Speak now or forever hold your peace.
Guilford County Manager Victor Isler has officially unveiled his proposed budget for fiscal year 2026–2027 and Guilford County residents will soon get their chance to tell county commissioners exactly what they think about it – whether they love it, hate it or fall somewhere in between.
Most people are definitely not going to like the huge tax increase included in the manager’s recommended budget and they are desperately hoping that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will bring down that tax hit before the board adopts a final budget next month.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget on Thursday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room at the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro.
The hearing is required under North Carolina law, but it also serves as one of the few chances each year for ordinary residents to directly address county commissioners about how they think taxpayer money should – or shouldn’t – be spent.
County residents can make comments in person at the meeting or submit written comments regarding the proposed spending plan.
The hearing comes two weeks after Isler presented his recommended budget to commissioners during the board’s May 7 meeting – a proposal that immediately sparked discussion because of the large increase in county spending and the impact the budget would have on property owners following the countywide revaluation.
Although county officials have highlighted the fact that the proposed county tax rate would technically decrease from 73.05 cents to 61.9 cents per $100 of assessed property value, many homeowners are still expected to see substantially higher tax bills because of sharply increased property values.
The proposed General Fund budget totals approximately $935.5 million, while the county’s overall recommended budget comes in at about $1.1 billion.
The proposed tax rate is also significantly above the county’s stated revenue-neutral rate of 53.26 cents.
That means county government would collect tens of millions more in property tax revenue than it did before the revaluation.
As a result, the June 4 hearing is expected to draw residents with strong opinions about the county’s spending priorities.
Every year, school advocates typically make a major appearance during county budget hearings – often asking commissioners to allocate additional money to Guilford County Schools.
This year will likely be no different.
Under Isler’s proposal, Guilford County Schools would receive approximately $307.5 million for operating and capital expenses – about an 8 percent increase over the prior year.
The recommended school funding increase includes:
- $7.9 million for operating expenses and inflationary pressures
- $9 million toward a phased pay plan for classified employees such as cafeteria workers, janitors and bus drivers
- $1.8 million for school safety and security upgrades
- $5 million for a student technology initiative
- $1.3 million for capital expenses such as replacement activity buses
Even with that increase, however, school advocates frequently argue that the county still isn’t providing enough money to meet the school system’s needs.
In past years, public hearings on the county budget have featured passionate speeches from teachers, parents, students and school employees urging commissioners to spend more on education.
At the same time, county taxpayers who are worried about rising property taxes often show up to urge commissioners to reduce spending and move closer to the revenue-neutral tax rate.
This year’s debate could be especially heated because it comes immediately after the countywide property revaluation, which dramatically increased many residential property values across Guilford County. The fact that inflation is shooting up won’t help the county officials.
For many homeowners, the issue isn’t the official tax rate itself but the total amount they will actually owe.
County officials estimate that the average residential property value increased substantially during the revaluation process.
That means even though the tax rate would fall under Isler’s proposal, actual tax bills for many residents would still rise significantly.
The June 4 hearing gives residents an opportunity to tell commissioners exactly where they think county government should draw the line between services and taxation.
People who believe Guilford County spends too much money can speak against various spending proposals in the budget.
Likewise, residents who support increased spending on schools, social services, homelessness programs, public safety, libraries or a myriad of other county operations can speak in favor of those items.
The county’s proposed budget contains funding for a wide variety of initiatives beyond education.
Among the items included in the proposal are:
- $1 million for homeless outreach and emergency shelter programs
- $860,000 for eviction mediation and landlord engagement efforts
- $2.66 million for libraries in Greensboro, High Point, Gibsonville and Jamestown
- Funding for additional social services positions
- Funding for environmental health and code compliance staffing
- $3 million annually toward a new enterprise resource planning software system
- $1.2 million for sheriff’s office body camera replacement
As always with Guilford County budgets, some residents are likely to argue that many of those programs are essential investments in a growing county while others will likely describe them as unnecessary spending during a time when inflation and living costs remain high.
County officials have repeatedly defended the proposed spending plan by pointing to population growth, inflation, state mandates and long-term commitments – particularly regarding school funding and school bond debt.
During his May 7 presentation, Isler described the budget as a balancing act between public demands and county residents’ ability to pay.
“This recommended budget reflects a careful balance between what is required, what is demanded, and what is reasonable,” Isler stated during the presentation.
However, residents will now get the chance to tell commissioners whether they agree with that assessment.
One interesting aspect of this year’s budget process is that county leaders have already spent months gathering public input before the manager even unveiled his proposed budget: This spring, commissioners and county staff held a series of budget town halls across Guilford County where residents could discuss county priorities, concerns and spending ideas.
Those meetings were designed to give residents input earlier in the process rather than waiting until after a completed budget proposal was already on the table and in the commissioners’ hands.
County leaders encouraged residents to discuss issues ranging from schools and public safety to taxes and infrastructure.
Still, the June 4 hearing will likely attract much more attention because residents can now react to actual dollar figures and specific tax impacts rather than broad concepts.
Once taxpayers see what the proposed budget may mean for their wallets, opinions often become far stronger.
The public hearing also comes at a time when county officials are expressing concern about financial uncertainty coming from both Raleigh and Washington – and at a time when the people groan every time they fill up their gas tanks or check out at the grocery store.
County officials have warned that changes in federal funding and possible state legislation could affect county finances moving forward.
One issue specifically mentioned by county officials is Senate Bill 889, proposed legislation related to revaluation and local government finances.
County officials have argued that uncertainty surrounding state and federal funding makes long-term budget planning increasingly difficult.
At the same time, many taxpayers argue that rising property values have already provided county government with a massive revenue increase and that county commissioners should therefore move much closer to the revenue-neutral tax rate.
Those competing arguments will almost certainly be front and center during the June 4 hearing.
After the hearing, the county commissioners are expected to continue budget discussions and potentially make changes before final adoption.
The Board of Commissioners is currently scheduled to adopt the final budget during its Thursday, June 18 meeting.
The new fiscal year begins July 1 and runs through June 30 of next year.
Good article Scott. Maybe the county citizens who are upset can now get off their buttocks and vote wisely or continue the same old story of sitting at home while the known “block” votes carry the election and we are stuck with the same clowns year after year whizzing our dollars into the wind.
My first thought was why speak when it will be ignored wholesale by the Board of Commissars. But then I realized no, we need to speak up, we need to voice our disgust and opinions for the record. We may need that record for justification for why some people take those actions because I remembered that this OUR December 16th, 1773. Guilford County is our Boston Harbor.
In an earlier post I suggested folks attend the meeting carrying a teabag. Not a whole box, just one per person and leave it in your seat when it’s time to leave. If and when they grant us peasants the privilege of addressing our Lords and Ladies, hold it up and leave it on the podium when they order you to sit down and shut up.
Maybe I’ll start (or resurrect) the organization The Sons (and Daughters) of Liberty. For identification we can wear a lapel pin depicting the crossed standards of “Don’t Tread On Me” and the Betsy Ross flag. Anybody know who I can talk to about having them made?
“Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third* may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.”
― Patrick Henry
(*Substitute with Skip Alston the Omnipotent)
What are the new property values based upon? A smaller percentage of the estimated value or 100% of the estimated value of the property?
They are supposed to represent the true sale value of a home if sold in early 2026. The state checks to see that the values fall close to that range.
Other areas of the country that I have lived in in years past always took a lesser percentage of the estimated value, like 80-90% to allow for flucuations in the market. The real estate market, like the stock market, will crash in the future and take time to re-establish former values. When that happens, we will be overpaying and not able to sell the property for the tax value.
What will happen to Guilford County’s budget if Senate Bill 889 passes and signed by the governor? The bill would place a moratorium on property tax reevaluations. Would the commissioners then put a high rate on the last appraisals? I predict that Senate Bill 889 will go nowhere because of the lobbying from Guilford and other counties.
There is so much hidden in a budget and politicians know it. I would recommend filling the room to overflowing on June 4. Three (3) minutes is not a lot of time to speak and not everyone is comfortable speaking. Therefore, write to your commissioner and Skip Alston. As chairman, he is everyone’s commissioner. A large percentage of the budget is going to failing schools. Send your letters through US mail rather than easy and easily ignored emails.
If schools are failing, they are not deserving of more tax money. The debt repayment with interest was incurred for schools. What is the payoff? Failing schools and bloated administration. Why should taxpaying property owners continue to pay for schools when they have no children attending? There must be a better way to pay for public schools, not property taxes. Why should the burden to pay for failing schools fall on the property taxpayers? Look around at the people and organizations that don’t pay property taxes. How is that fair? It isn’t. Skip Alston’s bestie is another NAACP member, Deena Hayes-Greene, who is a member of the BOE. The same NAACP that sued NC and resulted in a settlement of the release of 3,500 NC prisoners by Roy Cooper, the same Roy Cooper running as a Democrat for the US Senate. So far more than 1,000 have reoffended. I digress. NC legislature, find another source of revenue to pay for public schools. And while you are at it, end property taxes!
TL skip Alston is not the commissioner for ALL county citizens especially the “Lilly White” ones of Northwest Greensboro or the majority White schools in Guilford county whose non profit booster clubs haven’t gotten a $50k donation at the expense of county taxpayers
What government schools need is a non-political real education. Teach how to think, not what to think. That doesn’t cost much, if anything.
Abe Lincoln was mostly self-educated, with on the job training.
Harry Truman did not get a college education, but he did get a battlefield commission in WWI.
If they can do it, anyone can do it.
So stop whining and get on with it.