Carrboro’s town manager David Andrews presented his office’s recommendation for the 2019-2020 budget last week, and the Board of Aldermen will discuss the budget – and its proposed tax increase – in a work session Tuesday before a public hearing on May 28.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle spoke to WCHL’s Aaron Keck about the proposed budget, which draws increased revenue from the sales tax.

“It’s a good thing. You know in Carrboro, where we don’t have a big ole Walmart or Costco, part of our strategy to raise money is invite people to spend money downtown,” Lavelle said.

The manager’s summary of the budget ties growth in local sales tax revenue a better U.S. economy.

The recommended budget includes a half-cent property tax increase dedicated for affordable housing. Last year’s budget also included a half-cent increase, and town officials are tentatively planning another half-cent increase next year ­– all for affordable housing.

“Then over that three-year period we would have eased into a 1.5 percent toward affordable housing, which of course is a really strong initiative of our board.”

When the aldermen meet Tuesday, they are planning on discussing the possibility of an additional tax increase in the budget that would allow the hiring of new staff in the town’s planning department. With all the town wants to do in the future, Lavelle said, more staff would be good to have.

“Our staff is great,” she said, “but they could use some help implementing all these great ideas we all have, in particular, along the lines of transportation, our sidewalk improvements, our bicycling plan, but also how parking fits into that.”

Tuesday night’s work session is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Carrboro Town Hall. The public can comment on the budget in-person at a meeting May 28. The full budget document can be found on the town’s website.

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