Cabarrus Commissioners adopt Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget

Published on June 23, 2023

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Cabarrus County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday (June 19) to adopt the Fiscal Year 2023-24 (FY24) budget, which takes effect on July 1. 

The property tax rate will remain at 74 cents per $100 of assessed value. With that rate, owners of a $217,000 house (the median single-family assessed home value in Cabarrus) would pay $1,606 a year in County property tax. 

The approved budget ordinance consists of the General Fund ($339 million), the Community Investment Fund ($74.7 million), the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center Fund ($2.2 million), the Landfill Fund ($2.08 million), the 911 Emergency Telephone Fund ($416,638), the Social Services Fund ($400,000), the Intergovernmental Fund ($2.17 million), the Health and Dental Insurance Fund ($18.59 million), Workers Compensation and Liability Fund ($4.03 million) and Fire Tax Districts Fund ($7.1 million).

Explore the full adopted budget in an interactive format by visiting cabarruscounty.us and clicking “Cabarrus County FY24 Adopted Budget” in the homepage featured section on the homepage.

For the coming year, the plan focuses on components critical to the future of the county, including County personnel, education and capital (building) projects.

Here are some FY24 budget highlights:

Investments in service

The budget emphasizes retaining experienced, knowledgeable Cabarrus employees and boosting recruitment of top talent. These investments include:

  • Accelerating the review of market data for all position salaries from every four years to a two-year cycle so the County maintains competitive compensation
  • Funding pay adjustments recommended by the most recent market data study, with increases ranging from 5% to 30% for more than 150 employees
  • Fast-tracking a market data study for DHS so adjustments can be made by December 2023 to help stabilize the department
  • Awarding longevity payments ranging from $375 to $2,500 for permanent full-time and part-time employees with at least five years of continuous service to the County
  • Increasing the on-call pay rate for eligible employees from $50 per week to $160 per week
  • Funding a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for all County employees and merit pay increases of up to 4% based on individual performance
  • Allowing employees to choose between two healthcare plans based on their individual needs

Several new position needs are included in the proposed budget to reduce workload and related stress while ensuring the County keeps up with growth and services to residents, including:

  • A Sex Offender Registry Investigator (Detective) to maintain records and investigate possible violations
  • A Detective Sergeant and two Detectives for the Town of Harrisburg Division, with expenses paid by the Town through their contract for law enforcement services
  • A Records Management System (RMS) Administrator to oversee the Sheriff’s Office new RMS and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD)
  • A Training and Education Captain to lead Emergency Medical Services (EMS) simulations, training and education, and certifications/compliance
  • 36.4 positions to staff three new facilities expected to open toward the end of calendar year 2024: The new Public Library and Active Living Center at Afton Ridge, the expanded Public Library and Active Living Center at Mt. Pleasant and Virginia Foil Park
  • A Branch Manager and part-time Library Assistant, and an increase in part-time position hours from 16 to 25 hours per week for the Midland Branch’s proposed expansion to six days a week, consistent with other County branches
  • A Cybersecurity Analyst to further enhance the County’s ability to defend against data breaches and ransomware attacks and to enable proactive countermeasures

Education funding

The recommended budget provides additional funding to maintain the Cabarrus County Schools (CCS) supplement at 12%. For Kannapolis City Schools (KCS), the budget includes funding for a 0.5% increase to the local supplement for KCS, bringing their total to 9%.

In addition to the supplement, the proposed CCS and KCS budgets include funding to cover the rising costs of locally paid staff, operating expenses and technology. The CCS budget totals $81.7 million, an increase of 11% from the prior year. The KCS budget totals $9.3 million, an increase of 4.7% from the prior year.

The County is required to provide equal per-pupil funding for students attending a charter school. Charter school enrollment is estimated to be nearly 3,000 students for the 2023-2024 school year. This results in direct charter school funding to CCS and KCS of just over $6.5 million.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) is vital for a trained workforce and economic development throughout the County and region. Additional funding for salary and benefit increases, utilities, a new locksmith position and a new safety assistant director position are included in the budget. Both new positions are co-funded by Rowan County. This results in total funding of $4.3 million, an increase of 9.2% from the prior year.

Community Investment Fund

The proposed FY24 budget includes a transfer of $38.2 million from the General Fund to the Community Investment Fund (CIF) for current and future debt payments. The County will issue up to $180 million of new debt in FY24, which is consistent with the every-other-year cycle.

Debt-funded projects include:

  • Up to $62.1 million to acquire and renovate a space for a new Human Services facility in Concord. The facility will replace leased space in Kannapolis, costing the County about $1 million annually until 2027
  • Up to $35 million to construct a new Public Safety Training Facility for the Sheriff’s Office, Squad 410 and volunteer fire departments
  • Up to $30 million to address deferred maintenance projects such as HVAC, roof repairs and other projects for CCS, KCS and/or RCCC
  • Up to $19 million for KCS to design and construct an additional classroom building at Fred L. Wilson Elementary School and replace the HVAC system at Forest Park Elementary School. The County is hopeful Rowan County will cover a portion of the project cost based on their share of the student population.
  • Up to $17.5 million to complete the upfit for the new Public Library and Active Living Center at Afton Ridge 
  • Up to $11 million for CCS to renovate the current R. Brown McAllister Elementary School to become the new Mary Frances Wall Center
  • Up to $7 million for CCS to design and construct a replacement Opportunity School that would allow relocation from the aging Glenn Center
  • Up to $5.3 million to replace the HVAC system at the RCCC South Campus

The budget also includes $22.4 million from the County’s pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) program. PAYGO is the use of cash rather than debt to pay for needed capital projects. PAYGO will fund a significant number of essential projects, including:

  • About $11.8 million for CCS to fund 29 of their top 36 deferred maintenance projects along with other high priority projects. Project examples include enhancing access controls, roof repairs, parking lot repairs and flooring replacements. Other projects Health Sciences Early College, turf and track replacement at Hickory Ridge High School, track at Central Cabarrus High School and tennis courts at multiple schools.
  • $4 million reserved for future land acquisition. County staff have identified the likelihood that land will be needed in the future for school, library, active living center and/or animal shelter use. 
  • $1.5 million for KCS to fund various deferred maintenance projects. Project examples include improving the security of parent entrances and replacement of flooring, digital signage and furniture.
  • $1.1 million to construct a new park office and ADA-accessible mini-golf course at Frank Liske Park 
  • $1 million for an additional building chiller at the Sheriff’s Office Administration Building
  • $935,000 to replace the compactor at the Cabarrus County Landfill on Irish Potato Road

During the budget process, commissioners held multiple public sessions, including workshops, a public hearing and a day-long Government 101 budget breakdown event.

The FY24 budget begins July 1, 2023 and runs through June 30, 2024.

 

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