Albemarle City Council passes proposed 2025-25 city budget

Published 6:43 pm Wednesday, June 4, 2025

The Albemarle City Council made a decision on the city’s property tax rate on June 2. Photo courtesy City of Albemarle
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ALBEMARLE — At the Albemarle City Council meeting on Monday night, councilmembers voted 4-3 to pass their proposed 2025-26 city budget.

The budget will keep the property tax rate at 61 cents, which is 11 cents above the revenue-neutral rate of 50 cents following a property revaluation.

Although the rate itself remains unchanged, the revaluation means most property owners will see a tax increase resulting in higher property values and tax bills for residents.

Councilmember Chris Bramlett wasn’t on board with keeping the tax rate where it was, suggesting it needed to be lowered.

“I’d like to move an amendment to the motion that instead of the rate being 61 cents, that it be 55 cents, and that the city manager be commissioned to adjust elements of the budget to bring it in line with a 55- cent assessment instead of the 61,” Bramlett said.

City Manager Todd Clark originally brought the proposed 2025-26 city budget to the council on May 5; employee health insurance increases, the addition of 10 new firefighters funded through a FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, and three new patrol vehicles for the police department were among the new projects and expenditures included.

The proposed fiscal year budget is $94.6 million, which represents a 13% increase of $11.4 million over the current fiscal year’s original budget.

Bramlett’s motion received support from Councilmembers David Hunt and Bill Aldridge, falling just short of the 4-3 majority needed to pass the adjustment.

Following Bramlett’s motion, the council voted on the original proposed budget with the 61-cent tax rate; Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Sue Hall and Councilmembers Dexter Townsend, Chris Whitley and Benton Dry each voted to pass the budget, while Bramlett, Hunt and Aldridge remained opposed.

Dry made the case that the tax rate needed to stay where it is, if not be raised even higher, in order to not “negate the opportunities of the city’s employees.”

“It’s hard to fathom the dollar sign that you see in regard to what our people do for that number to keep it as low as it is,” Dry said. “Quite honestly, we probably ought to be at 64 cents, and people have said to me that’s really getting out of line. But again, if we funded everything that this community would need to be substantial in what the community and citizens need, we’d be a lot more than where we are.”

The Albemarle City Council is set to hold its next regular meeting on June 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.