New Hanover County needs affordable housing, public safety, and an emphasis on green space.

Taxpayers in New Hanover County (NHC) value their neighbors, the climate, and the community that has emerged over the past 50 years. But they are increasingly concerned about housing costs, pockets of violence, traffic snarls, the loss of green space, and the costs imposed by business as usual in local government.

Their concerns are tied to the fact that NHC is increasingly space constrained. Development is encroaching onto CAMA (Coastal Area Management Act) conservation areas, and this needs to stop. Where development is still possible, higher densities must be balanced with greenspace to enhance the environment. Traffic impacts need to be considered and costs shifted to new users so legacy tax payers do not bear the costs of developers' profit.

Meanwhile, the current members of the NHC Commission represent the tired old way of doing things. They have between them over 50 continuous years of service in local government. If taxpayers want to get better answers to today's problems, the NHC Board of Commissioners needs some fresh blood.

Some examples

• 12% of the NHC budget for 2026 is spent on debt service, with the biggest part of that being education debt service. Since overall school enrollment is down 4% since 2018, the debt should be paid accordingly. Instead, the school board wants to put a $320 MM bond on the ballot in 2026.

• New Hanover County has a history of "ego projects" like the Wilmington Convention Center, excessive building at Cape Fear Community College, and head-scratching stand-alone ABC buildings. This underscores the importance of having a citizen watchdog on the Board of Commissioners.

• Property taxes drive up expenses for young adults. Hence, these taxes should be strictly limited.

• When there are not good alternatives to government services, it is best to increase user fees to offset higher costs such as with solid waste tipping fees and create a market incentive for conservation and best practices.

Keep the good:

New Hanover County has a generally solid annual budgeting process. From my own observation, the staff does a good job. Over the years, major problems get attention and get fixed. This needs to continue while certain legacy programs face more scrutiny and more services come from efficiencies rather than growing compensation costs.

As noted above, NHC is a maturing county, no longer can it expect rapid growth to fund future government. Its next stage will depend on continued good government and changing future spending to match the new priorities.

Another strength in the county is the development of boards and districts to keep focus on and target funding on community priorities. Love or hate it, you go to the Airport Authority for ILM airport issues, and you go to Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority (CFPUA) for water and sewer. Some of these may need to get more visibility, such as solid waste management, room occupancy tax spending, and the fire rescue district. The County Commissioners can play a key role in bringing more visibility.

Most importantly, we need to put behind us the days of filling in marshes to build, accepting community violence, overcrowding constricted roadways, and approving spending on departments that do not reflect our future interests. These are the new priorities we want from our NHC Commissioners.