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Rutherford County manager proposes tax increase to fund schools, public safety; community urges full school funding
Summary
County Manager Steve Garrison presented a FY 2025–26 budget proposal that would raise the property tax rate from 45.4¢ to 56.9¢ per $100 of assessed value to increase support for education, public safety and employee wages. Members of the public urged commissioners to fully fund the school system’s requests.
County Manager Steve Garrison recommended raising Rutherford County’s property tax rate to 56.9 cents per $100 of assessed value to support a proposed fiscal 2025–26 general fund budget of $94,273,625 and increased appropriations for schools and public safety.
Garrison told the Board of Commissioners that the recommended increase — an 11.5¢ rise from the current 45.4¢ rate — is intended to sustain recurring support for education and public safety, cover rising insurance and personnel costs and preserve the county’s fund balance amid hurricane recovery work related to Hurricane Helene. “To be clear, their utilization of our general fund fund balance is not an option,” Garrison said during his presentation.
Garrison outlined specific education funding recommendations: a proposed appropriation of $25,767,592 for the Rutherford County School System, including $20,307,265 for general operations, a $2,020,000 line item intended for teacher supplements and $1,619,017 to fully fund school resource officers (SROs). He also recommended continued support for Isothermal Community College and other partners and described a set of capital projects funded by state appropriations and ARPA dollars.
Why this matters: Garrison said the county faces several fiscal pressures — a nearly 10% increase in the North Carolina health insurance rate, a 9.62% increase to the law-enforcement separation allowance, continued inflation, slowing sales tax growth and the cost of hurricane recovery. He told the board that Rutherford County currently has about $44 million of its general fund balance committed to debris removal and recovery, and the tax office predicts an estimated $36 million loss in taxable property value from the hurricane. Garrison warned that drawing down reserves to cover ongoing, recurring expenses could trigger warnings from the North Carolina Local Government Commission and harm the county’s credit rating.
Public comment: Several speakers used the meeting’s public-comment period to press commissioners to fully fund school requests. Michelle Clement, principal of Rutherford Elementary School, urged the board to approve the full amount the school system requested and said, “Investing in our public schools is the best investment you can make in the future of Rutherford County Schools.” A fifth-grade student, Jonah Robertson, also addressed the board and appealed for support so teachers would not need to use personal funds for classroom supplies.
Budget details and tradeoffs: Garrison said the county received department and partner requests totaling about $107,237,287 and that fully funding all requests would require increasing the tax rate to 69.4¢. He said the recommended package leaves some requests unfunded but would raise education’s share of the county budget and provide a multi-year approach to employee compensation and recruitment, including an example 4% cost-of-living adjustment used in recent planning. He noted that maintaining a robust fund balance is necessary to avoid service disruptions and to provide cash flow for reimbursable FEMA projects.
Capital and operations: The presentation listed county-owned properties and deferred capital needs, and described ongoing and planned projects funded with non-tax revenues (legislative appropriations, ARPA and grants) such as a government services center, an animal control center, a Legacy Soccer Complex and other renovations. Garrison said none of those projects currently rely on new county debt service supported by local taxes.
Follow-up: The board approved dates for budget workshops and the public hearing: workshops on May 13 and May 20, a public hearing June 2 at 6 p.m. and a budget adoption on June 5. Garrison said the recommended budget is his proposal and that he would work with the board on revisions prior to adoption.
Ending: The meeting record shows the budget presentation will move to workshop and public hearing steps; commissioners will consider revisions and vote on a final budget at the scheduled June adoption meeting.
