Manteo sets budget hearing

Published 4:44 pm Thursday, May 23, 2019

The town of Manteo has set a budget hearing for June 5 to receive public comments on the proposed 2019-20 fiscal year budget. The Manteo Board of Commissioners set the date after a presentation by the town manager at the May mid-month commissioners workshop.

The budget as proposed would hold the line on the town’s tax, water and sewer rates. The current ad valorem tax rate is calculated on 37 cents per hundred dollars of property value. The town’s total operating budget is nearly $7.9 million. The budget total includes the separate water and sewer, docks, museum and cemetery funds.

The budget includes requests for new full time positions. If adopted as presented, funding is included to add a second investigator for the Police Department and a public information officer. Funding for a part-time assistant dockmaster and an additional Public Works employee is also included.

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A portion of the tax revenue will continue to be allocated for stormwater projects. Funding has been allocated for special projects, including improvements to the Davis lot, removal of abandoned boats, expanding security cameras and a kayak launch. The planning department has asked for $20,000 to be used for implementing a 20 year plan update.

The ad valorem tax generates just over $2.1 million, shared revenue including sales tax; occupancy tax and land transfer tax adds another nearly $1.9 million. Other endeavors such as the water and sewer, docks and cemetery generate additional income.

In his presentation, Manteo town manager James Ayers told commissioners the General Funds Undesignated fund balance is expected to be at 86 percent of the nearly $4.9 million proposed General Fund portion of the budget.

By law, the Manteo operating budget must be adopted by July 1, but Ayers said he hopes it can be adopted after the public hearing in June. The proposed budget is available for public viewing at the Manteo Town Hall.

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