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Burke County Manager Brian Epley presented his 2025-26 proposed budget Monday evening during a Burke County Board of Commissioners meeting. In addition to a property tax decrease, the proposed budget also includes more money for the school system and Western Piedmont Community College. Local governments are expected to adopt a new budget by June 30. The new fiscal year starts July 1.

The proposed budget would drop the county property tax rate to 55.5 cents per $100 of property value, down from the current 56 cents per $100 of property value.

While the tax rate would drop, the county’s general fund is expected to increase by $3.1 million to $116.2 million, according to the proposed budget. That is a 2.8% increase from the current budget.

The county’s tax base is projected to grow by nearly 2%, according to the proposed budget. Epley said a difference in the county’s general budget is also due to the addition of Article 39 sales tax. Article 39 was a previously restricted 1-cent sales tax that produced revenue for school capital and was not part of the general fund. County and school leaders asked the state legislature to change the law around that sales tax in 2023.

Epley said the county’s fund balance, or savings, would remain at 25% of its yearly budget.

The proposed budget includes $20.5 million in funding for Burke County Public Schools, which is a $250,000 increase over the current budget. The additional money would largely remain unrestricted, but the commissioners want to see the money go toward improvements in certified staff supplements and to address teacher-to-student ratios, the proposed budget said.

Western Piedmont Community College is proposed to receive an additional $70,000 in its budget for next fiscal year, which would be a 2.6% increase, for a total of $3.5 million and about $425,000 for capital projects, according to the proposed budget.

One fire district would see a fire tax rate change in the proposed budget. Salem has a proposed increase to 10 cents per $100 of property value, up from 7 cents per $100 of value. That would generate an additional $213,525, according to the proposed budget.

While the 2025-26 proposed budget keeps county water or sewer consumption rates the same, there is an increase to the base monthly rate.

The base monthly rates for water and sewer is proposed to increase $5 to $30. The consumption rate of $6.50 per 1,000 for water and sewer would remain the same.

The fees for water taps and meters are also proposed to increase. For instance, a 3/4 inch tap and meter would increase from $1,500 to $1,800 and a 1-inch tap and meter would increase from $2,000 to $2,400.

The budget also proposes a $4 municipal solid waste fee increase.

The proposed budget says Burke County handles more than 65,000 tons of solid waste, trash, per year, which is transferred to Republic Services’ landfill in Caldwell County. The budget says the county will assume responsibility for its own trash transport as part of a new contract, which is expected to save the county $1.2 million. The county plans to spend money in the budget for engineering and site evaluation to decide whether to open a solid waste area at its landfill, according to the budget.

The proposed budget also includes:

• Twelve new patrol vehicles for the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
• A 2.25% cost of living increase in pay for county employees, which would start in July.
• A 6% increase for a spouse or dependent on the county’s health savings account plan and a 10% increase on the PPO plan. County employees’ health plans are 100% paid for.

To view the proposed 2025-26 budget, visit . Copies also can be viewed in the county manager’s office and library branches.

The budget is not final until the county holds a public hearing and the board of commissioners votes on the budget, which would go into effect July 1.

In other business, commissioners:

• Approved a zoning text amendment to allow for homes to be built on smaller lot sizes where sewer and/or water is available. For instance, a lot that has access to both sewer and water could be built on a 1/4-acre for a residential home.
• Approved a rezoning request from Brian and Robin Smith for a 4.51-acre portion of a 23.14-acre parcel from residential to rural mixed-use. Brian Smith plans to expand his home building business on the property, said Alan Glines, director of community development for the county.