Roseboro residents should not expect to see a rise in their property taxes for the 2026-27 fiscal year, however they are likely to see increases in how much they pay for sewer and garbage services, if the proposed budget is passed.
As it currently stands, the town of Roseboro will maintain its 46-cent per $100 valuation tax rate, but the proposed budget calls for a $1 increase in its garbage fees, from $14 to $15 per bin; out-of-town rates will rise from $27.50 to $30 per bin.
While water rates for in-town customers are proposed to stay the same, the budget recommendation calls for a six percent hike in sewer rates. For example, for one to 1,000 gallons of sewage, the current cost is $30; the six percent increase would bump that amount to $31.80. Out-of-town residents could see a hike in both water and sewer fees, with proposals for water to rise by five percent and sewer rates to grow to 10 percent.
In total, Roseboro’s proposed budget would be just over $1.9 million with a proposed four percent cost-of-living increase for town employees, according to the budget ordinance presented during a meeting Tuesday night. The town’s water fund is proposed at $413,000, sewer fund at $380,000 and Small Town Main Street Fund at $30,000 (sponsorships).
The town board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the budget during its next meeting Tuesday, June 9, and likely adopt it after that hearing. Officials noted that no proposed increases, decreases, or changes within the budget are final until a public hearing is held and the budget is officially adopted at that meeting.
One of the largest concerns raised during the discussion came from Roseboro Mayor Alice Butler regarding the town’s capital outlay fund.
“There’s one part that I don’t like, which is that the capital outlay is only $12,000,” Butler told the board. “That’s not good if we have something major come out of that. We’ve been very fortunate with the grants that we’ve gotten that have helped us. As you all know, we’re trying to receive a grant for the wastewater treatment plant.
“Water usage charges, hopefully, will bring in about $325,500,” Butler continued. “Our water tower rentals are the next largest source of income. That increases every year for us, and we do, hopefully, have interest that will stay good on our investments. So that puts the water fund at $413,000.
“The next fund is the sewer fund, and I’ll be honest, the sewer fund struggles,” she continued. “The expenses are mighty high. Running a wastewater treatment plant, the chemicals and everything, is extremely expensive, so you can see that comes in at $380,000.”
The Small Town Main Street fund, which helps support events such as BloomFest and the aLive in the ’Boro concert series, also saw an increase in projected expenses.
“As with anything, expenses continue to go up, and they were a little higher this year,” Butler stressed. “BloomFest probably brought in our largest crowd and our best one ever this year. The aLive in the ’Boro concerts, the bands are not cheap. People are very, very impressed. For a town our size, the bands that we have, they’re very much enjoyed. Downtown Roseboro knows when they’re here. It definitely helps.”
Butler later outlined the overall figures associated with the proposed budget ordinance.
“If we accept this budget ordinance, as I mentioned earlier, the tax rate will stay at 46 cents per $100 valuation,” Butler stated. “This rate is based on the total valuation of property, both real and personal, for taxation of $119,923,901 and an estimated tax collection rate, as of today (Tuesday), of 95.12 percent. This estimated collection rate is based on the fiscal year 2025-26 as of May 12.
“That’s the budget ordinance,” she added. “We’ve looked at it, we can discuss it here tonight, and if we want some changes made to it, we post it in the paper and come back and have a public hearing at our June 9 meeting before we can actually pass it.”