New Hanover County BOE and Commissioners meet about possible bond referendum

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover County Commissioners are looking into the possibility of raising property taxes to help cover the cost of new schools.

The New Hanover County Board of Education met with County Commissioners on Monday, during which information about a bond was presented.

Last month, the New Hanover County Board of Education approved a $320.5 million amount for a potential bond to help cover the cost of several projects.

The plan would include Phase 1 of a hybrid plan to update New Hanover High School, build a new Trask Middle School, build a new elementary school in the Riverlights community, and replace Pine Valley Elementary with a larger building.

Superintendent Christopher Barnes said the projects will improve student safety and infrastructure throughout the district.

“By replacing and rebuilding building that are outdated, out-moded and have security challenges, we’ve built a plan for you that touches nearly every school in the county so every student sees the benefit of this bond,” Barnes said.

A vote on the referendum would be held during next November’s election, with commissioners expected to vote on whether to add the referendum to the ballot in April.

If approved, it would raise the county’s property tax rate of about 1.75 cents per $100 of property value for a decade.