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Residents urge commissioners to fund schools, while others oppose a property-tax increase
Summary
At a budget public-hearing session, dozens of Alamance County residents urged commissioners either to avoid a property-tax hike for struggling households or to approve modest increases to fully fund the ABSS school request; the board opened and closed the hearing but took no final budget vote.
Alamance County commissioners opened a public hearing on a recommended budget proposal as dozens of residents spoke for and against a modest property-tax increase, urging the board either to protect fixed-income households or to invest more in local schools.
Speakers repeatedly described financial strain from recent reassessments and rising living costs, while educators and parents asked commissioners to fully fund the ABSS (as cited in the meeting) budget request to retain teachers and cover safety and special-education needs. "We cannot build a prosperous county by chronic underfunding," said Ruth Shallard, an occupational therapist who told the board that Alamance ranks 109th out of 116 school districts in local funding. "This budget provides 0 additional funding for our exceptional children with special needs," she said.
Teachers who spoke described heavy caseloads and staff losses. "We're losing incredible educators," said Megan Thomas, who identified herself as an adaptive curriculum teacher. Tabitha Boswell, vice president of AVAL and a lifelong resident, said the county must make hard choices: "A strong public school system benefits everyone. The future of our community is sitting in our classrooms." Supporters of the manager's proposal argued that modest tax revenue is needed to maintain services and staffing.
Other residents urged caution on any tax increase. Kathy Page said many households are on the edge financially: "When I asked commissioners about this before, I was told taxes have to go up because of all the new apartments and low income housing being built. The burden feels like it's falling on homeowners like me." Several speakers urged alternatives such as a quarter-cent sales tax or private donations targeted to schools and facilities.
Public safety needs also surfaced. Sheriff Terry Johnson asked the board to raise the county vehicle retirement threshold from 120,000 to 150,000 miles to free funds for digital storage for body cameras. "I'm willing to give up cars to get that money to get that digital storage," he said, urging the commissioners to consider the change.
Speakers also raised land-use issues: Sherry Ford asked the county to consider a temporary moratorium on data centers and said zoning is needed to protect rural residents from industrial-scale projects that strain water and electricity.
The board accepted public comment under the two-minute and three-minute rules announced at the meeting, moved to open the budget hearing and later moved to close it; both procedural motions were approved by voice vote. No final budget vote or ordinance adoption occurred at the meeting. County staff and the commissioners said they would continue reviewing budget line items and consider public input as they prepare the next steps.
The county manager also noted that June is Elder Awareness Month and encouraged commissioners and residents to observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15.
The board adjourned after closing the public hearing. A future meeting or work session is expected to include further budget deliberations before any formal vote on tax rates or budget adoption.
