Easly City holds public hearing on proposed FY 2025–26 budget as residents press for transparency and recreation scholarships

Easly City held a public hearing in June 2025 on a proposed FY 2025–26 operating budget that city staff presented as a $36,103,008.43 spending plan, citing population growth, new code enforcement activity and capital needs.

The presentation, given by Ralph (city staff), outlined a proposed property tax change of three mills — from 72.5 to 75.5 — which the staff said would equal about a $24 annual increase on a $200,000 house. The draft budget includes a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, funding for 14 new positions and capital purchases that staff said are driven by growth and equipment life cycles.

Why it matters: The package would increase the city’s operating budget by roughly $10.75 million versus the prior year in the figures presented at the hearing, and it would allocate money for first-responder staffing and major equipment that city officials said are needed for a growing municipality.

Ralph summarized central elements of the draft budget. He said the city is using prior ARPA transfers to shore up fund balance and noted staff recommendations for fee adjustments, including building-permit and business-license charges to bring Easly City more in line with neighboring municipalities. He identified major capital items: a 100-foot aerial ladder truck with an estimated $2.6 million cost and a multiyear hospitality bond program with roughly $4.7 million in outstanding hospitality-bond proceeds being programmed for parks and recreation projects. Other capital costs cited included six police vehicles, public-works equipment, a planned police basement training room (about $188,000) and a parking-lot project (about $130,000). Staff also said parks-and-recreation impact fees were budgeted at about $1,300,000 and that some parks funding comes from hospitality-tax revenues rather than the general fund.

City staff said some positions will be filled partway through the year and that firefighter turnout gear and station exhaust improvements were included as recurring needs; staff gave an estimated per-firefighter turnout-gear replacement cost of about $6,000 with a roughly 10-year service life.

Public commenters raised multiple questions and concerns. A long public comment asked why the proposed budget was roughly $10.75 million higher than the prior year, questioned the basis for some new fees and impact-fee entries, and urged the council to provide more detailed call-log data from police and fire to justify adding positions. That commenter also suggested the city hire a grant writer to offset some costs and urged cautious use of reserves. The speaker asked the council to “show us what you’re gonna do with this money” and called the increase “insanity.” (Resident, public comment.)

Council members and staff responded or noted follow-up actions. Councilwoman Davidson thanked staff for “their due diligence and their fiscal thoughtfulness.” Miss Rainey said the suggestion to create scholarships for youth registration fees in recreation programs was “one excellent idea, and I’m requesting Crispin to look into that to see what we can do.” Councilman Robinson asked for a future briefing on the local-option sales tax and how it factors into the budget. Councilman Alexander said the draft budget’s size made him “unlikely” to support it unless it changes and asked that funds for a planned roundabout be locked or otherwise safeguarded when available.

Several commenters described neighborhood-level issues they said relate to city services and enforcement. One resident said code enforcement citations felt uneven; another raised long-standing storm-water and flooding concerns tied to nearby development and survey activity on a parcel behind their neighborhood. A speaker who identified herself as Jenny McJunkin objected to scheduling the next public hearing and council vote at 8:30 a.m. on June 20 and urged that votes on the budget be held at times when more residents can attend in person.

City staff said residents can review detailed slides and budget schedules online, and staff reiterated that some parks operations are supported by hospitality-tax and special-revenue funds rather than the general fund. The mayor and staff also announced summer city events and noted that the next public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 20 at 8:30 a.m., followed by a council meeting when the council is expected to vote on the budget.

The public hearing and the concerns voiced will be part of the council’s deliberations before any formal vote on the proposed FY 2025–26 budget.