Town Hall · Morganton

Morganton, NC town hall & government

Morganton spent $70.9 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,028 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Morganton's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Morganton

Ronnie ThompsonMayorSince 2015 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Morganton's money goes

Spent
$70.9 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$4,028
typical North Carolina cities: $2,639
Long-term debt
$12 million
$680 per resident
Water & other utilities
$34 million48%
Police
$11.2 million16%
Parks & libraries
$6 million9%
Sewer & trash
$4.5 million6%
Housing & development
$3.7 million5%
Roads & transportation
$2.7 million4%
Administration & buildings
$2.1 million3%
Interest on debt
$336,000<1%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$82,000<1%
Health & welfare
$65,000<1%
Paid to other governments
$14,000<1%
Other
$6.2 million9%

Where the money comes from

  • Utility sales 58%
  • Fees & charges 19%
  • Property taxes 11%
  • Sales taxes 6%
  • Interest, fines & other 4%
  • From the state 2%
  • From other local governments <1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%
  • From the federal government <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Morganton

Full-time staff
282
95 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$48,500
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
55
and 24 full-time firefighters
Parks & libraries
27 full-time81 part
Police
61 full-time
Administration & buildings
41 full-time6 part
Sewer & trash
42 full-time
Water & other utilities
33 full-time2 part
Fire
24 full-time2 part
Roads & transportation
19 full-time
Courts, inspections & corrections
2 full-time
Other
33 full-time4 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Burke County Schools

Morganton's K–12 school district, shared with Connelly Springs, Drexel, Glen Alpine, Hildebran, Valdese and Rutherford College. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$12,539
North Carolina: $13,045
Students
11,690
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$18.9 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal

  • Local 18%
  • State 62%
  • Federal 20%

Of the $12,539 per pupil, $7,504 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Morganton pay

Typical tax bill
$1,689
a year · North Carolina typical $1,896
Effective rate
0.76%
of home value · North Carolina 0.66%
Typical home value
$221,700
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Morganton's government

🏛️ Official websiteci.morganton.nc.us ↗

Town hall & decisions in Morganton →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Morganton

Morganton is represented in Congress by Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd and Representative Tim Moore. Josh Stein is governor.

All of Morganton's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Morganton

North Carolina · NC
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