May 6. By Dave Vieser. Town Manager Andrew Grant’s proposed $39.4 million budget for fiscal year 2026 would, if approved, retain the same property tax rate—17.31 cents per $100 assessed value—for another year.

The town budget comprises about a third of a typical property owner’s tax bill, with the remainder due Mecklenburg County.

Impact

For a home assessed at $500,000, that amounts to an annual town tax of approximately $865, which is about a third of a property owner’s tax bill. The remainder is comprised of Mecklenburg County taxes, which include Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, as well as other county services.

Details

The spending plan was unveiled at Monday’s Town Board Meeting in front of a sparse audience. Following Grant’s presentation, a public hearing on the budget was opened, but there was no public comment.

Town Manager Grant

The hearing will be reopened May 19 and the budget must be adopted no later than June 30, the day before it goes into effect.

The budget would retain all services in the town, including the transition to a full-time fire department. However, Grant cautioned that taxes may have to be raised in future years.

“This budget cuts $98,000 of recurring expenditures without impacting services to the community,” said Grant. “However, in future years, consideration must be given to funding these expenditures without violating the town’s fund balance policy.”

The budget includes:

—$250,000 for a facilities needs assessment involving the Police, Fire Department and Town Hall.

—$411,000 to continue the fire department transition to full-time.

—A 3.5 percent average market increase for employees, along with a 1.5% COLA increase