Town Council Approves Budget for FY 2021-22 That Supports Critical Services

The Town Council at its June 7 regular meeting voted unanimously to adopt a $43.2 million operating budget for fiscal year 2021-22, which begins July 1.

The budget funds a sidewalk maintenance pilot program, replacement of multiple bleachers at Town ballfields and numerous new positions, including four critically needed police patrol officers and a community risk captain for Garner Fire-Rescue. 

The additional officers will allow the Police Department to respond to the Town’s growing population and maintain current service levels. The community risk captain will enable Garner Fire-Rescue to implement various initiatives designed to educate local residents about fire-prevention practices.

A municipal property-tax rate increase of 1.5 cents is included in the FY 21-22 budget, bringing the Town's rate to 50.21 cents per $100 valuation.

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Even with the tax-rate increase, the adopted budget continues to ensure that Garner will have the lowest effective tax rate among Wake County municipalities (view comparison chart).

"I want to thank the staff that worked on this [budget], but particularly I want to thank this Council,” Mayor Ken Marshburn said at the June 7 Council meeting.

He said the Council made prudent decisions to restore to the budget several new positions that had been requested by departments but were not originally part of the recommended budget. Mayor Marshburn said the positions that were restored would help the Town meet important service needs and that failing to include them in the budget would have amounted to “kicking the can down the road—and that’s not a good thing.”

In addition to the four police officers and the fire community risk captain, new positions funded in the budget include a risk manager; a GIS mapping position for Planning; an IT/communications specialist; four park attendants; conversion of part-time Public Works grounds positions to full time; enhancements to the Public Works fleet management team and four positions that could help the Town manage a new bond program if approved by voters in November.

The projected Town-wide value of assessed property for fiscal year 2021-22 increased by $186.2 million, or 3.9 percent, over the projection for the current fiscal year. This rise was driven mainly by new home construction and the addition of $154 million in equipment at the Amazon fulfillment center on Jones Sausage Road.

View the original recommended budget.

View the changes approved by Council as part of the adopted budget.

Watch discussion and adoption of budget at June 7 Council meeting.

Post Date: 06/08/2021 2:55 PM

Wake County Board of Commissioners Votes to Use Higher-Than-Expected Sales Tax Revenues to Meet Critical Community Needs

The Wake County Board of Commissioners today voted on how to allocate the $67 million in higher-than-anticipated sales tax revenues for Fiscal Year 2021, which ends on June 30.

“When we developed last fiscal year’s budget, we proceeded cautiously to ensure that we would be prepared if sales tax revenues plummeted as a result of the pandemic,” said Matt Calabria, Chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “Thankfully, sales tax revenues exceeded our projections, and our prudent financial management left us with a surplus. We’ve chosen to appropriate the surplus to address some of the county’s most critical needs. Among other things, the board is using these funds to create more affordable housing, expand our public health facilities, improve our behavioral health services and reduce our debt load.”

During its regular meeting, the board approved:

• Putting $22.7 million towards the county’s fund balance to ensure it maintains strong reserves as part of its prestigious AAA bond rating from the top three rating agencies;
  

• Devoting $12.3 million to the Wake County Public School System’s debt service; and
  

• Utilizing $32 million for important one-time projects and initiatives.
  

Breaking down the $32 million
The board voted to use those funds in eight key areas:

1. $12 million for a future Public Health Center
   
   The county originally budgeted $62 million in 2017 to develop and build this four-story facility, but cost escalations between 2017 and 2020 forced the county to reduce its budget and shrink the building plan to three stories. With this new injection of $12 million, the county can afford to restore the four-story design and even expand the square footage to meet growing public health needs.
   
   

2. $7 million transfer to the county’s Housing Capital Fund
   
   The board has challenged our housing department to generate 2,500 affordable housing units by 2023, and they’re currently on track to exceed that goal. The additional $7 million investment will enable their high success rate to continue for several more years and possibly support expanding our services that help the homeless.
   

1. $2 million to fund a behavioral health data-sharing pilot project
   
   Some data is collected on people who enter the criminal justice system with drug addictions or mental health challenges, but it’s not uniform or available in one central location. This pilot project would change that. It would create a single database for health, housing, criminal justice and social service information on our “familiar faces” – those who interact regularly with the county or its partners. This data would be used to help break the cycle of recidivism by providing the right services and interventions to those familiar faces.
   
   

2. $1 million to restore funding to purchase library books
   
   In FY2021, Wake County Public Libraries had to reduce its book budget by $700,000 due to the economic downturn. An infusion of $1 million will enable the libraries to purchase thousands of new titles while replenishing perennial favorites in children and adult fiction. It will also expand the collections for youth and adult book clubs, and support our bilingual reading initiative.
   
   

3. $500,000 to fund a study of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office detention center medical services
   
   For several years, the county has seen increased medical, dental, substance use and mental health needs among the jail population. The $500,000 will enable the county to hire a consultant in FY2022 to determine detention medical unit best practices, staffing models, facility needs and financial considerations.
   

1. $150,000 for a marketing campaign to recruit businesses and talent to Wake County
   
   To capitalize on the buzz generated by the recent series of announcements, Wake County Economic Development will use the $150,000 to fund a three-year marketing campaign to increase the county’s brand awareness. The goals are to reinforce that Wake County is the destination for top talent in key industries and the place where companies should expand or relocate.
   
   

2. $7 million to improve the county’s Enterprise Resource Planning System
   
   The county uses a traditional ERP system that houses the core functions of finance, budget and human resources, including payroll, benefits and accounts payable. Many of its processes still require staff to do work on paper or manually. The county is evaluating options to automate processes for employees and residents while making those processes solely electronic. The $7 million would help fund the cost of those enhancements.
   

1. $2.35 million for Wake 2.0 investments
   
   Due to COVID-19, employees in many positions across our organization worked remotely over the past year, proving that they can serve customers effectively from outside the office. Through an effort called “Wake 2.0,” the county is evaluating potential policy changes to accommodate more teleworking while taking a closer look at the kind of workspace needed in this new environment. The $2.35 million could fund facility modifications and IT investments to serve a more remote workforce.
   

These expenditures would amend the FY2021 budget to be accessed now or incorporated as part of the FY2022 budget. Per North Carolina law, Wake County is required to maintain a balanced budget.

Published May 17, 2021 via Wake County