Rockingham lowers property tax rate, increases sanitation fees

ROCKINGHAM — The property tax rate in the county seat is dropping from what it’s been in years — but not quite as low as originally hoped.

The Rockingham City Council had a choice of two budget’s to adopt on Tuesday: one with a tax rate of $0.53 on $100 of valuation; the other at $0.55.

The council, after discussion, went with the latter.

City Manager Monty Crump said they were blindsided by the county — again.

Rockingham had raised it’s rate by $0.10 — after 16 years of being at $0.48 — in the 2020-2021 fiscal year when the Richmond County Board of Commissioners voted in April of 2020 — in the middle of budget planning — to switch the method of sales tax distribution, resulting in the municipalities getting less money.

That led to a two-year settlement with a new board, with the county giving the municipalities a little extra to make up for the loss. That funding, Crump said, was used for the Parks and Recreation budget, since Rockingham has been providing those services for non-city residents for the past 40 years.

Crump said about 70% of participants don’t live inside the city limits.

The county’s budget shows Rockingham has been receiving $63,788 annually for parks and recreation.

Following the sales tax change, Crump said the county asked that the $252,000 “be used for programs that benefit county residents, and we put it toward recreation.”

Crump said that although the city knew the settlement wouldn’t be long-term, he didn’t know until the county’s budget was announced that that expected money wouldn’t be coming.

“You would have thought that the county would have said something about cutting us a little short,” said Councilman Gene Willard.

The upcoming county budget, approved June 4, appropriates $95,682. Each municipality received a 50% increase. Click here to read more about the county budget.

But without that extra money from the county, the city’s budget still leaves a funding shortfall for parks and rec of around $48,000, according to Finance Director Jennifer Lambeth.

“I’m disappointed, obviously…the county chose to reduce that amount of funding for recreation,” Crump said, considering the city fills the gap left by the county in 1984.

The city could reduce participation of non-city residents, Crump said.

The city’s total budget for recreation is $823,360, about half of which is personnel costs. It also includes $135,000 for capital outlay projects including pool renovation, field equipment and a mobile scoreboard.

Public safety continues to be the largest chunk of the city’s annual expenditures for the nearly $12 million budget.

The Rockingham Police Department will be getting $3.819 million, which includes $200,000 for five new vehicles, $60,000 to equip those vehicles and $6,500 for bulletproof vests. The expense also pays for 35 officers and two office assistants.

The Rockingham Fire Department is slated to receive $1.6 million, which includes $45,000 to replace air packs and $12,000 to replace outdated turnout gear. The total also funds 16 full-time and 20 part-time positions.

To cover the sanitation budget, the city is raising fees by $2 per month for both residential and commercial customers and providing a $514,900 subsidy from “other City revenue sources.”

Rockingham’s budget also provides a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, and adjusts salaries in the fire and public works departments “aimed at reducing turnover” and better reflecting market pay.