Fayetteville staff recommends $312 million budget, recommends 44.95¢ tax rate — lowest in 30 years

City staff presented a recommended fiscal 2026 budget totalling $312,000,000 and a proposed ad valorem tax rate of 44.95¢ at a May 2025 special budget work session.

The recommended rate, staff said, is “the lowest numeric tax rate that the City of Fayetteville has had in more than 30 years,” and the proposed budget is smaller than the current fiscal year’s total, which staff cited at about $321,000,000. “What we have presented to you is a budget that totals $312,000,000,” City staff speaker Mr. Yates told council members. “Your budget last year was $321,000,000.”

Why it matters: staff framed the plan as a middle path between preserving core services and accommodating new service demands driven by growth and inflation. At the recommended rate, staff estimated general-fund operating revenues near…