Durham County has a new budget. What’s in it for schools, taxpayers and new mothers?

The Durham County commissioners unanimously approved a new fiscal budget Monday night that gives more money to schools without increasing the tax rate.

The nearly $794 million spending plan keeps the county property tax rate of 72.22 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

The owner of a $400,000 home, Durham County’s median tax value, will pay $2,889 in county property tax in the new fiscal year, which starts July 1.

In remarks after the budget vote, Commissioner Wendy Jacobs said the budget reflects the county’s values while recognizing the financial stress the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation have put on residents.

The approved budget is roughly 7.8% higher than this year’s budget, with the commissioners adding spending of $1.7 million to the manager’s recommendation. The General Fund budget, essentially the county’s operating budget, is nearly $549 million.

More money for schools

Most of the extra spending approved Monday will go to education.

The commissioners gave more money to the Durham Public Schools, which serves about 33,000 students, than new County Manager Kimberly J. Sowell had proposed. It has not been unusual in past years for the county board to give the school system more money than the manager recommends.

The school board asked for a nearly $13 million increase in county funding. Sowell recommended just under $10 million, for a total of $176 million in local funding, The News & Observer previously reported.

The commissioners increased that slightly, voting Monday night to raise local school funding by nearly $11 million million to just over $177 million.

More money for teacher supplement pay will give DPS one of the highest supplements in the state, according to the county.

The new supplements will start at $6,450 for new teachers and rise to $11,100 for teachers with 31 or more years of experience, at an estimated cost of $4 million, a DPS news release stated Tuesday.

“At a time of a statewide and national shortage of teachers, our Durham community is stepping up and saying, ‘We value you and want you to stay here for our students,’” Superintendent Pascal Mubenga said in the release.

Pre-K support received an additional $880,000 for expansion, increasing total annual funding to $6.4 million.

The budget also gives $9.74 million to Durham Technical Community College, an increase of $789,268.

County employee compensation

The new budget raises county pay, but the county leaders agreed they need to keep doing more.

The commissioners approved a 2.5% to 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment for all employees (3.5% for those making $75,000 or less, and 2.5% for all others), along with a merit salary increase of 3% to 4% (up from 2% to 3% for the past 6-plus years), according to the county news release.

They also approved $2 million for Emergency Medical Services’ salary adjustments, $1.75 million to adjust salaries of 350 “Hard-to-Fill” positions, and $910,000 for a 5% adjustment and 3% nighttime differential pay increase for the Durham County Sheriff’s Office and Youth Home employees, the release stated.

Commissioners Chair Brenda Howerton and Nimasheena Burns thanked the manager and county staff.

“I tell people all the time: It’s not about the folks you see up here, the commissioners,” Howerton said. “It’s about the staff that get the work done, and they make us look good. Because they do the work and we get to go out into the community and talk about it.”

But Burns and Commissioners Nida Allam and Heidi Carter noted this year’s pay increases are still not enough.

“The cost of living here in Durham continues to rise; right now it’s about $25 per hour,” said Allam. “I hope we continue to push to reach that goal because, the longer we take, the further that goal post is going to keep on moving.”

The N&O asked the county’s office of Budget and Management Services on Tuesday morning what full-time county employees make now.

In an email, information specialist Dawn Dudley wrote the average salary for full time county staff is currently $30.18 per hour.

The living wage for Durham County is $15/hour, she added, with the lowest-earning county employee making $16.98 per hour.

The Durham Living Wage Project, which encourages voluntary compliance, gives a higher figure on its website of $16.25 as of the summer of 2021.

In other budget highlights:

▪ The budget will support 37.72 new full-time employees in the General Fund, three new employees in the Sewer Utility Fund, and one new position in the Stormwater Utility Fund

▪ The board added $265,947 to support a maternal health nurse lactation specialist, a maternal health nurse and operating funds to support the nursing positions.

▪ The budget includes $6.82 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding, the federal COVID-19 relief program, according to the news release.

To review the approved budget details, visit the county webpage at dconc.gov/budget. The full budget document will be online by the end of July.

This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Durham County has a new budget. What’s in it for schools, taxpayers and new mothers?."