Cumberland County Manager Clarence Grier presented the recommended Fiscal Year 2024 Budget on Thursday, May 25.

Grier shared at the meeting on Thursday that the total proposed budget across all funds is just under $567 million with $373 million appropriated for General Fund expenses, which represents a three percent increase over the FY2023 adopted budget.

The recommended budget projects a 2.1 percent increase in property tax revenue and 3 percent growth in sales tax revenue, which is more in line with the growth the County was experiencing prior to the pandemic. 

Grier also identified the Board of Commissioners’ ongoing priorities which are:

• Crown Event Center
• Homelessness
• Gray’s Creek Public Water Access
• Mental Health 
• Public Health

The recommended budget includes:

• $50,897 for one new position
• $504,300 in funding for Capital Outlay, including $176,000 to purchase climate-controlled cages for Animal Services vehicles 
• $1.4 million to replace 21 vehicles
• $346,867 for the creation of a 911 Backup Center following the completion of a new Emergency Services Center in FY2023
• $87.5 million in current expense funding for Cumberland County Schools, representing 43.47 percent of the property tax rate and an increase of $3.2 million from FY2023, along with $1.9 million for School Health Nurses and $2.9 million for School Resource Officers and School Crossing Guards
• $15.47 million in current expense funding for Fayetteville Technical Community College, which is an increase of $1.2 million over FY2023

Funding for other new initiatives in the FY2024 budget include:

• $100,090 to fund an initiative to address disparities in Maternal Mortality
• $134,601 for a Healthy Conversations initiative to promote health education in barbershops and salons within Cumberland County 
• $25,000 to create a coffee shop at West Regional Library to provide hands-on job learning and experience for young people and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• $350,000 in one-time funding to support the Historic Orange Street School Restoration Project

Additional budget funds aim to address employee retention and recruitment and waste management.

The following Budget Meeting Schedule is the most up to date and has been approved by the Board of Commissioners. All meetings will be held in the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

• Budget Work Session – Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 564
• Budget Public Hearing – Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 7 p.m. in Room 118
  • A Budget Work Session may be held, if needed, following the Public Hearing.
• Budget Work Session – Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 564
• Budget Work Session (If Needed) – Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 564

Citizens who wish to comment on the proposed budget during the public hearing on June 7 must sign up prior to the start of the meeting. A sign-up sheet will be available in the room. 

Individuals may also call the Clerk to the Board at 910-678-7771 or email  atebbe@cumberlandcountync.gov, or sign up on the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/commissioners-group/commissioners/register-to-speak/public-hearings.

Per Statute, Commissioners may adopt the 2024 budget no earlier than 10 days after it is presented.

To see the recording of the complete presentation which gives a detailed breakdown of the budget, visit the County’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/CumberlandCountyNC. The recommended budget is also available on the county’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov on the Budget Division department page.