Updated as of 7:32 pm to include comment from ABSS School Board Chair Sandy Ellington-Graves
The Alamance County Board of Commissioners passed the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year for the entire county during its meeting on June 16.
The budget for the upcoming year, which was a modified plan proposed by Commissioner Steve Carter, will include a 2.5 cent property tax increase in the county. The budget will start on July 1. After citizens of Alamance County voiced their concerns about the county manager Heidi York’s proposed budget at the previous meeting — which included a 1.59 cent tax increase, would cut funding for Alamance Burlington School Systems by 19% and cut funding for emergency rescue services — Carter, along with Commissioners Pamela Tyler Thompson and Kelly Allen voted in favor of the budget that included the 2.5 cent property tax increase. Chairman of the County Commissioners John Paisley and Commissioner Ed Priola opposed it.
With the approval, the county tax property tax rate will increase by 5.3%. The decision comes less than a week after the Elon Town Council approved its own budget, which did not raise property taxes.
Natasha Albright addresses the Alamance County Commissioners during the public comments portion of the meeting held on June 16 at the Alamance County Historic Courthouse.
The property tax increase allows funding to be restored to several programs previously set to be eliminated including the county rescue unit, Family Abuse Services and the CrossRoads program. CrossRoads is a non-profit organization that helps children and adults who are victims of sexual assault, abuse and trafficking.
In addition to restoring these services, the Alamance-Burlington School System will be receiving $11.3 million in funding— roughly 72% of its $15.7 million expense increase requested by the ABSS school board in March.
ABSS School Board Chair Sandy Ellington-Graves said in an interview with Elon News Network that while she was grateful for the leadership of Allen, Carter and Tyler Thompson she was still disappointed.
“I don't think they voted to raise taxes because they wanted to,” Ellington-Graves said. “They saw the necessity in doing so, and even though it's not where we want to be as a school system, it's certainly better than where we were with the initial recommendation that they were considering. So was I disappointed? I was.”
After the budget passed, Paisley — who voted against the budget with a 2.5 cent increase — apologized to taxpayers during the meeting and called the decision a “dramatic mistake.” This is the third consecutive year that the County Commission has voted to increase the property tax rate.
During the meeting Paisley also referenced former County Commissioner Bill Lashley's beliefs on funding ABSS.
“You can give all the monies in Fort Knox to the Alamance-Burlington School System and it would not be enough,” Paisley said, referencing Lashley. “I’m beginning to think that’s true.”
Despite the tax increase, Tyler Thompson said that the board will look into reducing taxes following the county’s next property valuation in 2027. A property valuation is an estimation of the property value of land, which is used to calculate property taxes.
“Hopefully, with that coming up again in 2027 we'll take in a lot of revenue from businesses and big box buildings and that kind of thing, and reduce the taxes for the residents,” Thompson said in an interview with Elon News Network.
Community members walk into the Alamance County Historic Courthouse as others hold signs in protest before the County Commissioners meeting on June 16.
Despite three of the commissioners voting to approve the budget with a 2.5 cent increase, Carter said that none of the commissioners were happy with any of the options.
“I don’t think anything is here anybody likes,” Carter said during the meeting.
On June 17, the ABSS school board held a meeting to discuss whether or not the amount of money allocated by the county is adequate. According to the Alamance News, the board voted unanimously to begin the statutory dispute process of challenging the County Commissioners.
According to North Carolina law, if a board of education determines that the amount of money appropriated by the County Commissioners is insufficient to support the school system the chairs of both boards must arrange a joint meeting within seven days of the County Commissioners’ decisions. The meeting will be overseen by a mediator jointly selected by both boards or appointed by a judge — Alamance County judge Andy Hanford, in this case — if the boards cannot agree on one.
Ellington-Graves said that she is optimistic about the results of the mediation between the County Commissioners and ABSS.
“I do believe that all five of them, regardless of their thoughts on ABSS, I do believe they all want what's best for Alamance County,” Ellington-Graves said. “At the end of the day, they've got to invest, we need to invest in our schools. We need to invest in our young people.”
This is the first time that ABSS has challenged the county budget, which Carter said he was trying to avoid by restoring some funding to ABSS. During the meeting, Carter said that funding ABSS would “avoid the potential liability” in case ABSS brought forth a lawsuit against the Commissioners.
According to Ellington-Graves, no date has been set yet for the mediation.