Guilford County manager unveils $935.5 million FY2027 recommended budget, proposes 61.9¢ tax rate

County Manager presented the Guilford County FY2027 Manager’s Recommended Budget on May 7, proposing a $935,455,000 general fund and a property tax rate of 61.9¢ per $100 of assessed valuation.

The manager said the recommendation reflects a mix of maintaining mandated services and targeted investments, including increased support for K–12 education, $1 million for street outreach and emergency sheltering for people experiencing homelessness, funding to phase classified‑staff pay increases for Guilford County Schools, and $3 million annually for an enterprise resource program. "This recommended budget is about ensuring responsiveness, honoring our strategic commitments, maintaining compliance and statutory mandates," the manager said.

The proposed tax rate is 8.64¢ above the county’s estimated revenue‑neutral rate of 53.26¢ and is tied to specific investments the manager emphasized are necessary to sustain services and school capital debt commitments. The presentation listed the recommended budget’s largest components: education (the manager cited 5.53¢ of the rate increase tied to school support), workforce stabilization, multi‑year capital planning, and public safety. The manager noted the recommendation reduces appropriated fund balance by $7.8 million and seeks to sustain the county’s highest credit ratings by maintaining prudent debt ratios.

Key line items and explanations in the manager’s recommendation include: a five‑year rolling capital improvement plan to avoid large deferred capital bills; $1,000,000 for homelessness outreach and shelter support and $400,000 for eviction mediation and landlord engagement; three environmental‑health positions to improve permit review timeliness; $800,000 for body‑camera replacement for law enforcement; and a $5,000,000 annual allocation for one‑to‑one school technology. The manager also identified contingencies tied to state action, noting that state proposals on property‑tax moratoriums could limit the county’s ability to fund new initiatives.

Commissioners questioned and discussed revenue assumptions and program priorities during the presentation. The manager said the budget process includes public engagement: a public hearing is scheduled for June 4 and final budget adoption for June 18. The manager encouraged residents to review the Manager’s Recommended Budget and provide input during the public hearing process.

Next steps: the board will hold a public hearing on June 4 and is scheduled to vote on budget adoption on June 18.