Guilford County Budget Approved, No Increases In Property Taxes

Guilford County Commissioners have approved a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year. About half of the over $627 million dollar spending plan is earmarked for education.

The Guilford County School system will get more money in this budget than they did last year. Commissioners approved over $206 million for public schools. Officials with the district were asking for an additional $6 million to help pay for capital improvements and other needs.

But the board decided not to raise property taxes to support the proposal. Instead, they're discussing the possibility of having a future bond or sales tax referendum that would let voters decide on boosting school funding.

The budget also includes a large chunk of money for Guilford Technical Community College and health care plan costs for county employees.

Several new positions will also be added in various areas. Those include veteran's services, law enforcement, and EMS workers.

Commissioners decided to hold off on approving more funding for a new animal shelter at Thursday's meeting. They want more time to review the replacement design plans and expect to revisit the issue next month.

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