CHARLOTTE, NC
(June 12, 2017) — Charlotte City Council adopted the citywide budget for fiscal
year (FY) 2018 totaling $2.4 billion in
a 10 - 0 vote. The FY 2018 General Fund
budget is balanced at $668.8 million with no property tax rate increase for
Charlotte residents.
The FY 2018 budget is structurally balanced and positions Charlotte as
the winning city of tomorrow through investing in neighborhoods, public safety
and city employees. It also supports City Council priorities outlined in the
Community Letter, Focus Area Plans and the 10 Traits of Winning Cities.
Enterprise Fund
(Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS),
Charlotte Water and Storm Water) operating and capital budgets were also
approved with minimal increases. There
is a $1.73 monthly increase to Charlotte Water customers. From the General
Fund, there will also be a 50¢ per month increase to the residential Solid
Waste fee ($6 annual increase) due to increased tipping fees and contractual
costs. The total monthly fee impact to Charlotte residents in FY 2018 will be
$2.23 per month.
The FY 2018-2022 Community Investment Plan (CIP) was also adopted.
This five year capital plan matches the city’s highest priority infrastructure
needs with a financing schedule. The CIP totals $4.1 billion and includes
investments in neighborhoods, housing, storm water projects, road, transit,
sidewalks, bikeways, water and sewer projects, the airport, public safety and
maintenance facilities. The General Fund Community Investment Plan is $751.8
million.
To become an employer of choice, the FY 2018 budget includes
competitive pay to attract and retain qualified and skilled employees. The city
is accelerating its plan to increase minimum pay to $15 per hour in FY 2018.
Additionally, merit increases are adopted for all pay plans. The budget also
adds six weeks of paid parental leave for city employees starting in January
2018.
This budget
represents the first of many steps toward creating the winning city of
tomorrow. Together, the city and community can create a city where we all can
live, work and play.
To learn more about the approved budget, visit http://charlottenc.gov/budget or review the FY 2018 Adopted Budget Highlights.
Other Council Actions
Juvenile Offender Diversion Program
Grant
City Council also approved a $95,389 grant
from the Mecklenburg County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPV) to go
towards the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s (CMPD) Juvenile Offender
Diversion Program. The program provides education and workshops for up to 140
first-time juvenile offenders and also teaches parental skill training for the
parents or guardians of the participants. To date the program has served 1,919
youth. Of those served, 89.4 percent of participants did not commit a crime 12
months after completing the program. This effort aligns with the City Council’s
Community Letter.
Dinner
Briefing
Charlotte
Department of Transportation (CDOT) explained a new car sharing pilot program
during dinner briefing. Through the program, customers can rent vehicles by the
hour using an online platform, providing a new transportation option in
Charlotte. After finalizing the agreement with Zipcar, the program is scheduled
to launch mid to late summer.
Also, CDOT
provided council with updates to the Parkwood and The Plaza Corridor Study and
the Uptown Connects Study.