Burgaw adopts $11.4 million budget with higher property-tax rate and $3.86 million in first-year capital projects

Burgaw Town Council adopted an $11.4 million budget and capital-improvement plan for fiscal year 2026–27 on June 29, one day before the fiscal year began. The adopted plan raises the townwide property-tax rate from $0.6000 to $0.6400 per $100 of assessed value and sets aside $3,864,520 for first-year capital projects.

The budget also adds a $0.1000 Municipal Service District rate for properties inside that district. That rate does not apply townwide, and the reviewed town materials do not specify the district’s boundaries.

What the tax change means

For a home assessed at $200,000, the town estimates that the townwide-rate increase would add about $80 per year, or less than $7 per month. That estimate is before any Municipal Service District rate and does not include other taxes or fees.

The change is a Burgaw town tax-rate increase, not a countywide tax increase. The townwide rate applies at $0.6400 per $100 for the new fiscal year, compared with $0.6000 the previous year.

Capital projects and long-term planning

The first-year capital plan includes a multi-use path along the U.S. 117 Bypass, a public-safety training facility, replacement of a street sweeper and planning for a splash pad. It also includes water, sewer and stormwater work serving Burgaw.

These are funded or advanced projects in the adopted plan, not projects the town says have been completed. The town’s reviewed materials do not provide project-by-project construction schedules or deadlines.

The capital plan totals $22.7 million over 10 years. Burgaw says about 86% of the first-year capital funding comes from grants, project ordinances and financing rather than the annual operating budget. That funding mix means the first-year project list is not funded entirely through the town’s regular operating spending, according to the town.

Public safety staffing

The adopted budget provides for four firefighters to be scheduled on every shift around the clock. The plan places that staffing commitment alongside the proposed public-safety training facility among the budget’s public-safety measures.

The June 29 adoption came before the July 1 start of fiscal year 2026–27. The town’s budget pages describe the tax rates, staffing commitment and capital plan, but do not identify additional project-by-project implementation dates.