Wake County manager presents $1.7B recommended 2023 budget to board
Monday night at the Wake County Board of Commissioners regular meeting county manager David Ellis presented a 1.7 billion dollar recommended budget for the 2023 fiscal year.
Posted — UpdatedAccording to Ellis, the proposal includes "significant investments in public health and safety, housing affordability, education and quality of life to help the county meet growing service demands, while accounting for inflation and the rising costs of employee recruitment and retention."
The budget proposal is designed to keep up with the growth of Wake County, which right now is considered the second fastest growing county in the country.
Ellis's proposal also includes a 1.5% property tax increase for the county’s general fund. The new property tax rate would be 61.5 cents per every $100 of property value.
“I hate the idea that property taxes that it would be raised on individuals homes," said resident Devonna Coward. "Homes are very expensive.”
However, resident Mike Noel said accepting a raise in property tax is "just part of being a good citizens, as long as it is reasonable."
Ellis mentioned during the presentation that he has not recommended an increase to property tax in three years.
If approved, Ellis said this tax increase would generate an additional $29.2 million for the General Fund.
During his presentation, Ellis addressed impacts that the pandemic and an increase in service demand are having on his 4,500 employees. He cites burn out as a problem in his organization that has led to a 16% turnover rate, which Ellis said is the highest the county has experienced in decades.
“Keeping top talent and recruiting new team members in this tight labor market isn’t easy, but I’m committed to making Wake County the employer of choice,” said Manager Ellis. “I recommend increasing pay for our employees, as well as adding more positions to reduce their heavy workloads, so they can better meet our community’s growing demands for service.”
Commissioner pay would also go up. Commissioners would go from part-time to full-time and see a raise from $28,000 a year to about $68,000 a year.
For perspective, Commissioners in Atlanta make close to $50,000 a year.
According to Wake County, other items in Ellis' proposed budget includes:
- Addressing 911 call volume and short-staffing by adding new positions to Wake EMS and the fire departments in the district.
- Increasing clinic staffing and expanding the services available to patients in Wake County regional centers.
- Adding $4.2 million to create new affordable housing units and preserve existing ones.
- Adding more staff and software to address the increase in development in Wake County, including inspectors and analysts.
- $968 million, or 57% of the county budget, is to go to education, including $4.6 million for Pre-K programs for income-eligible children and $582.5 million to support Wake County Public Schools’ operating expenses.
- Restoring Wake County Public Library hours cut due to the pandemic adding 10 hours per week back to the operating schedule.
"I’m in favor of supporting public schools," said resident Connie Noel. "We had four kids that went to public schools and it prepared them very well. I’m grateful for that."
Residents are also invited to attend public hearings on May 11, 16 and 18 to provide feedback on the budget proposal to the commissioners in person.
The board will consider adopting the budget during its 5 p.m. meeting on June 6.
Fiscal year 2023 starts July 1, 2022 and runs through June 30, 2023.
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