Cary budget adds police, firefighters, with property tax increase
Cary approved 55 new town jobs and a 2.75-cent property-tax increase, with a $650,000 home facing about $15 more a month.
Cary approved a budget that adds 55 positions and raises the property-tax rate by 2.75 cents. For a home valued at $650,000, the change works out to about $15 more each month, before a separate Wake County tax increase is added in.
The biggest staffing boost goes to public safety. The budget adds six 911 operators, six firefighters and 21 police officers, along with other town jobs. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said Cary has not added a new police officer in a decade and said the town is short 89 officers, a gap he tied to the pace of population growth. He also said Cary needs two more fire stations to keep up with demand and avoid breakdowns in service as the town continues to expand.
The budget is the first phase of a three-year effort to catch up on both public safety and infrastructure needs. The fiscal year begins July 1 and runs through June 30, so the new spending plan is set to take effect at the start of the next budget cycle.
The plan also adds finance and accounting positions, including a budget director and two audit-focused roles. Those additions come after concerns about oversight during the former town manager’s tenure. Mayor Pro Tem Lori Bush signaled unease over the burden on households already dealing with inflation and higher living costs, even as the council backed the staffing push.
The property-tax increase arrives alongside another local tax hike already approved by Wake County commissioners, who adopted their 2026 budget on June 2 and raised the county tax rate by 2 cents. Cary officials had also warned last year that a 2024 bond package would mean future tax increases, with a tentative 3-cent increase planned in 2026 and more increases slated for 2028 and 2030.
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