With little change from their straw-vote decision last week, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt a $1.38 billion budget on Tuesday that gives more to education and libraries, creates a fund to better manage debt, and provides for employee merit raises.
The BOCC adopted the Fiscal Year 2012 budget at its regular meeting on June 7, 2011, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The spending plan covers July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, and includes a property tax rate decrease of almost 2 cents. The tax rate for the total $1,385,005,882 budget is 81.66 cents per $100 of valued property.
The adopted budget includes several recommendations from County Manager Harry L. Jones Sr., such as his proposal to give Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools an additional $26 million above the system’s current year allocation. Some new community nonprofit agencies received funds this year because their program plans best fit the County’s focus on critical success factors such as high school graduation and literacy. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Mecklenburg Park and Recreation received additional funds this year after significant cuts last year.
Another FY2012 budget approach change this year resulted in the County no longer providing area hospitals with an indigent care subsidy because, County officials say, the hospitals are in good financial shape and can afford to pay for paying for that care on their own.
For additional details about the budget, visit www.MecklenburgcountyNC.gov which is the County’s official website.
