June 4. By Dave Vieser. A public hearing on the proposed $26.1 million Cornelius Town Budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22 will be continued Monday June 7 at Town Hall. The spending plan, if adopted, will keep the property tax rate at .222 per $100 of assessed valuation while including funds to provide raises for sworn police officers, merit increases for other town employees and continue funding for six full-time firefighters.

Highlights

—Tax rate unchanged. It remains at 0.222 cents per $100 assessed value. Town property taxes represent between a fourth and a third of the average annual homeowner’s bill, with the remainder being county taxes.

—Police: $42,000 is budgeted to provide a 1 percent market adjustment to all sworn police officers.

–Full time firefighters: $187,000 is budgeted to maintain the six full-time firefighters hired during the past year..

—Merit increase for employees: $278,000 to cover an average 3.25 percent merit raise for all employees.

—Electricities rate hike: A 4.9 percent residential rate hike in each of five years is included in the budget to be implemented beginning July 2021.

Budget deadlines

Per state law, the budget must be adopted by June 30. If necessary, the hearing will be continued on Monday June 21.

Copies of the budget are posted on the town web site: www.cornelius.org.

Comments

Comments can be sent via email to TownofCornelius@Cornelius.org

In person

The public may participate in person for the entire meeting. Those who have been fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear a mask and those who have not been are asked to continue wearing a mask and socially distance. If you are experiencing COVID like symptoms please do not enter the building.

Watch remotely

The meeting will be carried live via the Town’s Facebook page and website beginning at 5 pm.

County update

A “no tax increase” budget was adopted on June 1 by Mecklenburg County Commissioners.