What Durham County’s $887 million budget proposal would mean for taxes, schools, staff
The proposed $889 million Durham County budget would boost pay for county employees and public school teachers by increasing property taxes.
County Manager Kimberly Sowell presented her recommended budget to the Board of County Commissioners on Monday night
The spending plan would be a 12.1% increase from the current fiscal year budget.
“My recommended budget is a result of very targeted decisions that offer what I think are the best county investments,” Sowell said.
How much will taxes increase?
Yes, taxes will increase, but Durham County residents knew that when they overwhelmingly voted for a trio of bonds last fall.
The tax rate would go up 3 cents to 75.22 cents per $100 of assessed property value if the manager’s plan passes.
On a $400,000 house — the current median — county taxes would rise $120, or by about 4%, to roughly $3,000.
The city of Durham has a separate city property tax for property owners in the city limits.
Half the county tax increase would pay for the bonds, which will help fund new buildings and renovations for Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College and the Museum of Life and Science.
The other half would go to increased spending for other county services.
What’s in the budget for Durham Public Schools?
The manager proposes giving DPS the full $10.8 million increase in local money the Board of Education requested in March.
Teachers and staff would get raises.
- Employees would get at least a 4% salary increase, plus better retirement and health insurance benefits.
- A $1,500 staff retention bonus in September was proposed by the superintendent.
DPS gets the largest share of the county budget. The proposed increase would increase the budget for DPS by 6.1% to nearly $188 million, or $4,650 per student.
Other major spending increases include:
- Sheriff’s Office: An $1.1 million new contract for the county jail and $3.1 million for new vehicles would help boost the public safety budget 12.9% to $83 million
- Pre-K expansion: A 17% increase to $7.9 million annually
- Durham Technical Community College: A 20% increase to $11.7 million annually
- American Rescue Plan Act: The budget would allocate $3.3 million more of federal COVID relief money
Will county employees get pay raises?
Yes. The largest single increase in the budget, $18.6 million, would go to raises.
- The county would boost pay for all employees by 7% to fulfill a compensation study recommendation.
- There are also 3% to 4% merit increases planned.
“Over the last two years, there have been significant challenges to filling vacant positions and to keep employees from leaving high-stress jobs,” Sowell said. “All of our employees deserve to have salary increases that at a minimum keep up with inflation and surrounding county compensation.”
What’s next?
The budget must approved before the start of the fiscal year July 1.
- Residents can speak at a May 22 public hearing. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the county administration building.
- The county commissioners are scheduled to approve the budget June 12.
Sowell said her proposal was the culmination of thousands of hours of work.
“It is my sincere belief that this budget reflects a continuation of the necessary strategy that will make Durham County an even higher-performing organization,” Sowell said.
This story was originally published May 9, 2023 at 9:13 AM with the headline "What Durham County’s $887 million budget proposal would mean for taxes, schools, staff."
