• By Ronda Tatum
• Posted Friday, May 13, 2011

County Manager Unveils the FY 2011-2012 Recommended Budget

On May 12th, J. Dudley Watts Jr., County Manager of Forsyth County presented the FY 2011-2012 Recommended Budget to the Board of County Commissioners. The budget was prepared and presented in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 159 and the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act.

The recommended budget maintains a tax rate of 67.4 cents of which 4.1 cents is dedicated for the two Education Debt Leveling Plans. Information about the Education Debt Leveling Plans and how Forsyth County uses North Carolina Education Lottery Funds, can be found on the Budget & Management Department’s "Learn About . . ." page.

The recommended budget continues the theme of maintaining levels of service at the most efficient level as possible with as little impact to citizens as possible. The recommended budget does not come without some pain. The County continues to see minimal growth in either the property tax base and although there is some growth in Sales Taxes, it is not enough at this point to stretch revenue growth to the 3% - 5% levels that the State projects.

The FY 2012 proposed budget is $387,351,489 and although it appears less than the current year original budget, the proposed budget is up 1.5% or $5,565,957. The difference is in the approach to the Education Debt Leveling reserves.

To see the County Manager’s FY 12 proposed budget and the Alternate Service Level information in its entirety, visit the Preliminary Budget page of our website.

A hard-copy of the FY 2012 Manager’s Proposed Budget and the Alternate Service Level document can be found at any of the Forsyth County Public Library branches.

The County Manager is scheduled to provide a detailed presentation of the budget on May 19th and the Public Hearing will be held on Monday, May 23rd at 6:00 pm during the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners.

Thank you for your interest in Forsyth County, North Carolina.