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GREENSBORO, N.C.— Greensboro leaders say their proposed $913.2 million budget is designed to keep up with the city’s rapid growth while balancing rising costs many residents are already feeling.The proposed 2026-27 budget, presented this week by City Manager Nathaniel “Trey” Davis, includes a lower property tax rate, investments in public safety and infrastructure, employee pay raises and continued funding for housing initiatives across the city.But even with the proposed tax rate decrease, some residents say they are still worried about what their actual tax bills could look like during Guilford County’s revaluation year.The proposed city property tax rate would drop from 67.25 cents to 58.30 cents per $100 of assessed value.“The current rate is 67.25%,” Davis said.“What I proposed to our council is 58.30 cents, which is significantly lower than the current.” Still, because property values increased during revaluation, some homeowners could still see higher tax bills.That concern is something Davis acknowledged.“With all of the pressures nationally and globally, people feel the burn in their pockets,” Davis said.“We wanted to make sure that we were attentive to that and sensitive to it, but at the same time we have to make sure that we provide those services that people can feel comfortable in our community.” Some highlights of the proposed budget include: - 30 new police positions - Continued support for Greensboro’s Behavioral Health Response Team - Investments in roads, sidewalks, parks and other infrastructure - Continued funding for Greensboro’s Road to 10,000 housing initiative - City employee raises and minimum wage increases The budget includes a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment and an average 1.5% merit increase for city employees.Sworn public safety employees would receive 4% step increases.Davis said the city is continuing its push toward a $25 minimum wage for employees.“We have well over 3,000 employees for the city of Greensboro, and as city manager I have to make sure those folks are taken care of,” Davis said.Davis said many of the proposed investments are tied directly to Greensboro’s growth.“Our city’s growing and our city’s growing fast,” Davis said.The city manager said Greensboro still needs revenue to support roads, sidewalks, water infrastructure, parks and city facilities while keeping up with increasing demand.“Our roadways are tremendously important,” Davis said.“Things like our sidewalks ...maintaining levels of service in our water infrastructure as we grow is a critical need.” Public safety also remains one of the largest priorities in the proposal.The budget adds 30 police positions partially funded through a federal COPS grant and expands Greensboro’s Behavioral Health Response Team closer to 24/7 coverage.“We’re going to add 30 of those COPS positions,” Davis said.“That will be a tremendous boost to make sure we respond to the community’s request not only for public safety and enforcement, but also visibility of our police officers.” Davis also said Greensboro expects continued pressure on fire services as the city expands.“The need for new fire stations, new teams to fill those fire stations continues to emerge,” Davis said.Housing remains another major focus in the proposal.The city plans to continue funding Road to 10,000, Greensboro’s initiative aimed at increasing housing availability through affordable housing projects, homeownership assistance and development incentives.“We’re over 3,000 homes built,” Davis said.“Owning a home could be game-changing for folks’ lives.” But some residents question whether the city’s growing budget is translating into noticeable improvements for taxpayers and frontline workers.Charles French, a lifelong Greensboro resident, retired city employee and former Greensboro City Workers Union president, said many residents are more focused on their final tax bills than the lower tax rate itself.“The rate is going down, yes, but reevaluation means your property value goes up,” French said.“So your actual tax bill could stay the same or even increase.That’s not a tax cut, that’s a headline.The rate is lower, but the bill is what people feel.” French said that concern is especially significant for retirees and residents on fixed incomes.“For residents on fixed incomes, especially retirees, which Greensboro has a lot of, even a small increase in the actual bill matters,” French said.French also questioned whether city workers are benefiting from Greensboro’s growth.“My first reaction was, ‘Where’s all this money going?’” French said.“We went from $802 million to $831 million to now $913 million in three fiscal years.That’s over $111 million in growth, and my question is really simple: Are residents and city workers feeling that growth?” French criticized the city’s merit raise system and said some frontline workers feel overlooked.“The people doing the hardest work don’t feel it,” French said.At the same time, French said he supports parts of the budget, including expansion of behavioral health response programs.“The community safety department is one of the smarter things in this budget,” French said.Davis acknowledged the proposed budget does not fund every department request.“This budget doesn’t answer everything,” Davis said.“There are a number of requests from our departments for additional staffing and support.Those are things that we had to make a decision on — whether we delay them to other cycles or cut things out in some areas.” The proposal also comes as North Carolina lawmakers discuss a possible constitutional amendment tied to property tax levy limits statewide.Davis said Greensboro is monitoring potential changes at the state level and preparing for possible impacts.“Our teams are prepared for whatever changes we may see come down from the state, and we’ll make the proper adjustments,” Davis said.The budget proposal now heads to Greensboro City Council for review over the next several weeks.A public hearing is scheduled for June 2 before a final vote June 16.