Counties and municipalities in the Wilmington area have approved their budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Here are highlights from the spending plans of Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick counties and the city of Wilmington.

Pender was the only county to adopt a tax rate increase as a result of the almost $178 million school bond voters approved in November last year.

Pender County

Tax rate: 73.75 cents per $100 valuation, an increase of 9.25 cents
Schools:  $51.6M
Public safety: $21.5M
Outside agencies: $2.4M, including $175,000 to Wilmington Business Development for economic development efforts
Total budget: $103M

"From 2010-2020, Pender County was listed as  the 6th fastest growing County in NC at a 15%  growth rate over the last decade. For 2020 – 2030 Pender County is anticipated to move up to 5th with a projected growth rate of 23.9%, according to UNC Chapel Hill Carolina  Demography," the county's budget message states. "Although it has fluctuated throughout the year, the unemployment rate of Pender County remains 3.2% as of March 2023. This rapid growth remains one of Pender County’s biggest opportunities and presents the largest  challenges – from  schools and utility infrastructure to social services programs and law  enforcement."

Click here for more details on the Pender budget.

New Hanover County

Tax rate: 45 cents per $100, a decrease from last year of a half-cent.
Schools: $128.7M for New Hanover County Schools, 29% of the county’s general fund.
Cape Fear Community College: $27.5M 
Economic development and nonprofit funding: $2.5M
Total budget: $588M

“Continuing to provide and even grow the high level of services and amenities our residents have come to expect was the top priority for this upcoming budget, but we also wanted to see if it was possible to provide some financial relief to residents with a tax cut,” said New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chair Bill Rivenbark in a release.

Click here for more New Hanover budget details.
 

City of Wilmington

Tax rate: 39.5 cents per $100, unchanged
New office space: $68M for the purchase of the former PPD headquarters campus at 929 N. Front St.
Sidewalks: $16.2M for street and sidewalk preservation and maintenance projects
Economic development: $340,000 in incentives to various companies; $347,000 in service contracts to "economic driver partners," including Wilmington Business Development.
Total budget: $351M

Mayor Bill Saffo said in a release that the budget "provides a creative and cost-effective solution to growing demands on downtown parking and city operations by funding the purchase of a 12.5-acre downtown campus for public use. This will add over 1,000 parking spaces near our very successful Riverfront Park and Live Oak Bank Pavilion, consolidate multiple city operations into one building, and save millions of dollars by selling off aging city facilities. Most importantly, it does this without raising taxes and still keeping a very large fund balance so we’re fully prepared for emergencies like hurricanes."

The FY24 city budget is available online at www.wilmingtonnc.gov/budget.
 

Brunswick County

Tax rate: 34.2 cents per $100, 14.3 cents lower than last year
Schools: $55.6M
Brunswick Community College: $5.2M to meet operating and capital needs
Economic development: $575,000 for Brunswick Business & Industry Development; $100,000 in incentives for Precision Swiss Products
Total budget: $346M

County Manager Steve Stone said in his budget message that the revaluation in the county’s four‐year cycle, completed Jan. 1, resulted in a 54.73% increase in total county values.

Stone also wrote, "Consistently ranking as one of the fastest‐growing counties in the United States, Brunswick County ranked seventh among counties with a population greater than 20,000. The county is included in the Myrtle‐ Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is the third‐fastest‐growing MSA in the nation at 3.7%. The State Data Center reported Brunswick County’s projected permanent population to be 153,064, up from the decennial census figure of 107,431. The county is ranked first in North Carolina population percentage growth and third in numeric population growth in the state, indicating that people are increasingly choosing Brunswick County as a place to live."