NEWTON, NC: Catawba County Manager Mary Furtado presented a recommended budget of $345,000,797 for Fiscal Year 2025/26 to the Board of Commissioners during the Board’s May 12th budget workshop. The full recommended budget and supporting documents are available online at www.catawbacountync.gov.
The County Manager’s recommended budget maintains a stable property tax rate of $0.3985 per $100 of valuation, which is the lowest in the region and the 8th lowest tax rate in North Carolina.
The total recommended budget increased by 6.9 percent driven primarily by planned investments in solid waste and water and sewer infrastructure, school facilities, and inflationary pressures. The General Fund budget recommendation of $257,290,703 reflects an increase of 3.2 percent.
This budget advances the Commissioners’ strategic plan objectives through maintaining strong core services in a growing community. Embedded within the budget are funds to sustain critical county services to keep pace with growth. Funds are set aside to advance the County’s economic development priorities through a focus on creating market-ready industrial sites to attract private tax base investment, along with necessary investments in supporting infrastructure. The budget supports education through increasing funding to schools operating expenses and capital projects in the face of long-pursued growth in student enrollment, while plans to address long-term school facility needs are developed in collaboration with the County’s three school systems. The budget also invests in competitive compensation for County staff, the foundation of operational excellence that supports the strong programs and services the citizens of Catawba County have come to expect.
“This budget reflects the Commissioners’ priority of maintaining strong core services in a growing community that values a business-friendly environment characterized by stability and predictability in the cost of government.” said Furtado. “My recommendations reflect our community’s longstanding tradition of conservative fiscal stewardship, which ensures we can address existing commitments while building in the ability to adapt our programs and services as our community’s projected needs change over time.”
The recommended budget is balanced and prepared in accordance with the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
The Board of Commissioners will hold a budget workshop with County departments and outside agencies Wednesday, May 21, starting at 8:00 a.m. On Thursday, May 22, the Board will convene a Southeastern Catawba County Water & Sewer District budget hearing at 6:50 p.m., followed by a County budget public hearing. The Board is expected to approve a final budget for both the County and the Southeastern Catawba County Water & Sewer District during its regular meeting Monday, June 2, which begins at 6:50 p.m. The workshop, hearings, and regular meeting are all open to the public and will be held in the Board of Commissioners Meeting Room at the Catawba County Justice Center, 100 Government Center Drive, Newton, NC 28658.