Guilford County has announced the hiring of Aaron Brown as the county’s new budget director.
Brown will begin the job on Monday, June 15 – just a few days before the county commissioners are expected to adopt a new budget – and, while Brown won’t have anything to do with this new budget, going forward, he’ll oversee development and administration of the county’s annual budget and capital improvement plan.
He’ll also be responsible for revenue projections, countywide grants, funding initiatives for community-based organizations and the management of the county Budget Department.
Brown comes to Guilford County from Wake County, where he worked for nearly seven years in a variety of budget-related positions. Most recently, he served as budget manager, a position he held beginning in June 2023.
While normally congratulations would be in order, he’s landed one of the toughest jobs you could imagine because he will have to find ways to balance out the numbers in coming years for a county that’s in the process of paying back about $3.3 billion in school bond debt alone in a county where taxpayers are already strapped and, especially for the county residents who live in Greensboro, are getting hit really hard by the taxman.
County Manager Victor Isler said on Friday, June 5, that Brown’s background in local government budgeting and financial planning made him the strongest choice for the position.
“We are excited to welcome Aaron as our new Budget Director,” Isler said in a statement released with the hiring announcement. “His extensive experience in local government budgeting, financial planning, and strategic resource management makes him an outstanding addition to our leadership team. We are confident in his ability to guide the county’s budget process in a way that promotes fiscal responsibility, operational excellence, and long-term sustainability for our community.”
Brown helped develop and implement Wake County’s multi-year financial forecasting model, led the implementation of budget software systems, served as a liaison to Wake County Schools and managed the long-range financial model for the county’s rural fire tax district.
Guilford County has been without a budget director since January when Toy Beeninga, the former budget director, got promoted to assistant county manager. Though, while in that capacity Beeninga has no doubt played a big role in helping the manager put together his budget.
The commissioners will be the ones with the ultimate say, and they are expected to raise property taxes but not quite as much as Isler’s budget recommends.
The county will soon be down a finance director since the City of Greensboro just poached Guilford County Finance Director Don Warn to be the city’s new Financial and Administrative Services director. Beeninga said that he often worked closely with Warn.
Now Beeninga and the county’s budget team will work with Brown, the new budget director, who said on Friday that he looks forward to working with Guilford County leaders and department heads.
“I am honored to join Guilford County as Budget Director and appreciate the opportunity to serve this community,” Brown said in a public statement. “I look forward to working with the Board of Commissioners, County Manager, leadership staff, and department directors to ensure the county’s resources are managed strategically, responsibly, and in a way that supports long-term priorities and quality services for residents.”
Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in public administration from Clemson University and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He also served as treasurer of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association from 2021 through 2024.
