Wake Forest homeowners should be relieved. Despite two large changes – this year’s property tax revaluation that added value to most homes and the incorporation of the Wake Forest Fire Department into town government – plus the greatest disruption of life and the economy in 100 years, Wake Forest Town Manager Kip Padgett and Chief Financial Officer Aileen Staples are proposing a reasonable budget that promises to begin to solve some long-standing traffic woes.
Tuesday night, after town board’s work session, Padgett said, “We’re in good shape. This budget wasn’t as hard as you might think with everything going on related to COVID-19. It is very conservative financially. We are making sure our CIPs [Capital Improvement Projects] are balanced and we have strong fiscal reserves. If we can save money, we’re going to jump on it.” He praised the town board for its strategic plan, updated frequently, because it allows the staff to know what your priorities are.
Padgett is proposing a new town property tax of $0.495 – the current rate is $0.52 – which includes $0.015 for transportation initiatives the town can undertake with, for the most part, reimbursement by the North Carolina Department of Transportation when it recovers financially. Also, the town is drawing up residential street calming improvements, many of them at no or minimal cost. Sorry, no more speed bumps or tables. There is also $0.005, about $332,045, for housing initiatives including an affordable housing plan along with public-private partnerships.
The traffic initiatives can include the much-needed traffic signals on Wait Avenue where Bowling Green and Bishops Grant, Kings Glen, The Reserve and Tryon residents try to get to the N.C. 98 bypass or points east or the signal on Heritage Lake Road and Friendship Chapel Road or Forestville Road and Song Sparrow Road.
A significant switch will involve the fee for residential collection of solid waste and recycling. In 2008 that fee was included in the property tax rate after Commissioner Frank Drake moved to eliminate the separate garbage and recycling fee and recoup the cost by adding 4 cents to the tax rate. At that time over half the houses in town were not paying for the collection and sometimes not receiving the service, which had been billed with the water and sewer bill sent out by the town. After the water and sewer merger with Raleigh in 2005, that charge was not on the bill from Raleigh.
Raleigh has now agreed to add the $21 monthly garbage and recycling fee to its water and sewer bills beginning Jan. 1, 2021. Padgett said most municipalities use this method and it will mean the town is not charging commercial properties for the fee, just residential. That had caused some inequity issues since commercial property owners were paying the property tax in addition to commercial solid waste fees, he said.
On July 1 the town will add 84 full-time and 24 part-time Wake Forest Fire Department employees to its roster, increasing its employees by about a third to 284 positions. “We are just waiting to welcome them,” Padgett said. The town will also undertake the maintenance and upkeep of five fire stations. Fire Station #2 on Ligon Road has just been expanded to accommodate the training class led by Capt. Ben Davis.
The town will also add 17 new positions, six of them support people for the fire department addition. The police department roster will remain the same without any cutbacks.
The general fund budget is $56,053,825, and the tax base because of the revaluation is now $6.8 billion. Staples said the overall town operating budget is $86.6 million, which includes $7.6 million of debt, some of which she has recently reduced by refinancing at lower rates because of the town’s top financial rating. The town will be paying for its new high-speed optic fiber connections to all town facilities, $2.5 million, through an installment financing agreement.
Yes, the economic shutdown has affected the town’s revenue. Sales tax revenue is projected to be down about 5.25 percent, $422,500 for FY 2021, and predictions for the current fiscal year are that it will approximately 10 percent lower than last fiscal year. Padgett has eliminated all travel and placed a freeze on hiring vacant positions (except for public safety) for the remainder of the fiscal year due to COVID-19.
The good news is that the collection rate is budgeted for the property tax is at 98 percent.
The largest expenses are $4.1 million in the capital fund and $3.4 million in the general fund. The town is purchasing the largest aerial fire truck around, a tractor-drawn trailer ladder truck that has to have a rear-end driver. If you have multi-story apartment buildings, large multi-story homes you have to have a way to get w-a-y up there. You may have seen it around town as its crew is now getting acclimated to driving it.
The town commissioners and mayor now have the budget books and will discuss it during their work session in June and vote on it on June 16. Since visitors cannot enter town hall because of the pandemic, you may view a digital copy of the proposed budget online at: https://bit.ly/TOWFBudget
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12 Responses
Hmmm, thx for the wake up call and reminder to look carefully. I have lived within city limits for more than 10 years now and remember upon purchasing my home how I felt that I was being charged for trash and recycling services when I didn’t need to use them. After losing that battle, i just went ahead and paid it. Then, cam the blow of the inflated water charged due to the merge with City of Raleigh. Finally, that is done and now this?
Perhaps I should find a way to change them to eradicate the invasion of kudzu that has crept onto my property from theirs!
The proposed rate is a significant increase. Overall property tax increase with fees is an additional 21.32% for me. My example is here:
2019 assessed property value of $273,802 at current rate of 0.52 = property tax of $1,423.77
2020 reassessed property value of $323,488 at proposed rate of 0.495 = property tax of $1,601.27
12.47% increase in costs to me which is a $177.50 increase
Add the 6 months at $21 for the garbage and recycling fees ($126 total) for the first half of 2021 and the increase is a total of $303.50.
Overall increase in proposed property taxes and fees increases my costs year over year by 21.32%, up to a total of $1,727.27.
IIMO t will be a fee. For those who itemize, property taxes may be a deduction. I read it as an increase. Will our pt rate be lowered. In my previous county, the tax folks always told us the neutral tax home value as well as the neutral rate
A significant switch will involve the fee for residential collection of solid waste and recycling. In 2008 that fee was included in the property tax rate.
Raleigh has now agreed to add the $21 monthly garbage and recycling fee to its water and sewer bills beginning Jan. 1, 2021. SO THE TWF WILL GIVE BACK $21 A MONTH–FOLKS THAT ADDS UP
Maybe if the diot BOC stopped annexing subdivisions, we would not to add additional personnel.
So, is this a tax increase of $21 a month?
What was the tax neutral rate- for WF–was able to find For Wake County. -we are not getting a break Folks wake up and SCREAM/ Add wake for Wake to raise your taxes but slightly lower the rate. Property values went up–My home went up $40k. The new homes same style a few door from me were way underasessed some by $40k–On sold or $340k and assessed for $2000 more than mine
Has anyone heard from the Board of Equalization
Wow, This is a big tax increase. For example, my residence appraisal increased by 29% while the tax rate decreased by 4.8%. This makes a whopping 24% tax increase. Add this on top of the added revenue from new construction that has happened, and the town must be raking in a boatload more money than last year. At times like this, the town must cut back. It doesn’t look like they have done so.
With many people out of a job or working reduced hours, this is an enormous hardship on Wake Forest citizens. Commissioners…I and many other citizens will look to you to get this out of control spending plan under control. I will be watching and will vote accordingly.
I have the same question–that surely adds up.
John, very interesting. I looked into my residence appraisal increase and that was up 25%. And at the rate of $.495 per 100, my new property tax bill for Wake Forest will be up 18.6%. I thought the reassessed appraisal was suppose to keep homeowner whole. Meaning their taxes were not suppose to go up unless there was a tax increase. Looks like keeping the town budget the same it ends up being a tax increase. Am I missing something? Wake Forest homeowners should be relieved.????
Charles, what you are missing is the town manager tried to sneak through a big tax increase by making the rate slightly smaller. In other words, lower the rate 4% while appraisals increased 25%. Instead of a tax rate of 0.495, it should be about 0.40.
They will say that the town is growing, so expenses will go up. My answer would be the added taxes on new construction should more than offset the added expenses without passing costs along to existing residents. Remember, new expenses should not requite increases in many fixed cost areas.
Any commissioners reading this should get this fixed right now or you will face a tax revolt next election time. I will be taking names this year.
Wait…So, if we are to return to billing solid waste charges with a water bill, then will the tax rate be reduced commensurately? The article doesn’t say. If there is no reduction and residents now pay an additional $21.00 with their water bill, then the overall expense to the citizens just went up. Or am I misunderstanding something?
Frank, it looks to like you are asking a good question. I am very concerned about the steep increase in Town of WF taxes. Most citizens have to be careful with spending. I expect our town officials to be equally careful. I am sure each expense can be justified, but sometimes we can not afford everything we would like to have. Many citizens are hurting, and can not afford such a steep tax increase.