Overview:
• The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget is $7.9 million above projected spending for the current budget.
• The general fund portion of the proposed budget, covering most public services, is $1.5 million less than projected spending for the current budget.
• 76 of the 77 vacant positions to be cut would be eliminated in social services, health departments.
• Cumberland County Schools would get $4.5 million less than requested.
Cumberland County taxpayers would see no property tax increase under a $656.5 million proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 that County Manager Clarence Grier presented to the Board of Commissioners last week.
The budget includes 2% cost-of-living raises for employees, but eliminates 77 vacant positions. It also includes fee increases for adopting animals, vaccinations and other services from the Health Department, swimming pool inspections, dumping waste at the county landfill, floodplain development permits, and getting copies of documents from the tax administration and mapping office.
The fiscal 2027 budget proposes to spend $7.9 million more than the county expects to spend in the 2026 fiscal year.
Grier said he balanced the fiscal year 2027 budget despite growing inflation, increased costs imposed on Cumberland County taxpayers by state and federal lawmakers, and a slowing economy. The economy has dampened sales tax revenue, he said.
The budget includes a property tax rate of 49.9 cents per $100 of assessed value, which is the same as the current budget. For example, a home with a value of $300,000 would have a county property tax bill of $1,497. Vehicles are also subject to the property tax. A car valued at $25,000 has a county tax bill of $124.75.
That property tax rate does not include additional taxes that are levied on people who live outside city and town limits. The tax for rural fire service is 15 cents per $100 of assessed value. The recreation fund, which underwrites the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department, is 5 cents.
Additionally, nine municipalities in the county, including Fayetteville, impose their own property taxes on top of the county’s 49-cent tax rate.
Each penny of the property tax generates $4.07 million, Grier said.
“One thing we asked is everybody provide cuts up to 7 1/2, 8%,” the county manager said. “We had full compliance with all departments on that. So I really greatly appreciate them binding to the budget process and helping us get to this budget.”
By eliminating 77 vacant positions, the county will save $5.49 million, Grier said. Of these, 61 are in the Department of Social Services, one is in the financial services office, and 15 are in the Public Health Department.
Meanwhile, five positions are being added for $697,000: Three in the county attorney’s office, one for emergency services, and one in public utilities.
How to Review the Budget, Give Feedback
The public can review the proposed budget on the county’s website. People who would like to give feedback to commissioners about it may do so during two public hearings scheduled for June 1 at the county courthouse. One is set for 9 a.m. and the other is at 7 p.m. The public can also contact the commissioners via telephone or email.
Commissioners hope to pass a budget no later than June 18. The budget takes effect on July 1.
Only three of the seven commissioners—Chair Kirk deViere, Pavan Patel, and Henry Tyson—attended the budget presentation on May 21, so the board lacked a quorum and could take no action on the proposal.
Commissioners are next scheduled to discuss the budget on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Schools Would Get Less than Requested
The Cumberland County Board of Education asked for $110.3 million from county commissioners. Grier recommended $105.8 million.
In 2026, commissioners gave the school system $103.7 million—the full amount requested by the school board. Commissioners discussed funding with the school board on May 19.
Fayetteville Technical Community College requested $17.2 million for operational expenses and $47.2 million for capital projects. Grier recommended $16.6 million for operations—up 2% from 2026—and $1.5 million for capital projects, an increase from last year’s allocation of $1.3 million.
Fees Rise for Pets, Trash, Documents
While residents and property owners wouldn’t see property taxes rise under the proposed budget, they would pay higher fees for some government services.
Animal Services would boost prices for pet adoptions, spaying and neutering, and other services to better cover their costs. The department also would start charging a 3% fee for credit card processing, instead of absorbing that expense.
Some of the changes:
- Dog adoptions rise from $100 to $150.
- Cat adoptions increase from $70 to $75.
- Small livestock adoptions such as goats, sheep, and pigs would decrease from $50 to $25. These animals are hard to adopt out, the budget document said. The reduction is to encourage more people to adopt them.
- Spaying and neutering prices for dogs, which vary from $80 to $180, would rise to $100 to $260.
The Health Department would charge more for many of its vaccinations, because of price increases. For example, a shingles shot would rise from $190 to $222. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine would increase $5, from $105 to $110.
Operators of public swimming pools would see increased inspection fees. The current prices are $200 for seasonal pools and $225 for year-round pools. The new fee would be $300 for both.
Solid waste fees would go up for haulers that dispose of shingles, street sweeping materials, and furniture. The current fees, levied on a per-ton basis, vary with the type of waste. The new fees would be $46 per ton. Fees for disposing of compost would also rise. There also would be new $100 surcharges per truckload for some services, which would be in addition to the cost per ton of disposal.
Big Projects to Get Money
The budget includes spending on notable projects, including:
- $2 million for a Cedar Creek community center.
- $2.5 million for an International Farmers Market.
- $7.5 million for the N.C. History Center on the Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction, which is under construction.
- $6.67 million for the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, which is under construction.
- $1.75 million for the Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s renovation and expansion, which is underway.
Budget Part Bigger, Part Smaller than Before
Cumberland County’s fiscal year 2026 spending, originally budgeted at $624.4 million, is now projected to total $648.6 million. The $656.5 million proposed for fiscal 2027 is a $7.9 million increase.
That $656.5 million has several pieces. The biggest part is the general fund, proposed at $398.3 million.
The general fund is largely underwritten with property taxes, sales taxes, and money from the state and federal governments. It’s described as the county’s “primary operating account” and pays for most county services such as law enforcement and public safety, education, human services, cultural and recreational programs, economic development, and general government.
The $398.3 million fiscal 2027 general fund is $1.5 million less than the county expects to spend in the fiscal 2026 general fund, which is projected to reach $399.8 million. (The $399.8 million is below what the county last year budgeted in general fund spending, which was $406.2 million.)
Two other funds are labeled as “general funds.” They total $79.3 million. One, for county schools, is proposed to total $29.1 million. The other is capital investments, such as “capital improvement projects, debt service, preliminary future projects, maintenance and repairs, and technology,” the county said in its budget. It’s set at $50.2 million.
Other portions are called “special revenue funds,” “permanent fund,” “enterprise funds” and “internal service funds.”
Some of these: The 1% restaurant food tax used to underwrite the Crown Complex ($8.6 million), other Crown-related items (totaling $12.1 million), the recreation fund for the parks-and-rec program ($10.1 million), the fire district fund ($24.7 million), various insurance funds ($54.2 million), the solid waste fund ($30.5 million), and the national opioid lawsuit settlement ($8.2 million).
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
Did you find this story useful or interesting? It was made possible by donations from readers like you to the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so CityView can bring you more news and information like this.pt dogs and cats, and get services at the Health Department.
