The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Tuesday night adopted the $1.9 billion fiscal year 2021 budget, which goes into effect July 1. That’s a slight 0.13% increase, or $2.4 million over the current operating budget. The budget maintains the current tax rate.
The budget provides nearly $530 million to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, an increase of 4.6% from the current budget. $11 million is held in restricted contingency until CMS provides a $15 per hour minimum wage for hourly employees.
When it comes to employee investments, the budget allocates $9.2 million for a 3% increase for employees, along with $682,00 for a 3% increase for MEDIC employees. $1.3 million will go toward increased medical and dental insurance costs.
Public Health will receive $89.2 million and the Department of Social Services $168.3 million. There’s also $8.6 million to reduce racial disparities. That includes $3.175 million to address food insecurity in the county, $2 million to reduce racial disparities in health care, $2 million for additional park land acquisitions in underserved communities and $1 million in funding for grassroots nonprofits.
The budget calls for a new investment of $4.1 million in affordable housing, including $3 million to expand the rental subsidy program and $1 million to fund the second year of Habitat For Humanity’s critical home repair funding, which will support 31 home repair projects during the fiscal year.
In addition to adopting the budget, the commission also requested the CMS Board of Education develop and present a plan of work by December to reduce the college and career readiness/academic achievement disparity between white students and students of color to no greater than 10% by 2024.