The Mecklenburg County Manager, Dena R. Diorio, and the Mecklenburg County Management and Budget Director, Aridan Cox, presented the recommended $2.5 billion budget for FY 25 to the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, May 16, focusing mainly on maintaining current county services.
The $2.5 billion budget is a 5.5% increase, or $130 million, from the FY24 budget.
“The central message in this year’s budget recommendation is that [the County] has raised the bar in services to residents, and we need to maintain and sustain those efforts,” Diorio said during the county commissioners meeting.
Diorio said the FY25 recommended budget includes $146 million in new funding for the Board of County Commissioners’ priorities, including early childhood development, workforce development and reducing racial disparities.
The county commissioners’ other leading priorities include:
- Health access: $7.5 million
- Housing insecurity: $16.9 million
- Educational attainment: $46.4 million
- Environmental stewardship: $47.2 million
Diorio recommended fully funding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ request for its new budget of $653 million.
Diorio also recommended a 3% pay increase for county employees and a half-cent increase in property taxes per $100 property valuation.
Shrinking revenue
In FY25, several state and federal funding sources will be lost, in addition to pandemic-era funding, totaling around $20 million.
“New resources are limited in ways we have not seen in some time,” Diorio said. “We are experiencing revenue shortfalls that the county cannot seamlessly absorb.”
This includes a loss of:
- $12.3 million from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office due to its decision to no longer house federal inmates
- $5.7 million lost from the Register of Deeds Office due to a slowing housing market and higher interest rates
- $2.3 million lost from Medicaid reimbursem*nts
The general fund revenue is expected to grow by $56.6 million, or 3.6% — the lowest amount since FY21 — without any increase in property tax rates.
That leaves a budgetary shortfall of $14.7 million.
Property tax increases
Diorio recommended a 1.5 cent increase in the property tax rate — half a cent per $100 valuation of a property — to cover what the county manager says will fix the revenue shortfall, according to Diorio.
That means a median homeowner, $383,000, will pay $57.45 per year more or $4.79 per month, Diorio said.
The increase in property taxes for the General Fund will increase revenue by $14.7 million, bringing the total growth to $71.4 million or 4.5%
Health access
The FY2025 recommended budget includes $7.5 million for health access, including:
- $2.8 million for Medic fleet replacement — 12 ambulances and technology
- $820,000 for Youth and Family Services emergency shelter
- $266,000 for a dental mobile unit with a dentist and dental hygienist
- $100,000 for the Save a Smile program, which helps uninsured pediatric patients
- $350,000 for increased costs of vaccines in the immunization program
- $450,000 for more temporary medical staff to help new Medicaid patients
- $250,000 for a one-time contribution to the capital campaign for Charlotte is Home Center to provide legal and healthcare services to refugee and immigrant populations
- $250,000 for contracted interpreting to support growing service needs
- $220,000 to provide fresh food at the Community Resource Center pantries, increasing cost for food a congregate meal and mobile market sites, and a position to support the mobile market
- $150,000 for Pat’s Place to increase service at the Child Advocacy Center
- $84,000 for a health program supervisor for the interpreter team
- $30,000 for increased stipends for Nursing Home Advisory Board members
Housing insecurity
The County manager recommended $16.9 million in new funding to help residents achieve housing security, including:
- $14.7 million one-time affordable housing fund allocations for A Home for All
- $2.6 million for critical home repairs
- $1 million for six months operating for Forest Pointe Place permanent supportive housing
- $537,000 for Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing project payments and administration
- $280,000 for re-entry housing agreements that were initiated with ARPA funding
- $200,000 increase for Legal Aid of NC to serve an additional 200 clients
- $98,000 contract increases for A Roof Above
Educational attainment
$46.4 million in operating funding is recommended for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Of that amount, 65% will go directly to employees, including:
- $10.2 million for salary increases for locally funded staff
- $7.4 million to increase supplements with a focus on more tenured teachers
- $13.8 million to begin raising minimum salaries to $20 per hour, which includes $4 million in one-time bonuses
- $33 million for repairs and maintenance of existing facilities
- $10 million over historical allocations
Additional funding will support charter school enrollment, utility increases, opening of two new schools, cyber security and new student devices.
Workforce development
Diorio recommended:
- $2.1 million in additional operating funding for Central Piedmont Community College
- $6.8 million in capital maintenance — including $3 million in one-time funding
- $844,000 million to continue the MeckSuccess pilot program, which provides a two-generation approach for education, job readiness, and other services to help achieve economic mobility
- $683,000 to continue education and employment trips, originally initiated with ARPA funds
- $185,000 to continue the PIVOT internship program in northern Mecklenburg County; it creates pathways for high school students in manufacturing
- $50,000 for the Office of Economic Development’s Career Expo for job readiness training and career workshops
Diorio also recommends $5.4 million to advance workforce development through the Arts and Culture plan — a comprehensive approach to providing a stable funding stream enabling artists to earn a living wage and offer cultural experiences to the entire community.
Environmental stewardship
A total of $47.2 million is recommended to advance the Environmental Leadership Action Plan.
These investments include:
- $35 million for land acquisition and tree preservation.
- $4.6 million for deep energy facility retrofits and onsite solar.
- $2.8 million for 56 new electric vehicles in the county’s fleet.
- $2 million for farmland preservation.
- $1.1 million for electric vehicle charging stations.
- $877,000 for maintenance of parks, greenways, and open space.
- $485,000 to increase the county’s funding for the Cooperative Extension program.
- $120,000 for a study of bacteria in ponds and necessary treatments.
- $150,000 for a pilot program for solar panel installation subsidies for low to moderate-income residents.
Early Childhood Development
Using current resources, Diorio recommends increasing the per-child-per-month support for MECK Pre-K and NC Pre-K from $900 to $925.
A total of $394,000 is recommended for increased funding of childcare subsidies for clients in unified workforce development, Food and Nutrition Services clients, and foster families.
Asset and Facility Management
- $1.3 million for increases in maintenance and operating costs.
- $492,000 for guard service and weapons screening at Southeast and Northwest health clinics and Park and Recreation’s administration building.
Child, Family, and Adult Services
Diorio recommended:
- $220,000 to sustain the Mobile Market, which brings fresh groceries to areas of Mecklenburg County with limited access and provides fresh produce at CRC food pantries and congregate meal sites.
- $704,000 for increases in In-Home Aid services for up to 220 clients
- $250,000 for additional interpreter and translation services
- $820,000 for a facility in partnership with StarMed to provide 12 additional emergency placement beds
- $683,000 to continue educational and employment trips initiated through ARPA funding for seniors through the Mecklenburg Transportation System–the county’s adult services transportation program.
Community Support Services
Diorio recommended:
- $540,000 for three licensed clinicians and one clinical supervisor for domestic violence counseling services
- $475,000 to sustain three additional social workers and one coordinator position for coordinated entry due to increased demand at Ella B Scarborough Community Resource Center
- $100,000 to support Safe Alliance’s Lake Norman satellite office, which provides services to victims of domestic violence in northern Mecklenburg County
Criminal Justice Services
Diorio recommended:
- $114,000 to continue the peer support services program, which assists clients in overcoming barriers and lowering the recidivism rate
- $235,000 for three pre-trial managers to manage increased caseloads
- $110,000 for a licensed clinician for pre-trial services, particularly for clients experiencing behavioral health challenges
Investments in People
The recommended budget invests $33.6 million for employees, including:
- $12.1 million for a performance-based pay increase averaging 2.5%
- $3.4 million for the county’s contribution to the local government employee retirement system
- $276,000 for special separation pay for law enforcement
- $251,000 for employee recruitment and training
- $244,000 for three new HR staff– a senior benefits analyst, an HR assistant director, and a compensation analyst
Information Technology
A total of $2.9 million will go toward cost increases associated with software and hardware contracts.
Park and Recreation
- $1.3 million for maintenance, operation, and 15 full-time positions to support new greenway miles, Ezelle Farm Park, Monroe Road Park, Mint Hill Park, newly acquired land, and Knights View Elementary recreational partnership
- $236,000 for additional maintenance at athletic fields and shelters.
Next steps
A budget workshop will be held on May 22 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Valerie C. Woodard Center.
A public hearing is scheduled for May 23 at 6 p.m.
Members of the public can sign up to speak at BOCC.MeckNC.gov/Clerk, call 980-314-2912 or email Clerk@MeckNC.gov.
The Board will hold a straw vote meeting on May 30 and is scheduled to adopt the budget on June 4.
The FY25 budget will take effect on July 1, 2024.
