Hope Mills explores tax increase to avert cuts as public and officers push to protect police, fire staffing

Hope Mills officials spent more than five hours on June 9 reviewing proposed FY26–27 budget cuts, disputed contract figures and possible tax increases after staff told the board they had already trimmed about $2.2 million from the manager’s proposal.

The evening began with a focused review of professional‑services contracts after commissioners raised a spreadsheet that showed several Parks & Recreation programs—especially classes intended for residents age 55 and older—appearing to run at a loss. Parks staff said many senior classes are free to Hope Mills residents and that instructors are paid a standard 70/30 split based on attendance, not a flat fee, and cautioned that cutting those contracts could eliminate programs that residents use.

Finance director Britney told the board she and staff had reconciled many items and that, after the $2.2 million in cuts already made, the budget still shows a shortfall in the range of roughly $1 million if the board maintains current requests and unfreezing of certain positions. She presented three balancing scenarios: a smaller cent increase combined with selective cuts; a 2.5–3 cent tax increase that would raise an estimated $313,000–$627,000 annually; and a higher option near 5–6 cents that would close most of the remaining gap. For the town’s median assessed home ($~324,000) the finance director estimated a one‑cent increase would add about $1.35 per month; a six‑cent increase would be roughly $16 per month.

Much of the public hearing focused on public safety. Dozens of current and former officers, firefighters and residents urged the board not to rely on freezing or eliminating police and fire positions as a primary balancing tool. “We need those five positions,” said resident Deborah Jones, who described ride‑alongs and long overnight shifts and told commissioners she had seen officers stretched thin. Multiple sworn officers described retention problems tied to regional pay disparities, long jail processing times that tie up officers’ shifts, and the operational consequences of short staffing. “When I'm on patrol I have to prioritize,” said a sergeant; “if we’re running at the bare minimum, it’s hard.” Several speakers urged a tax increase rather than cuts: some suggested 6 cents as a one‑time adjustment to restore staffing and service levels.

Board debate reflected the tension. Commissioner Marley and others said the budget has been balanced in part on the backs of public safety; other members and staff noted cuts were distributed across departments and stressed the need to coordinate with department heads before finalizing program or contract reductions. Commissioners also questioned the late circulation of some spreadsheets and asked staff to validate contract totals before the board publicizes program shortfalls.

Staff proposed some specific next steps: finance will validate and reconcile the contracts spreadsheet against the budget book, parks staff will return with attendance and revenue detail for questioned programs, and the board agreed to keep the June 22 budget workshop as the hard deadline for decisions needed to publish an adopted budget on June 29. No formal vote was taken on unfreezing positions or a tax change; the board recessed for public comment, conducted a closed session under North Carolina law and later sealed the closed‑session minutes.

What’s next: the board will reconvene to consider finance’s reconciled figures and to choose whether to adopt a tax increase (staff estimated 1.5–3 cents would materially close part of the gap, while 5–6 cents would close most of it), or to pare additional programs and contracts. The finance director recommended a small contingency appropriation (1% of the general fund) to avoid repeated budget amendments during the year.

Key details clarified in the meeting: the proposed budget is $22.5 million; staff reported approximately $2.2 million in reductions already; the contract spreadsheet initially circulated showed numerous discrepancies that staff will validate; and the board set June 22 as the next hard workshop deadline to finalize the adopted budget for June 29.