Jacksonville council hears FY27 budget proposal of $134 million; public hearing closes with no speakers

City staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget to the Jacksonville City Council, outlining a total proposed budget of $134 million and noting the proposal includes a 60-cent tax rate.

The presenter told council the city’s budget must be adopted by June 30 under North Carolina general statute and described the administration’s schedule: a workshop discussion on May 4 and a council vote to consider adoption on May 19. The staff overview said the proposed budget priorities include employee investments, the Uptown Jacksonville project, public safety, and business-practice changes; it also proposes a 1% increase to water and sewer rates and no change to residential sanitation service rates.

Staffwalked council through the city’s major revenue sources and fund changes, saying the general fund portion of the proposed budget is about $71 million and that the overall FY27 total ($134 million) is down from the FY26 amended total of $142 million. On funding sources the presenter cited ad valorem tax, sales tax, fees for services and investment earnings.

The staff presentation addressed a county property revaluation being completed by Onslow County and explained the property-tax appeal process. The presenter said countywide assessed values have increased roughly 35–40% and gave median-value examples: the county median assessed value moved from $215,000 (2022) to $295,000 (2026). To translate valuation changes into household impact, the presentation used an illustrative calculation (the presenter noted the examples used a 66-cent illustrative rate for the monthly/annual examples) showing, for example, an annual increase of about $180 (about $15 per month) on a $100,000 valuation under that illustrative scenario.

Staff also gave phase-level estimates for the Uptown Jacksonville project and how those phases might affect annual debt service and the tax-rate cents. Examples shown by staff included a $2.3 million utility-infrastructure phase, $5 million in roadway improvements and an illustrative $60 million multi-use facility for which staff estimated $4 million in annual debt service; the presenter emphasized the amphitheater phase had not yet been estimated.

Council members asked procedural and outreach questions. The presenter reminded council the May 4 workshop will be the first substantive rate discussion and invited emailed public input. The council opened the statutorily required public hearing on the proposed budget; no members of the public spoke and the council closed the hearing before moving on to other agenda items.

Next steps: council will hold a workshop on May 4 for rate discussion and could consider adoption at the May 19 meeting. The speaker presenting the budget encouraged citizens to use the formal appeal process through Onslow County if they have concerns about their revaluation.