Overall Drexel budget increases 9%, property tax rate unchanged

Drexel residents will not see an increase in their property tax rate for the 2024-25 fiscal year, despite the town board’s commitment to provide increased pay for the town’s employees and more funding for some departments.

The Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday evening to approve the proposed budget, the first created by Town Manager Bill Carroll who was hired in January 2024.

The entire budget is $5,586,037, which is $449,195 — or a 9% increase — over the fiscal year 2023-24 adopted budget.

The document establishes a tax rate of 35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The budget also includes a 4.5% pay increase for the town’s 21 full-time employees, split between a 2% cost-of-living increase and a 2.5% merit pay increase, based on employee evaluations.

Regular, full-time employees will also receive a bonus equal to two weeks pay. This payment will be split into two payouts, one at Christmas and one in June. The town’s total salary expenditure is $1,294,454, an $80,429 increase over the previous budget.

Carroll pointed out several budget highlights just before the aldermen voted to approve the document.

The budget includes an increase in pay for Drexel law enforcement officers who volunteer to work off-duty hours during the town’s annual fair in August.

The board voted to pay officers $35 per hour for fair coverage, bringing their compensation close or equal to that paid by Valdese and Morganton to their officers for the same work.

Until this year, officers who worked on their own time at the fair were paid $16 per hour.

The budget does include 4% and 5% increases in water and sewer rates, respectively, charges Carroll explained are simply costs passed along to consumers to cover rate increases for services provided by Valdese and Morganton.

Drexel Police Chief Stephen Ritchie asked to address the board. He thanked them for increased funding that, over the past several years, allowed the department to better equip officers and to hire an additional full-time police officer.

Officer Matt Auton told aldermen about an incident that happened before the department’s newest hire, Jonathan Huffman, came on board in 2021. Auton was the only officer on duty when he attempted to bring in a suspect. The man resisted arrest and Auton called for backup.

He explained he spent almost four minutes trying to subdue the man before officers from Valdese arrived to help. According to Auton, had a second Drexel officer been on duty that night, they would have taken the call together, and the man would likely have been arrested without incident.

Huffman, the sixth full-time officer on the force, told the board he enjoys his job and appreciates the opportunity to serve his hometown.

Other Action

The board approved the sale of surplus personal property. Carroll explained the sale will include used sidearms, replaced by newer guns. Officers will be allowed to purchase the pistols they have been using. Ritchie told the board any revenue generated from the sale will be used to purchase two Glock 17 Gen 5 pistols for reserves and additional ammunition for training, not to exceed the amount collected from the sale.

Kathy Oliver, President of the Grow With Drexel community organization, thanked the board for its support of the June 15 festival, “An Evening of Music.” During the event, attendees listened to music from two bluegrass groups and enjoyed food and activities on Main Street.

Grow With Drexel also used the event to dedicate the town’s colorful new mural along with the Hometown Heroes banners that now line Main Street.

Oliver said the response to the banners has been very positive and added that the group has received many applications for additional banners, which honor service men and women from the town.

Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the arts & entertainment editor for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2002, or sandra@thepaper.media.