Orange County hearing last chance to speak about budget, schools, library cut
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- Commissioners suggest increasing county manager’s proposed 3.75-cent tax increase
- The proposed budget would cut 13 jobs and give schools a small increase.
- County would phase out a Chapel Hill library contribution over two years.
Orange County residents will get one more chance Thursday to weigh in on a proposed tax increase and the county’s plan for funding schools, libraries and other programs next year.
County Manager Travis Myren is proposing a 3.75-cent tax rate increase — to 67.58 cents per $100 in property value — in his recommended $325.1 million budget.
That would add $187.50 to the county tax bill for a home valued at $500,000.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough property owners also pay a town tax, and property owners in Chapel Hill and Carrboro pay a special school district tax.
The tax increase will help with debt over the next decade for school and county construction projects and big-ticket purchases, such as public safety radios. It will also help the county pay the same growing cost for goods and services that everyone else is facing, Myren said.
That’s forcing the county to take a hard look at spending and priorities, he said. A hiring freeze is already in place, and the proposed budget would cut 13 jobs next year and freeze five vacant Sheriff’s Office positions.
Chapel Hill library funding cut
A proposal to end Chapel Hill Public Library funding has galvanized library supporters, who launched a social media campaign and filled a previous public hearing to fight the change.
The proposed budget would phase out the county’s $621,323 contribution over two years. Chapel Hill officials said they were not told about the cut in advance, and the town’s proposed 2026-27 budget does not account for the funding loss.
The county has contributed to the town’s library since its 2012 expansion.
The county’s contribution meets about 12% of the library’s nearly $5 million annual budget for operations and personnel. The town, as part of the deal, provides free library cards to all county residents, instead of charging them a $65 fee.
Other Chapel Hill library services and programs are free to the public.
The commissioners have talked about ending the agreement before, but waited until the county opened its Southern Branch Library last year in the Drakeford building in Carrboro.
The county budget includes $3.7 million to operate the Carrboro library and the county’s main library branch in Hillsborough.
Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford and Vice Chair Amy Fowler have proposed an additional tax increase to restore the Chapel Hill library funding.
Money for Orange County, CHCCS schools
Another issue that could draw a crowd is school funding.
The proposed county budget includes $114.1 million for Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school district operations.
That’s an increase of $294 per student — $6,171 each in local funding — and amounts to $66.3 million for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and $47.8 million for the smaller Orange County Schools.
CHCCS also gets over $30 million from a special tax charged to property owners in its district.
But the spending plan falls more than $8 million short of what the districts requested from the county to pay rising costs and give wage increases to teachers and staff.
No commissioners have suggested increasing school funding yet, but Fowler has proposed putting another $3 million toward school maintenance and repair needs. It could be paid for with additional taxes.
How to join the budget conversation
There’s still time to share your thoughts with the county commissioners, including at Thursday’s public hearing.
The hearing will start with a short budget presentation at 7 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, at 2500 Homestead Road in Chapel Hill.
Comments and suggestions can also be emailed to the board at ocbocc@orangecountync.gov.
The commissioners will discuss amendments to the proposed budget June 4, before voting on a resolution of their intent to approve the final budget.
The final budget vote is June 16.
