The City of Lenoir Council approved the City budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 earlier this month. The budget includes a small increase in the solid waste fee and water and sewer rate. There is no property tax rate increase.
City Manager Scott Hildebran presented the budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 (FY 23-24) during the May 16, 2023, Council meeting. Council held a budget review session on May 18, 2023, and a public hearing on the budget on June 6, 2023. Council approved the budget after the public hearing.
The FY 23-24 budget includes a $1.00 increase in the solid waste fee. The increase brings the solid waste fee to $12.00 a month. The budget also includes a 4% increase in water and sewer rates. A typical customer who uses 5,000 gallons of water a month will see a $2.09 increase on their monthly water and sewer bill. There were no property tax increases in the budget.
Click the following link to view a PDF of the budget presentation, Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget Presentation (PDF). Click the link below to watch the budget presentation online.
The City of Lenoir budget contains two main categories, the General Fund and the Water and Wastewater Fund. The General Fund includes basic city services such as police, fire, parks and recreation, and public works. The Water and Wastewater Fund includes water and sewer services.
The General Fund budget for FY 23-24 is $22,066,505. The fund maintains current levels of service and includes:
- a 4.5% cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for City employees,
- $410,000 (an increase of $10,000) to continue resurfacing City-owned streets,
- funding for improvements to The Campus at the Historic Lenoir High School,
- more than $100,000 for code enforcement, and
- funding for a new Comprehensive Plan focusing on neighborhood planning.
The Water and Wastewater Fund budget for the next fiscal year is $10,726,980 and includes capital purchases such as:
- lobby renovations and improvements at the Rhodhiss Water Treatment Plant,
- service vehicles and construction equipment,
- new pumps for sewer collection, and
- improvements at the Gunpowder and Lower Creek Wastewater plants.
City Manager Hildebran's FY 23-24 budget message and the full FY 23-24 budget is available on the City website at www.cityoflenoir.com/budgetprpopsal. The budget is 79 pages and includes revenue and spending for every division in the General Fund and Water and Wastewater Funds. The budget also includes staffing levels and capital improvement plans.
The budget will become effective July 1, 2023.
For more information or questions about the budget, call Communication & Public Information Director Joshua Harris at 828-757-2177. Or, click the following link to email City staff, Contact Form.