Guilford County manager proposes $831M budget

Guilford County Manager Michael Halford presented a recommended budget of $831 million with no property tax increase to the Board of County Commissioners Thursday.

Around $453 million of all budgeted funds is allocated to Guilford Technical Community College and the county's public schools.

Halford said the schools requested $57 million more in operating and annual capital funding over the current fiscal year. But he said without additional revenue, the county couldn't support this without eliminating 30 of its departments.

"I strongly recommend that the Board of Education, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Commissioners convene to discuss a sustainable funding model for operating and annual capital expenses in Guilford County," he said.

The budget also includes $3 million in funding for mental and behavioral health services for people in Greensboro's and High Point's detention centers. It also supports several new positions, including additional social service workers to handle reports of abuse or neglect.

A public hearing on the budget is tentatively scheduled for June 6.