Property tax hike coming for Durham County homeowners after budget vote
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- Durham County Commissioners approved a $1.05 billion budget for next year.
- Homeowners will face a 2.5-cent increase in the county-wide property tax rate.
- The budget is a 0.67% increase over the current year.
The Durham County Commissioners approved a $1.05 billion budget Monday night that the county manager called “one of the toughest” of her career.
To pay for it all, homeowners will see new property tax bills this summer with a 2.5-cent per $100 increase in the county-wide tax rate. The budget is 0.67% higher than the current year’s budget, and many county departments took a 2% pay cut to fund the top priorities.
“This budget has been one of the toughest of my career,” County Manager Claudia Hager said. “The way the shifts federally and state have occurred, it has put more pressure on local governments in ways I never imagined, changes in policy that partners who used to support us at levels that they’re just not doing anymore.”
Hager presented her budget recommendation in May, citing weak revenue growth and a wave of commercial property tax appeals after last year’s property revaluation.
The budget proposal drew dozens of residents to work sessions and Monday night’s meeting to urge the commissioners to prioritize school funding and work around a property tax increase, as everyday expenses are costing county residents more.
DPS funding and pay increases
The 2.5-cent tax rate increase will add $17 million to Durham Public Schools. Initially, Hager recommended $235 million for the school district, about $9 million short of Superintendent Anthony Lewis’ request.
The final budget increased DPS funding to $239 million, about a quarter of the county’s entire budget. Teachers and other school staff wanted the commissioners to raise the minimum wage for classified workers (cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and teaching assistants), to $19.22 an hour.
In the end, the Commissioners, raised the minimum wage for classified workers from $17.15 to $18.22 per hour. County employees will get a 2% pay increase.
Commissioner Nida Allam said in her six years on the board, this budget was the “hardest” one and it will be years before the county can get ”out of the hole, especially with state legislation coming through that is really putting a target on local governments ... taking away more of our powers of what we’re able to do.”
The property tax increase
The commissioners debated how much they should increase the property tax rate, and how much property owners could handle.
“I know we talked about, ‘well, it’s only this amount per week’ or ‘it’s only this amount per month,’ but that amount per month makes a really big difference to people’s tax bill when they have to pay for it,” Commissioner Mike Lee said.
Under the budget, the owner of a home valued at $400,000 will see a county property tax bill of $2,296 — a $100 increase. To get that number, you take the home value, divide it by 100 and multiply it by the proposed rate of 0.5742 (400,000/100 x 0.5742).
Durham residents who live within the city limits will also pay a city-wide tax. That rate is staying flat at 43.71 cents per $100 of accessed value. The Durham City Council is expected to vote on the budget Monday.
Commissioner Michelle Burton, a former DPS educator, unsuccessfully sought a smaller increase.
“I understand that this is important, that people need these raises,” she said. “I think that many of our residents have expressed to us that they don’t want more tax increases. I’m willing to do just a quarter-cent.”
Burton said in November voters will see four constitutional amendments on the ballot. One would restrict counties’ ability to raise revenue through the property tax. She called for education on the upcoming amendments, because “that will hamper our work even more.”
LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamation
Before the budget vote, the commissioners expressed support for the county’s LGBTQ+ community, days after the library director instructed staff to remove Pride Month displays.
A Pride Month proclamation was issued for the month of June.
Some residents wanted the board to go further with a formal apology for the removal of the displays at the Durham County Main Library and the rescinding of county funding for last September’s Pride parade. The commissioners revoked the funding, citing fear of the Trump administration retaliating by pulling necessary federal funding.
Jack Turnwald, a transgender resident and former candidate for the Holly Springs Town Council, told the commissioners to “stop preemptively throwing folks under the bus.”
“What we actually need is an apology, as repair,” he said. “Apologize for the harm that occurred.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Property tax hike coming for Durham County homeowners after budget vote."