The Fayetteville City Council on Monday will hold a public hearing on the 2022-23 budget recommended by the city manager.
The proposed budget would spend $248.25 million in all and not change the property tax rate of 49.95 cents per $100 of valuation.
The council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The public hearing is a time for residents of Fayetteville “to weigh in and express their thoughts” about the budget, said Kelly Olivera, the budget and evaluation director for the city.
The City Council has held three work sessions on the budget, the most recent one last Thursday.
At that meeting, council members agreed to add eight items, the only changes to the original $248.25 million budget recommended by City Manager Doug Hewett.
Those items, agreed to by council consensus, include: $15 an hour minimum pay for all city employees, including seasonal part-time workers; a multipurpose indoor sports facility for which there is no allocation because city officials will discuss a partnership with an existing facility; a resurfacing of the walking trail at Lake Rim Park; outdoor basketball courts, with those improvements already funded; pursuing partnerships with schools and companies to provide training and opportunities for students and residents for skills related to jobs in the next-generation workforce; an at-risk youth program currently funded by community micro-grants; a concierge program that aims to add security to downtown; and community beautification for neighborhood signage.
In other business on the Monday agenda, the council is expected to adopt the fiscal year 2022-23 strategic plan; the fiscal years 2023-27 capital and technology improvement plans; and capital project ordinances and amendments.
“The strategic plan really guides all the other things and gives us direction on how council wants to move through the year," Olivera said.
"That guides the other documents the council is looking at and adopting," she said. "The budget provides the funding to meet those specific items to meet those goals and objectives. The fee schedule is important because it reflects clearly to residents what we're able to legally charge them for in addition to (property) tax rates."
Also on the agenda is an administrative report on revenue and expenditure reports for the nine-month period that ended March 31.
Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView TODAY. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com. Have a news tip? Email news@CityViewTODAY.com
