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No tax increase in ‘Magic Mike’ Bryant’s Mecklenburg County budget

By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com
By Joe Bruno, wsoctv.com

Following the announcement Thursday afternoon that there would be no tax increase in the FY27 $2.6 billion budget, Chairman Mark Jerrell called county manager Mike Bryant, “Magic Mike.”

Bryant has had his hands in every Mecklenburg County budget since 2003, but this was the first he has owned as manager. He told commissioners it is his best yet.

“Through historic reductions, realignments, and reinvestments, we are turning the ship with the FY27 Budget,” he said.

Bryant’s budget creativity, along with some expense reductions, helped cover $69 million worth of general fund costs and avoid a property tax increase for residents.

And instead of looking at service cuts, the budget fully funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and raises the minimum wage for full-time employees from $20 to $25.53 an hour

“We’re able to invest and make these significant investments in education, affordable housing, economic development, and certainly our county employees,” Bryant said.

It’s a little bit of relief in the wallet for a Charlotte homeowner.

In July, the sales tax goes up after last year’s voter-approved referendum for transit improvements. Charlotte is proposing a 1.89-cent property tax hike.

State lawmakers in Raleigh are considering a constitutional amendment to put in place a property tax cap.

“It’s going to tie the property tax rate to the economic realities specific to that community,” Joseph Harris with the John Locke Foundation said. “It will allow those local governments to grow revenue as they grow.”

Joseph Harris with the John Locke Foundation says this year’s proposed Mecklenburg County budget wouldn’t be impacted by a potential cap. But Charlotte’s tax hike would.

“If a levy limit was in place that was tied to inflation plus population, a 7% increase would be too high,” Harris said.

The Mecklenburg County Commissioners will hold a public hearing next week on the budget.

What’s in the budget?

Board Priorities

The FY2027 recommended budget includes a total of $64.9 million in new funding for the Board of County Commissioners’ priorities:

  • Education: $33.8 million
  • Health Equity and Wellness: $13.9 million
  • Environmental Stewardship: $6.7 million
  • Workforce Development: $5.3 million
  • Senior Services: $4.9 million
  • Economic Development: $235,400

In alignment with the Board’s priorities, the recommended budget features investments tied to several categories.

Boosting Learning and Educational Opportunities

  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: The FY2027 recommended budget fully funds the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education’s requested increase of $25 million in ongoing operating funding to a total of $691 million, an increase of 3.8%. The recommended budget also funds CMS’s $6 million request for student devices and continues to provide $33 million for maintenance. That is $730 million in total funding to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
  • Central Piedmont Community College: The recommended budget fully funds Central Piedmont Community College with $50.3 million in operating funds, a 2.5% increase, and $6.3 million in capital maintenance funding.
  • Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: $2.4 million to support programming and 24 positions at the new main library and other operational costs.

Promoting Healthy and Thriving Communities

  • $4.4 million to support the start-up and operations for a new, behavioral health facility-based crisis center.
  • $2.1 million to enhance capacity and resources for Child, Family and Adult Services, including 21 new positions to support youth and family services, initiatives for older adults, and other support services.
  • $300,000 to Vision to Learn Charlotte for eye exams and free glasses for low-income children.
  • $250,000 to Freedom Fighting Missionaries to provide housing subsidies for vulnerable seniors.
  • $4.3 million to support the County’s critical home repair program, including a new Emergency Repairs Initiative.
  • $3.5 million for the “Helping Out Mecklenburg’s homeowners with Economic Support” (HOMES) program that provides relief to qualifying homeowners.
  • $911,000 for Hearts for the Invisible to conduct targeted outreach for members of the community with significant barriers to housing and related resources.
  • $451,000 to support the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH).
  • $264,000 to maintain the coordinated entry team, which helps housing-insecure residents access services.
  • $170,000 to support the newly established Department of Housing and Community Development.

Expanding Jobs and Economic Opportunities

  • $1.6 million for Project BOAST to mitigate the unintended impact that transportation and infrastructure-related projects will have on small businesses. That includes $120,000 for Project RISING, a framework to conduct a community scan for pathways to support economic growth in underserved communities.
  • $393,000 for Meck Pathways, Mecklenburg County’s summer internship program.
  • $200,000 to establish a social worker pathways program at Johnson C. Smith University.
  • $1.7 million to expand Road to Hire, which supports high school students in their career journeys.
  • $200,000 to support career lab training and advancement in partnership with Year-Up United.

The Road to Hire and Year-Up United partnerships will allow Mecklenburg County to establish guaranteed positions for individuals who have completed programming through the Lasalle Building Initiative, further enhancing the path toward real economic mobility.

Promoting a Safe and Prepared Community

  • Sheriff’s Office: $5.3 million in new funding to support medical services, maintenance, juvenile housing, and overtime to serve an increased jail population.
  • Medic: $8.9 million for Medic, of which $2.7 million will be available to support recommendations from this year’s study of emergency medical services.
  • $624,000 to support reentry transitional housing and peer support for individuals returning from incarceration.
  • $422,000 to expand staffing for pretrial and reentry services for the Department of Criminal Justice Services, and to fund certification with the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies.
  • $333,000 for positions and operating costs to continue providing safe and reliable elections.
  • $264,000 to support the intimate partner violence clinical service team.

Improving Environment, Culture, and Recreation

  • $10 million for the preservation and restoration of existing Park and Recreation facilities.
  • $1.6 million to support operations and positions at the new Eastland Park, Kilborne Park, Latta Place, new greenways, and the Eastway Regional Recreation Center.
  • $500,000 for programming and security at Park and Recreation facilities.

Supporting Employees and Our Workforce

Mecklenburg County has more than 6,500 employees serving 1.2 million residents every day. Under Mecklenburg County’s “culture of caring,” the recommended budget addresses the needs of the County’s dedicated public servants by investing $41 million in new funding for employees.

  • $16.9 million for a 3% across-the-board pay increase.
  • $13.2 million for a performance-based pay increase, up to 5%.
  • $4.4 million for $500 one-time salary supplements, intended to provide relief to employees from rising inflation and the growing costs of necessities such as groceries, gas, and utilities.
  • $2.5 million to increase the minimum wage for full-time County positions to $25.53 per hour, a historic investment that would provide the County’s lowest-paid, full-time employees with a living wage.

Fund Balance

Mecklenburg County’s fund balance is the primary resource for unexpected or emergency situations. Use of dollars from fund balance is restricted to onetime, nonrecurring costs, and has helped fund many new initiatives that address the Board priorities. Fund balance is estimated to be $196 million over the policy minimum at the end of FY2026. The FY2027 recommended budget utilizes $95 million in fund balance for onetime expenses.

What’s Next?

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive resident input on the FY2027 recommended budget. The public hearing is scheduled for:

The deadline to submit comments or register in advance is Wednesday, May 20, at 5 p.m.

Following the public hearing, the Board will hold a straw vote session on May 28. The Board is scheduled to adopt the budget at its regular meeting on June 2 at 6 p.m. The County manager’s budget presentation, public hearing, straw vote session, and adoption meeting can be viewed at Watch.MeckNC.gov.

The budget recommendation and additional information are available at Budget.MeckNC.gov. The fiscal year 2026-2027 budget will take effect on July 1, 2026.

©2026 Cox Media Group

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