Jacksonville, North Carolina Development News

Jacksonville City Council Approves Budget with 63-Cent Tax Rate, Addresses Staffing and Pay Scale

The Jacksonville City Council held a special meeting to discuss and approve the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. A key point of discussion was the state's new law restricting the use of revaluations completed this year, requiring the city to operate using the valuation from FY26. The proposed budget includes a tax rate of 63 cents per $100 valuation, which is expected to result in tax bills similar to the current year for residents. Significant changes were made, including moving a 4-cent allocation from the general fund to the capital reserve fund and reallocating $1.6 million that was slated for the uptown Jacksonville project. The budget also incorporates approximately $3.5 million from the general fund balance appropriation. Staffing levels remain the same as FY26, with 631 full-time employees and 158 part-time employees. Three positions are being reallocated to address defined needs. A 1% increase for water and sewer rates was also included. The budget also addresses pay scale adjustments for city employees to ensure all positions fall within the market range adopted in 2022, aiming to improve competitiveness, particularly in public safety. A discussion also occurred regarding the possibility of cost-sharing with downtown merchants for the downtown coordinator position, and exploring contract attorneys versus in-house staff attorneys. Ultimately, the council moved to approve the budget at 63 cents, with a plan to discuss the three proposed positions (downtown coordinator, engineering project manager, and staff attorney) further in a future workshop.