CHARLOTTE — Charlotte City Council on Monday night approved the 2022 budget, which includes several important topics such as council member raises and funding for police as well as the arts.
The city’s next budget doesn’t include any property tax hikes -- good news for home and business owners -- but there are increases proposed for water, stormwater and garbage fees.
One of the biggest items getting attention is a pay increase for City Council members. The budget increases the mayor’s salary from $28,012 to $39,646 -- a 41.5% increase.
The mayor’s total compensation increased from $45,912 to $59,868 -- an increase of 30.4%. Council members will see their pay rise 50.8% -- from $21,646 annually to $32,638 -- and their total compensation jumped by 51.8%, from $34,546 to $52,444.
Happy Monday. Charlotte City Council is about to start #cltcc pic.twitter.com/Se2K6Mwwtg
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 14, 2021
The budget also increases the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s budget by $10 million a year. A good chunk of that will go toward pay raises for officers, but $1 million will go to Charlotte-based nonprofits addressing violence in the community, as part of the Safe Charlotte Initiative.
It also expands the team that assists with mental health-related calls.
City funding for arts and culture will increase from $3.2 million to $6 million.
The budget also includes money to complete the Cross Charlotte Trail, which connects people to trails and greenways from Pineville to University City and on up to the Cabarrus County line.
The budget will go into effect on July 1.
(WATCH BELOW: Charlotte City Council members vote to keep pay raises in FY22 budget)
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