Laurinburg, N.C. --The Scotland County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, June 21st and unanimously adopted the 2022-23 Fiscal Year budget. The adoption of the budget is the culmination of months of work by staff and the commissioners. By state law, local government budgets must be balanced to have revenues and expenditures equal.
The 2022-23 Scotland County budget sets a tax rate of $0.99 cents per $100 of valuation. This is a significant step forward from $1.02 per $100 of valuation in 2017. This also represents the first time in a number of years that the property tax rate has dipped below $1 per $100 of valuation. This represents progress on a goal of the Board of Commissioners to lower the tax rate.
Even with the reduction of the tax rate, the budget still addresses priorities including economic development, education, capital improvements, and service to the citizens of Scotland County. The 2022-23 budget makes investments in all of these areas with some highlights including: $13,883,000 total investment in Scotland County Schools to continue the excellent work of educating children. Investment has also been made for the new Laurel Hill Community Center, which is scheduled to open in the fall. Additional investment in economic development to draw businesses and industry to the County was also included. This investment has been possible thanks to the growth and development within the County. Existing business investment, new home construction, and new business locating in the County has fueled the growth that Scotland County is now experiencing. With continued investment, the County hopes to continue to grow to better meet the needs of its citizens.
The 2022-23 budget ordinance for Scotland County is available on its website at: https://www.scotlandcounty.org/471/Budget.