Commissioners approve lower tax rate, not all residents to see tax break in Brunswick County

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners approved the budget for the next fiscal year on Monday night.

The commissioners voted three to one to pass the budget, with Commissioner Marty Cooke absent from Monday night’s meeting.

The tax rate will be 14 cents lower for the upcoming fiscal year, but not all residents will be paying less in taxes.

Commissioner Frank Williams explains this is because of the increase in property values. Since not everyone’s property is not valued the same, some people will experience a tax break while others may be paying more.

Commissioner Pat Sykes cast the only dissenting vote against the budget because she believed it should have been closer to revenue neutral.

“And that’s great that they’re having a tax break, but then you have the others that are having a tax increase. If we would have gone more revenue neutral, that would have given them a break also,” Sykes said.

“We’re dealing with inflation as well. The cost of everything we build or buy has gone up. We have no control over that,” Williams said. “The cost of keeping people employed has gone up. When you’ve got Mcdonald’s advertising $18 an hour, we have to compete with that for people to work in county government.”

The budget will go into effect on July 1.