The General Assembly is considering a constitutional amendment that would limit how much local governments can increase property taxes each year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Leaders across Mecklenburg County are calling on state lawmakers to pass a budget, warning that the General Assembly’s inaction is leaving both Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and county government unable to accurately plan their spending.
“It’s not just a little uncertainty โ it’s uncertainty for 365 days a year,” said Kelly Klutz, chief financial officer for CMS at Tuesday’s Joint Legislative Forum.
A large portion of CMS funding comes from the state. In this year’s projection, the bulk of the school system’s budget will come from state government.ย For the county, 58.7% of its budget came from property taxes โ a revenue stream that state legislators are now considering capping.
The failure to pass a state budget has also meant a failure to raise teacher pay โ an issue CMS officials call urgent.
“Our teachers can’t afford to live in the community that we’re asking them to serve, and we should all be embarrassed by that,” said Charles Jeter, executive director of intergovernmental relations for CMS.
The General Assembly is considering a constitutional amendment that would limit how much local governments can increase property taxes each year. The change would require voter approval. A state committee on property tax reduction is set to meet Wednesday.
Jeter urged the committee to drop the proposal.
“The idea that somehow these communities are abusing or overspending is just not factually true,” Jeter said. “I think these communities, the city and county, deserve a heck of a lot more credit for what they try to do, putting, frankly, five pounds of issues in a three-pound bag that the General Assembly allows us to do with tax rates.”
The General Assembly is officially set to return for its short session one week from Wednesday.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
