 36.30 cents will fund operating expenses, and 14.75 cents will go toward long-term debt and capital plans.
Under the proposal, a resident who owns a $462,000 home, roughly the median assessed value in Wake County, will receive a tax bill of $2,358 this year. The effect of the proposed 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. Others will pay less.
More than half of Wake County homeowners saw an increase in the property tax valuation when they came out back in January - some as high as 80%. Though the tax rate just for the county looks as if it will go down, increases in valuation mean many will still pay more in county taxes next year than in years past.
Ellis said the request for more money reflects the "new normal" - with revenues growing moderately but outpaced by growth and demand in Wake County. The population of the county is growing by 51 people each day.
"The cost of doing business has increased, and we have more needs as we work hard to serve our growing population," Ellis said.
Of the $2 billion dollar budget, more than half is slated to head to education. $1.1 billion would go toward the Wake County Public School System, Wake Tech Community College, and Smart Start, an income-eligible preschool.
Some of the items listed in the plan include:
- Deploying 10 more ambulances to the roads, along with EMTs and paramedics to staff them
- Adding 16 officers to the Wake County Sheriff's Office patrol unit to address an increase in calls.
- Adding seven new positions to the Child Welfare Program, recruit more foster families and place more youth in stable, permanent homes.
- Increasing ongoing support for the Affordable Housing Development Program by $4.5 million to help toward the goal of creating and preserving 2,500 affordable housing units by 2029.
For a closer look at the budget, click here.
On May 13, the board will hold its first work session dedicated to this budget. Residents can attend public hearings on May 20 and May 21 to provide feedback in person.
For those who don't want to wait, you can weigh in online right now by visiting this link.
The public comment period will remain open until May 22. On May 23, commissioners will discuss the public comments at the second budget-related work session and consider any changes to the proposed budget.
The board will consider adopting the budget during its 5 p.m. meeting on June 3.
Wake County Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 and not everyone is on board with his recommendation.
Taylor is asking for $58 million more than last year. That's an 8% increase.
Taylor said his budget will address the loss of one-time federal COVID dollars. But it doesn't include previously planned multi-year raises for school employees.
The meeting follows eight walk-in protests by Wake County School District educators.
WATCH | WCPSS employees plan protests to call for pay raises
"This is our way of pressuring them to add those pay raises," North Carolina Association of Educators-Wake President Christina Spears said.
She has been a special education teacher for almost a decade and said the pay is low.
"I'm going into year 10 and I still live with my mom to have dual incomes to pay rent," Spears said. "I do some side hustling as I can."
Educators want a 4.5% raise for certified staff and $18 an hour for non-certified staff.
"We're the labor union for public school workers. I would have loved to see pay raises in there," Spears said.
She referenced Taylor's proposal and told ABC11 that he had previously stated that employee compensation was a top priority.
"But at the bottom of that page, it says WCPSS will pause on the multiyear initiative to increase employee compensation beyond the state legislative increase in '24 and '25. I think that's the most disappointing part," she said.
Last year, commissioners approved a $50 million increase that helped raise school employees' minimum salaries to $17 an hour.
