Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg presented the recommended Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget to the Kannapolis City Council Monday evening. The total recommended budget is $124,838,649 which includes all seven operating funds of the City.

The budget includes a 5.08 cent decrease in the property tax rate.

If the budget is approved in June, the tax rate would drop from 63 cents to 57.92 cents. This decrease in the property tax rate is due to the Cabarrus County property tax revaluation and positive projections in expected revenues.

The proposed budget concentrates on several strategies:

1. The implementation of the Imagine Kannapolis Strategic Plan which includes mapping out the next five years of initiatives and projects for the City and subsequently, a five-year Financial Plan in order to achieve the strategic plan.
2. Ensuring a high quality of services to residents is maintained such as a new garbage and recycling contractor, and that employees have the equipment and vehicles they need to do their jobs.
3. Retaining existing employees and recruiting new people to work for the City.
4. Continuing to leverage the City’s robust financial forecast to improve the quality of life for residents and the delivery of services to residents.

In 2022 the City launched the Imagine Kannapolis Strategic Plan. The goal was to imagine the future of Kannapolis, especially what objectives the City would like to achieve in the next decade. Thirteen focus groups were formed, and dozens of residents participated in developing the strategic plan. Priorities were balanced with the needs the City will have during the next ten years and items Kannapolis would like to have to be a healthy quality of life and economically strong City.

In this year’s proposed budget, many Imagine Kannapolis priorities are funded, and a plan is outlined to fund additional Imagine Kannapolis priorities over the next five years. These will be subject to City Council ultimately adopting the final version of the Strategic Plan later this year.

Imagine Kannapolis FY 24-25 Proposed Projects and Initiatives include:

• $1,500,000 - Construction of a Fire Training Tower at Fire Station 1
• $500,000 – Construction of a Downtown Dog Park at Dale Earnhardt Boulevard and Vance Street
• $145,000 – Cultural Arts & Historic Preservation Work Program
• $50,000 – Open Space and Tree Preservation (Environmental Sustainability Plan)
• $855,361 – Addition of 190 Downtown Parking Spaces and Parking Lot Improvements
• $1,340,000 – Little Texas Road Sidewalk (City’s portion to the NCDOT funding)
• $2,850,000 – City Hall Upfits including new Customer Service accessibility parking
• $600,000 – I-85 Monument Signage Phase I (Joint Project with the City of Concord – Exits 58, 60, 63)
• $1,200,000 – Upgrades to School Athletic Fields Phase I (turf field at Kannapolis Middle School)
• $1,200,000 – Western Cabarrus Emergency Communications Tower
• $600,000 – Chestnut Avenue Park Construction
• $200,000 – Kannapolis Parkway/NC 3 Street Lighting
• $160,000 – Economic Development Promotion Program
• $60,000 – Reserve Police Officer Program Expansion
• $100,000 – Police Community Response Team, including Clinical Social Worker Positions
• $155,000 – Fire Department Logistics Building

Imagine Kannapolis Proposed Projects and Initiatives for the Next Five Years:

• Eastside Park Construction
• Revitalization of Midway Area
• Midlake Avenue Sidewalk
• Baker’s Creek Park Building Replacement
• Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway Phase II (Rogers Lake Road to Safrit Park)
• Public Works Operations Center Improvements
• Westside Park Construction
• Cabarrus Joint Public Safety Training Facility
• School Athletic Field Improvements
• Enhanced Street Paving and Sidewalk Repair

“As we celebrate the 40^th birthday of our City’s incorporation, this budget reflects where we want to be on our 45^th birthday. This document lays out the projects and initiatives we want to achieve in the upcoming year, and it proposes several future projects we want to accomplish within the next five years. The financial plan for making all of this happen is also outlined in the budget document. We appreciate the hard work of our City Council, the Imagine Kannapolis focus groups and our staff who have worked to put this thorough plan together for our City’s future,” said Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg.  

Other highlights of the budget include:

• Recruitment and retention of employees continues to be a high priority for the City. The budget includes cost of living and merit increases for employees, enhancements to health insurance and retirement programs, and a pilot employee daycare subsidy.
• 14 total new staff positions in the Police, Fire, General Services, City Manager’s Office, Finance, Water, Transportation, and Information Technology Departments.
• Capital Items such as vehicles and equipment for the General Services, Parks and Recreation, Fire, Police, Planning and Transportation Departments.
• The sewer base rate will increase $1.44 per month and the sewer volume rate will increase 75 cents per 1,000 gallons. The water volume rate will increase 51 cents per 1,000 gallons. These are the first increases in five years and are to primarily cover costs associated with the expansion of the Rocky River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant and improvements to the Kannapolis Water Treatment Plant.  

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 6 p.m., June 10th, at Kannapolis City Hall with adoption scheduled at 6 p.m., June 24^th, during the City Council meeting.

View the Proposed FY 24-25  here.