Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Budgeting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin County board adopts $0.47 real-estate tax rate; proposed meals tax increase fails
Summary
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on April 21 approved a $0.47 per $100 real-estate tax rate and rejected a proposed 6% meals tax. The meeting also included discussion of school budget pressures and several budget-related follow-ups requested of staff.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted April 21 to set the real-estate tax rate at $0.47 per $100 of assessed value, approving the measure on a 5–2 roll call (Supervisor Meredith, Jamison, Mitchell, Carter and Quinn in favor; Chair Lorie Smith and Supervisor Tim Tatum opposed).
Supervisor Mike Meredith moved for the rate, and the motion was seconded by Supervisor Dan Quinn. Board members discussed the county’s revenue needs and the school budget shortfall before the vote.
Meredith then proposed raising the county meals tax to 6% to align with the Town of Rocky Mount and to generate additional local revenue. That motion failed on a 3–4 vote (Mitchell, Meredith and Quinn in favor; Carter, Jamison, Tatum and Smith opposed). Opponents cited concerns about the disproportionate impact on low-income and single-parent households and uncertainty about economic effects.
The votes followed a staff presentation of the county’s monthly finance report showing general fund revenues realized at roughly 73% of budget through March 31 and the school local transfer at about 88.7% realized. Deputy County Administrator/CFO Brian Carter and school officials warned that state and federal revenues were tracking below budget and that additional fiscal pressure could require further board consideration of revenue or expenditure actions.
What’s next: County staff will continue monitoring revenues and present follow-up analyses requested by supervisors, including feasibility of targeted reserves and the potential effect of any future tax adjustments. The board scheduled additional budget work sessions to address school funding and other pressures.
