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Over 50 Orange County residents took one more opportunity Thursday to weigh in on the county’s proposed budget and how it should fund library services, schools and other programs next year.
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County Manager Travis Myren is proposing a 3.75-cent tax rate increase — to 67.58 cents per $100 in property value — in his recommended $325.1 million budget.
That would add $187.50 to the county tax bill for a home valued at $500,000.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough property owners also pay a town tax, and property owners in Chapel Hill and Carrboro pay a special school district tax. The commissioners, who have proposed additional tax rate increases to cover key services, will hash out the final budget draft June 4.
The current tax increase is aimed at paying debt over the next decade for school and county construction projects and big-ticket purchases, such as public safety radios. It will also help the county pay the same growing cost for goods and services that everyone is facing, Myren said.
The current environment is forcing the county to take a hard look at spending and priorities, he said. A hiring freeze is already in place, and the proposed budget would cut 13 jobs next year and freeze five vacant Sheriff’s Office positions.
These were the top concerns at Thursday night’s public hearing:
A proposal to end Chapel Hill Public Library funding has galvanized library supporters, who launched a social media campaign and filled a previous public hearing to fight the change.
The proposed budget would phase out the county’s $621,323 contribution over two years. Chapel Hill officials said they were not told about the cut in advance, and the town’s proposed 2026-27 budget does not account for the funding loss.
The county’s contribution meets about 14% of the library’s roughly $4.3 million annual budget for operations and personnel. The town, as part of the deal, provides free library cards to all county residents, instead of charging them a $65 fee.
Other Chapel Hill library services and programs are free to the public.
The commissioners have discussed ending the contribution before, but waited until the county’s Southern Branch Library opened last year in the Drakeford building in Carrboro. The proposed county budget includes $3.7 million for the Carrboro library and the county’s main library in Hillsborough — a $133,759 funding cut.
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Proposed changes:
Another issue that drew multiple speakers was school funding, and the proposed $114.1 million budget for Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County schools district operations.
That’s an increase of $294 per student — $6,171 each in local funding — and amounts to $66.3 million for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and $47.8 million for the smaller Orange County Schools.
CHCCS also gets over $30 million from a special tax charged to property owners in its district.
But the plan falls more than $8 million short of what the districts wanted to pay rising costs and increase teacher and staff wages. It also partially funds the $10 million in annual construction spending that schools were expecting.
Proposed changes:
Groups of speakers also advocated for:
There are no more public hearings, but there’s still time to share your thoughts with the county commissioners.
Comments and suggestions can also be emailed to the board at [email protected].
The commissioners will discuss the proposed budget amendments June 4, before voting on a “resolution of intent” to approve the final budget June 16.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
CORRECTION: The town of Chapel Hill’s $4.9 million library services budget includes $4.3 million for the Chapel Hill Public Library and roughly $600,000 for community arts and culture.
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