The Good Book says, “Ask and you shall receive,” and, while that might be true regarding the Lord Almighty, it did not turn out to be true of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners when school system leaders asked for $5.3 million in new money during a Thursday afternoon, Nov. 5 work session in the third-floor conference room of the county-owned Truist Building in downtown Greensboro.
Just two days earlier, North Carolina voters had approved a constitutional amendment requiring state lawmakers to limit how much local governments can increase their property tax collections. At the end of Thursday’s discussion, Guilford County Manager Victor Isler said the property tax amendment was the reason he recommended against granting the $5.3 million request from Guilford County Schools. With state lawmakers still to decide how much local governments can increase property tax collections, Isler said it was unclear how much revenue Guilford County could raise next year.
Last year, a request to help cover teacher raises ordered by the state would probably have gotten a yes from the education friendly board…