Union County manager presents FY2026 proposed budget; board hears public comment ahead of June 16 adoption

Union County Manager Bridal Matthews on Monday presented the recommended FY2026 operating and capital budget and opened a public hearing before the Board of Commissioners, saying the county is proposing a total tax rate of 43.42¢ per $100 of valuation and asking the board to act at its June 16 meeting.

Matthews said the county-calculated revenue-neutral rate under state law is 41.6¢. "We are proposing a total tax rate of 43.42¢ per $100 of valuation. That is an additional 1.82¢ over revenue neutral. And that is specifically and only for voter approved debt for Union County public schools and South Piedmont Community College," Matthews said.

The manager reviewed recommended shifts among rate components: the county general fund rate shown as moving from 16.32¢ to 11.24¢, the education operating fund from 37.42¢ to 26.78¢, and the education debt fund rising from 2.92¢ to 3.89¢ (changes driven by voter-approved debt and debt-service allocations). Matthews said the total general fund budget is roughly $216 million and noted enterprise funds — water and sewer and solid waste — also increase, with water and sewer nearing $93 million and solid waste about $15 million.

Why it matters: Matthews told the board the additional 1.82¢ is intended only to cover voter-approved education debt and that the manager’s recommended budget attempts to keep tax impacts modest after a county property revaluation required by the state.

Major spending items and changes in the manager’s proposal include: - $2.75 million for economic development operations and land-banking to support a new county economic development department; - Increased EMS funding for 12 new EMTs (about $745,000) and roughly $2.3 million in capital for transport vehicles; - Continued investments in employee compensation, including a proposed 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment beginning in January and ongoing classification-and-compensation adjustments; - Funding to cover senior nutrition cost increases (roughly $127,000) and additional budgeted dollars (roughly $250,000) to reduce wait lists, with municipal partners approached to help share costs; - Water and sewer rate increases of roughly 7.25% for water and 6% for sewer as part of a previously adopted three-year rate plan; and - Continued capital support for Union County Public Schools (UCPS) — Matthews said the manager’s recommended budget adds about $8.8 million to UCPS operating allocations and fully funds the district’s capital request for FY2026 through a mix of recurring allocations and one-time funds.

Public comment at the hearing was mixed. Joel Down of Wesley Chapel spoke in favor of system development fees that fund water and sewer capital, saying the fees will help infrastructure. Reverend Jimmy Bynchon, chairman of the Union County Board of Education, urged the commissioners to consider UCPS’s operating and capital needs and outlined the district’s requests, including compensation increases and additional nurses and transportation capacity.

Matthews said next steps are board deliberation and a requested decision at the June 16 meeting so the county can adopt a final budget by the June 30 deadline; implementation is planned for July 1 if the board adopts the budget as recommended.

Discussion vs. action: This meeting held a required public hearing and presentation of the manager’s recommended FY2026 budget; the board did not adopt the budget at this meeting. The manager and multiple commissioners discussed clarifications and requested follow-up outreach to municipal partners on senior nutrition and confirmation of assumptions about voter-approved debt and the timing of other obligations.

Ending note: Matthews thanked the budget and finance staff and listed next steps: board deliberation and a planned vote at the June 16 meeting for budget adoption.