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Mecklenburg County's budget troubles will last for years

By Tom Roussey - bio | email

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - We've been telling you how rough the Mecklenburg County budget is looking for next fiscal year.  We now know the current troubles will last far beyond that.

County commissioners got some unwanted news at a budget meeting Wednesday.  The effects will be felt countywide, but much of the focus is on Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS).

CMS had planned to spend billions on new schools and renovations over the next decade.  Not it looks like the district will deal with getting only a fraction of the money it had hoped for.

That means some new schools will be delayed by years, as will renovations to some older schools.

We're told new schools and renovations that have already started will be finished.  But a lot of other projects may be delayed for a long time.

Same goes for parks and rec and county buildings that were planned.  We'll likely be seeing fewer new parks and new buildings in the coming years than we thought.

County budget experts say this is the only way to get the county's debt under control and keep its AAA bond rating.  Without the AAA rating, the interest on any money the county borrows could go up a lot; that would cost taxpayers millions.