A message from Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson

GOVERNMENT

Chapel Hill Community,

Over the next few months, Town Council and our staff will be working to fine-tune our 2025-26 budget and to update our five-year budget outlook.  With so many things in flux right now – including Orange County’s 2025 Property Revaluation and the shifting sands of federal funding – I want to make sure everyone has basic information and timelines for the work we are doing in several areas:

Budget preparation timeline

Between now and mid-June, Town Council will be holding a series of work sessions and public hearings on the 2025-26 budget.  Simultaneously, we will be continuing work on our rolling five-year outlook, a tool aimed at helping town operations and facilities be more sustainable and resilient.

On the Town website, staff has posted a 2025-26 Budget Preparation webpage which includes a list of all upcoming meetings along with links to reports Council has received to-date.   Upcoming dates to note include:

• March 26: Budget update and discussion (Library, 6 p.m.)
• April 16: Presentation on OC property Revaluation (Library, 6 p.m.)

Then in May, Council will discuss the Manager’s Recommended Budget (May 7) and hold a Public Hearing (May 21^st).

Orange County Property Revaluation and the Budget:

In mid-March, the county mailed out the new 2025 Property Valuations to property owners.  By now, most of you have received yours and, based on initial input, I have been hearing many of you have questions.  Here is what I can share at this point:

• The actual impact to property owners will be determined through the county and town budget processes during which we will set new tax rates. As of now, Town Council has not had the opportunity to review the revaluation data with our staff.  As we learn more and have those conversations, I will share more information with everyone.
• The best thing to do right now is to make sure you have the information and resources you need about the revaluation process. With that in mind, Orange County is hosting Outreach sessions, including two in Chapel Hill:  April 9 (Seymour Center, 9 a.m.) and April 16 (Chapel Hill Town Council meeting, 6 p.m.)
• Information on other Outreach sessions, the appeals process deadlines, tax assistance, and payment plans can be found on the county’s Revaluation and Resources

Advocating with our state and federal delegations

Over the past six weeks, Town staff has been working hard to pull together information about the federal funds the Town receives and to identify potential impacts to Town operations, services, programs and, our ability to advance strategic goals.

This week, Town Council is sending a letter to our Congressional delegation in support of continued or restored funding to support key areas including: affordable housing, transit, bike/ped infrastructure and safety, public safety, energy efficiency for town facilities.  A copy of that letter can be found here.

Town Manager Search

Our search for a new Town Manager is on-going with applications being accepted through April 9th.  More information on the job can be found on the Town’s Careers Page here.

In coming weeks, I’ll circle back with everyone with updates on the budget, Manager’s Search, Earth Month and other things we have going on.

In the meantime, I hope everyone can make time to enjoy the Spring weather and blooms.

Sincerely,

Mayor Jess