GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County Commissioners are talking about all things budget.
The county manager proposed an $855 million budget Thursday night, with a general fund total of $777 million.
County leaders said the budget expands investments in public education, funds major school facility capital needs, helps the county meet additional demands for service, and addresses staffing concerns.
The budget recommendation includes the following:
- An additional $73.6 million for education to support the operating and capital needs of Guilford County Public Schools and Guilford Technical Community College.
- $251.6 million for Guilford County Schools o Includes $241 million to support operations, a $16 million increase over the FY2022 adopted budget, which is the largest one-year increase for school funding. o Includes $10 million for school capital outlay, a $6 million increase over FY2022, to address on-going school capital maintenance.
- $19.7 million for Guilford Technical Community College, a $1.6 million increase over FY2022 for operating and capital needs.
- $50 million for future education capital needs based on the voter approved bond referendum passed on May 17, 2022. This $50 million increase will begin to fund Guilford County’s School’s known school facility needs to implement the school capital master plan.
- Commitment to sound fiscal management. The budget reduces the County’s reliance on its savings to balance the budget by $9.4 million. This strengthens the County’s financial position and enhances its ability to manage through emergencies and maintain service delivery, regardless of the economic climate or outside factors.
- The recommended budget includes 51 new positions to address service demands, improve the County’s ability to manage and protect public assets, and bring the County into compliance with standard staffing ratios. Many of these positions are partially or fully funded by federal and/or state revenues. In total, the County has about 5.3 positions for every 1,000 residents, one of the lowest staffing ratios in the state.
- Recommends the County move to a four-year reappraisal cycle, so property value assessments more closely match current market values. A more frequent reappraisal cycle minimizes large increases that can occur over longer cycles and more promptly adjusts values based on market conditions. This next property reappraisal will occur in 2026 and be reflected in the FY2027 budget.
- Guilford County has 24 fire protection and service districts that provide fire response service in areas of the county not serviced by a municipal fire department. The primary funding for each district is property tax revenue generated by a special district tax. Recommended tax rates for fire districts are included in the budget.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will hold public work sessions for May 26 and June 8 about the budget. They will discuss and consider adopting the budget during the June 16 regular meeting.
