City Manager Presents Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27

During tonight's City Council meeting, Greensboro City Manager Nathaniel "Trey" Davis presented the Manager's Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27, which begins July 1, 2026.

The recommended budget totals $913.2 million across all funds, with a recommended General Fund budget of $485.9 million. The budget maintains core City services, responds to significant cost pressures, and begins more deliberately aligning annual budget decisions with Greensboro's long-term Vision36 strategic framework.

The recommended budget includes a total City property tax rate of 58.30 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, down from the current City rate of 67.25 cents. This is a reduction of 8.95 cents from the prior year. The City's revenue-neutral tax rate is estimated at approximately 48 cents per $100 of assessed value, based on projected revaluation growth.

"The recommended budget reflects the reality of a difficult budget year and a revaluation year," said City Manager Davis. "It reduces the property tax rate while still providing the resources necessary to maintain essential services, support our employees, invest in public safety and infrastructure, and continue building a stronger, more competitive Greensboro."

The budget is shaped by rising costs within the broader environment for critical infrastructure services, contracted services, public safety operations, solid waste, transportation and transit, technology, personnel, and other core service areas. While the recommended rate is above revenue neutral, it remains below the prior year rate and is intended to balance affordability with the cost of maintaining services residents and businesses rely on every single day.

Public safety remains a central priority. The recommended budget supports core police, fire, and emergency communications operations while continuing targeted investments in public safety technology, Behavioral Health Response Team services, Guilford Metro 911, contracted security, animal control, fire service agreements, and major equipment and apparatus needs.

The recommended budget continues investment in the City's workforce, including a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment and 1.5 percent average merit increase for general employees, 4 percent step increases for sworn public safety employees, and an increase in the minimum wage for benefited employees from $20 to $21.25 per hour. The roster employee minimum wage is also recommended to increase from $17.21 to $18 per hour.

Infrastructure maintenance and readiness is also a major focus of the recommended budget. The budget supports street, facility, utility, stormwater, water and sewer, solid waste, and capital planning needs, while continuing to recognize that long-term maintenance and infrastructure investment are essential to Greensboro's growth and competitiveness. The budget also supports planning for a proposed 2026 bond referendum to help address priority capital needs.

Housing and neighborhood vitality remain important priorities through continued support for homeowner assistance, down payment assistance, housing preservation, multifamily production, and the Road to 10,000 housing initiative. The budget also continues support for community safety and housing-related investments through the Nussbaum Fund.

The FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget is also the first budget cycle following Council's adoption of Vision36, Greensboro's long-term strategic framework. Vision36 is intended to help align budget, capital, policy, and operational decisions around long-term priorities including economic competitiveness, infrastructure readiness and care for critical maintenance needs, housing and neighborhood vitality, talent development, innovation, governance, and civic trust.

"This budget does not fund everything, and it should not pretend to," Davis said. "It makes meaningful progress, but it also recognizes that some needs must be phased, sequenced, or considered in future years. Long-term competitiveness requires clear priorities, honest tradeoffs, and disciplined implementation."

The recommended budget and manager's presentation are available online at www.greensboro-nc.gov/Budget.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the recommended budget on Tuesday, June 2, before considering final adoption on Tuesday, June 16. Residents may provide feedback through the City's Budget Priorities Survey, available on the Budget & Evaluation website.