At the Wilmington City Council meeting last night, council voted 4-3 to approve the first reading of the year’s budget.
While there’s been ample criticism of the budget’s tax increase on social media, at the meeting, only one speaker objected, downtown business owner Tom Harris.
Several members of the public spoke in favor of the budget, especially highlighting the living wage proposal brought forward by City Manager Becky Hawke.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Natalie English said a lot of these changes are a long time coming, and her board voted to support for Hawke's budget with a supermajority.
"The board expressed support for continued investment in core government functions that directly impact public safety and quality of life, including competitive compensation, mental health resources, staffing, training, and equipment for police, fire, and emergency response personnel at a time when many communities across the country are struggling to recruit and retain public safety personnel," English said.
"Wilmington's focus on these core services demonstrates a commitment to long-term community success."
Troy Herring, a worker with the solid waste department, talked about how much a living wage would impact his life.
"Anyone you see working on the back of a city truck is making the lowest wage possible for a City of Wilmington employee, full-time skilled workers struggling paycheck to paycheck," he said.
The budget that ultimately passed has a 4.9-cent tax increase, as suggested by councilmember David Joyner. That’s down from the manager’s initial recommendation of 5.75 cents, but it will still mean a 16.3% increase from last year’s tax bill.
Savings on the tax rate came from using the city’s available fund balance for one-time public safety purchases, including police vehicles.
Council member Chakema Clinton-Quintana pointed out that those costs will come back around in future years. Council member Salette Andrews voiced a similar concern, noting that the general fund is where council could pull funding for a future homeless shelter.
Both women were joined by Mayor pro-tem Kevin Spears in voting against the budget ordinance, with the rest of council in favor. A second reading of the budget and final adoption are scheduled for June 16.
