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The City Manager's FY27 Recommended Budget was presented at the May 4 City Council meeting.
The Fiscal Year 2027 Recommended Budget outlines a balanced financial plan totaling $350.3 million, aligned with City Council priorities and focused on delivering essential services from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. At its core, the budget centers on people and safety—prioritizing investments in public safety services, equipment, and staffing, while advancing a “living wage” approach to better support the employees who serve the community every day, nearly 70% of whom are first responders. These recommendations also reflect ongoing efforts to improve efficiency, strengthen service delivery, and address deferred needs that can no longer wait. Together, this represents a commitment to maintaining a strong financial position while meeting today’s needs and preparing Wilmington for the future.
Watch a recording here
View the presentation here(PDF, 2MB)
View the Recommended FY27 Budget here(PDF, 4MB)(PDF, 4MB)
(PDF, 394KB)
The main driver in this budget is a focus on implementing a living wage for employees, supporting public safety initiatives in the City, and increasing funding available to complete capital improvement projects.
The City’s new property tax rate would equal 34 cents per $100 valuation. This proposed new rate includes a 5.34-cent increase to support the General Fund and a 0.41-cent increase to support Capital Projects via the Debt Services Fund.
For a home at Wilmington’s median single-family value of $445,000, the tax adjustment would increase the cost by approximately $21 per month, or $126 annually.
Each one-cent increase in the tax rate generates an additional $3,543,486 in the general fund. To balance the budget, property taxes are one of the few levers local governments have to increase revenue. These funds will be distributed in alignment with Council priorities, including public safety, living wage for employees, core services, and deferred capital investments.
A living wage is the local cost-of-living wage level necessary to afford an adequate standard of living for workers and their families. It’s based on the area median income (AMI), as defined by the federal government and tied to the City’s desired pay philosophy: the minimum living wage for a full-time City of Wilmington employee would equal 60% of AMI.
This would raise the minimum starting salary for City employees to $45,531. It would also provide an average 19.3% increase for more than 746 first responders, supporting recruitment and retention in critical public safety and frontline workers.
Implementing a living wage benefits the City by moving some of its hardest-to-fill positions to the top of the market to attract qualified candidates.
People and safety are the top two themes of the proposed budget. Nearly 75% of the recommended budget increase is tied to public safety. Many proposals for police and fire equipment, supplies, and programs address a history of deferred or delayed investment in these vital needs. These delays can no longer wait, and this budget takes meaningful initial steps to address them.
An enterprise fund is a self-supporting government service paid for by user fees instead of taxes. Basically, the fees charged to residents help cover the cost of running, maintaining, and improving that service. These funds are separate from the general fund to ensure they are used for the appropriate service. Examples of City enterprise funds include stormwater services, parking, and golf.
This year’s budget presentation reflects recent organizational changes and ongoing updates to our financial system. To provide the clearest picture possible, some expenses and divisions have been temporarily adjusted to align with the new structure. Because of this, comparisons to prior years may look different. Future budgets will return to a more consistent format once these updates are complete.
A public hearing will be held at the May 19 City Council meeting, and interested residents can sign up to speak about the budget. You can also submit comments ahead of time, using this form.