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Fletcher adopts $10.55 million FY2026-27 budget and raises property tax rate to 30 cents
Summary
The Fletcher Town Council approved the town's FY2026-27 budget at $10,553,424 and amended the proposed property tax rate to 30 cents per $100 of assessed value to help cover rising personnel and insurance costs and protect public-safety funding; the vote was by voice and ordinance 0-26-07 was approved with the amendment.
The Fletcher Town Council voted to approve the town's fiscal year 2026-27 budget and to raise the property tax rate to 30 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The town manager presented a recommended budget of $10,553,424, up from the current-year figure of $9,995,316, citing growth in the tax base and a modest rate increase. "It's a recommended budget for the new fiscal year of 10,553,424," the town manager said during the public hearing. The proposed package included funding for public safety, a full-time planner (an upgrade from a part-time position), and capital projects in the town's five-year capital improvement plan.
Manager noted a significant increase in health-insurance costs that affected personnel spending: "We had a ... 34.7%" increase in health insurance premiums, he said. He also explained a component of the proposed rate: in the presentation the manager described moving from 28 cents per $100 of assessed value to approximately 29.12 cents, with 1.5 cents dedicated to contracted fire services (Fletcher Fire and Rescue). Council members, concerned about the potential loss of sales-tax distribution after Henderson County raised its property tax, discussed options to mitigate revenue risk.
After discussion, the council moved to amend the budget ordinance to set the property tax rate at 30 cents and approved Budget Ordinance 0-26-07 with that amendment. The transcript records a voice vote approving the ordinance with the 30-cent amendment; a roll-call tally was not recorded in the meeting transcript. The manager explained mitigation scenarios showing a half-cent increase would generate roughly $96,700 and a full cent about $193,400 net, figures council members used to weigh their decision.
The manager also reviewed capital projects included in the CIP funding: town hall debt service and land-related payments, Old Can Creek Road reconstruction, a loan on the town-center property, three replacement police vehicles, painting for the town hall first floor, parks maintenance equipment, a sewer-line replacement at Billmore Community Park, and a police-storage/remodel project.
The council approved the amended budget ordinance, thanked staff for the work and scheduled the town manager's regular report to continue. The transcript records no public speakers during the hearing.
