Raleigh OKs $1 billion budget in 6-2 vote. What it means for tax bills, police and parks
The Raleigh City Council approved a $1.07 billion budget Monday, raising the city’s property tax rate 5% to help pay for new affordable housing and parks upkeep.
The budget adds 40 positions to city government, gives city workers merit-pay raises and increases the police department’s budget by about $5 million.
“I want to commend staff for their hard work, pulling together a budget like this especially during the type of year we have had with COVID and its impact on our budget,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.
Despite the difficult work, staff was able to ensure the City Council’s priorities were addressed, she said.
The vote was 6-to-2 Monday afternoon, with Council members David Cox and Stormie Forte voting against the budget.
In a text message, Cox said the budget represents the values of the council majority but not the values of Raleigh’s citizens.
“This council has chosen to not fund Citizen Advisory Councils, has wasted money on unproductive consultants, extravagant bus shelters and has adopted a policy to give millions in tax breaks to developers while increasing the taxes paid by ordinary citizens.”
The News & Observer was not able to reach Forte by text message or phone call for this story.
The new city property tax rate
The new, approved tax rate is 37.3 cents per $100 of assessed property value, an increase of 1.78 cents per $100.
The increase reflects a penny toward critical park maintenance needs and a 0.78 cents to begin paying for the $80 million affordable housing bond that Raleigh voters approved in 2020.
The owner of a home with a tax value of $300,000 will pay $1,119 in city property tax for the coming year, a $53.40 increase.
The “penny for parks” will generate about $38 million over five years. The first improvements are planned for Laurel Hills Park, Pullen Park and the Pope House Museum in downtown.
Police Department gets more money
More than two dozen people spoke against increasing police spending during a public hearing last week.
“We’re suffering from gentrification and houselessness, a lack of health care and starvation wages,” according to a Refund Raleigh social-media post. “A budget increase to RPD is wrong, immoral and indefensible.”
On Monday, Budget Director Mary Vigue outlined how the $5 million increase will be spent. About $3.2 million will go to merit-pay increases, benefits and state-mandated retirement system changes. About $500,000 will help add equipment to police vehicles and another $500,000 in federal forfeiture money will help replace tasers.
The rest, $600,000, will go toward a new unit focused on greenway and park safety with six officers and a sergeant.
The budget includes money to turn the Office of Equity and Inclusion into a Department of Equity and Inclusion; do a citywide Minority, Woman and Business Enterprise disparity study; and create an Office of Community Engagement and an Office of Strategy and Innovation.
To read the budget, go to www.raleighnc.gov/budget-and-management-services.
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Raleigh OKs $1 billion budget in 6-2 vote. What it means for tax bills, police and parks."
