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Durham County manager proposes 2' property tax increase in recommended FY2026-27 budget
Summary
County Manager Hager presented a recommended FY2026-27 budget on May 11, proposing a 2' property tax-rate increase to raise an estimated $17 million for schools, pre-K, EMS and other priorities amid slowing revenue growth; the board set public hearings and work sessions through early June.
County Manager Hager presented the recommended fiscal year 2026-27 budget at the Durham County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 11, describing a tight revenue outlook and a set of targeted investments. "I am proposing a 2¢ property tax rate increase for this recommended budget," Hager said, noting that the increase would add roughly $17,000,000 in new dollars to support increased funding for Durham Public Schools, pre-K expansion and mandated services such as EMS.
Hager said slower growth in property and sales tax revenue and substantial commercial tax appeals mean the county's "natural growth" in revenues is constrained, requiring either tax-rate changes, slowed expenditure growth, or both. He projected sales tax revenue near $133,000,000 for the next fiscal year and described reductions departments found totaling $6,200,000 to offset other pressures. The recommended general-fund budget would increase about 1.5% to nearly $700,000,000; overall countywide budgets would rise by less than 1% to just over $1,000,000,000.
The manager proposed a mix of investments and limited growth in staffing: funding for 6.3 net new general-fund positions and one position in risk management, plus 10 additional paramedic positions to staff another 24/7 ambulance unit. Hager said the budget includes more than $10,900,000 for Durham Public Schools (a 4.8% increase in county DPS funding) and $2,540,200 for pre-K (partly funded with one-time ARPA dollars). "Every dollar allocated in one direction is a dollar unavailable somewhere else," he said, framing the budget as a set of trade-offs under constrained revenues.
The board did not vote on the budget at the May 11 meeting; Hager announced the public comment and review schedule: a public hearing on Tuesday, May 26, and budget work sessions starting May 19 with additional sessions on May 21, May 28, June 2, and a planned adoption on June 8 if the schedule holds. Commissioners thanked staff and signaled robust deliberations ahead.
