Overview:
• Plans to curb property tax collections have county commissioners worried.
• New laws from Washington and Raleigh are putting more expenses on Cumberland County taxpayers.
• The legislature convenes on April 21.
As the North Carolina General Assembly prepares to convene in Raleigh in April for its next session, Cumberland County and City of Fayetteville leaders met with the area’s lawmakers to give them their annual wish list of money and policies.
The city council and county commissioners asked for a combined total of $126 million for projects and programs—the city presented $29.5 million in requests during its meeting on March 12 and the county presented a $96.5 million wish list on Thursday.
The Cumberland County Board of Education had a similar meeting, too, on Friday with lawmakers and county commissioners.
The legislature is scheduled to convene on April 21.
When—and if—the legislature passes a budget for North Carolina, it’s common for it to allocate money for local projects in the home districts of lawmakers. For example, in late 2021, Cumberland County had $412 million worth of earmarks, The Fayetteville Observer reported.
Cumberland County has six legislators: Sens. Tom McInnis, a Republican, and Val Applewhite, a Democrat; and Republican Rep. Diane Wheatley, and Democratic House Reps. Charles Smith, Mike Colvin, and Frances Jackson.
“As you see, a lot of these policy objectives that we laid out are really ways that y’all can advocate for us up there, and understand the needs of our unique community that we have here,” commissioners chair Kirk deViere told lawmakers on Thursday. “And be able to work, not only on the local policy objectives, but also on the agency-type funding.”
Clean Water
The commissioners asked for $60 million for their initiative to expand public water and public sewer throughout Cumberland County.
They would like $50 million toward the total project, which is projected by the county to eventually cost $1 billion to $4 billion. They also would like $5 million for the ongoing expansion to Gray’s Creek, and $5 million for engineering reports for installing a new water intake on the Cape Fear River.
The city asked for $5 million for extension of sewer and water service.
Public Safety
The county is seeking $500,000 to help pay for digital dispatching equipment for 911 services.
The city asked for $3 million toward a new regional public safety training center, and $10 million for pedestrian and safety projects.
The county also wants lawmakers to allow Animal Services Officers to have permission to capture foxes and coyotes that are sick, injured, or aggressive.
Parks and Recreation
The city requested $2 million for continued extension of the Cape Fear River Trail.
The county would like $2 million for its plan to build a regional aquatic center.
Transportation
The city and the county urged the lawmakers to advocate for the planned Interstate 685 to run from Greensboro to Fayetteville and Cumberland County instead of to Dunn in Harnett County. It’s also known as the Central Carolina Freeway.
The city also asked for $500,000 for a study to outline the benefits of routing the interstate to Cumberland County, its rail lines, and its stretches of Interstates 95 and 295.
The county asked the lawmakers to advocate for passenger rail service to run from Raleigh to Fayetteville, and from Fayetteville to Wilmington.
Education
For education, the county commissioners are seeking $30 million. That is $15 million toward a new E.E. Smith High School, which could cost $150 million, and $15 million for other school infrastructure.
The commissioners also want the lawmakers to adjust the formula the state uses to determine teacher salaries so that Cumberland County teachers will get paid more.
Mental Health, Homelessness
The county asked for $4 million to expand mental health and substance use treatment services for youth, counseling, crisis intervention and other such programs.
The city also asked for $4 million, for its Office of Community Safety to use for mental health, homeless support, and anti-violence programs.
Workforce Development, Housing
The city requested $2 million affordable and workforce housing initiatives.
It also asked for $1 million to expand and launch workforce development initiatives.
Local Taxes
The legislature is considering amending the North Carolina Constitution to impose limits on how much local property taxes can be increased. (The legislature already has control of city and county property tax rates and it can enact new limits any time it wants to.)
The county commissioners asked the lawmakers to “preserve local property tax authority” so it can continue to provide services to the community.
Meanwhile, the city council asked for “equitable tax distribution among local government entities.”
Other Items
Some of the other items on the city and county lists:
- Lawmakers should address new federal policies that are pushing nearly $23 million in expenses for federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits for low-income people onto the county government, the county said. New requirements for Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income people, are also driving up the county’s administrative costs.
- Lawmakers should be aware that Iryna’s Law, which passed in 2025 following a homicide in Charlotte, is costing Cumberland taxpayers $480,000 to implement. It imposes new requirements to jail or otherwise track and monitor people accused of violent crimes, and to conduct more mental health evaluations.
- Expansion of Medicaid to several hundred thousand North Carolinians a few years ago has helped Cape Fear Valley Health System cover its costs and reduce expenses. A recent federal law threatens to cancel that coverage for those residents.
- The city would like new laws to prohibit the ownership and use of “ghost guns.” These generally have been described as home-made guns, or guns not made by licensed firearms manufacturers.
- The city asked the lawmakers to work with state agencies to get dams in the Arran Lakes West and College Lakes neighborhoods included in hazard mitigation plans.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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