Apex Town Budget · FY2026–27
Where Apex's money goes
The Town adopted a $261.7 million budget on June 9. This page shows which funds it sits in, where each General Fund dollar goes, how the tax rate landed at 37.35 cents, and what it changes on an average home's bill.
Most of the budget is not property tax. Electric, water and sewer, and stormwater each have their own fund, paid for by the rates customers pay. The property tax supports the General Fund (police, fire, parks, streets and administration) and the Community Investment Fund, which pays for long-term capital projects.
Council reduced the Town Manager's first recommendation, 3.54 cents above the old rate, to a 1.75-cent increase. Mayor Pro Tem Terry Mahaffey summed up the standard he applied in a May 22 newsletter: “the lowest responsible increase … not the lowest number on paper if it creates bigger problems next year.”
Explore
Which fund, and which function
Switch between the whole budget and a General Fund dollar.
The tax rate
From 39.14 cents to 37.35
The Town Manager's April 16 recommendation raised the rate by 3.54 cents: one cent each for public safety, the Community Investment Fund and fleet replacement, plus 0.54 cent for parks, recreation and technology. Council directed staff on May 21 to build the budget on a 1.75-cent increase, and adopted it June 9.
Split of the 37.35¢ derived from staff slides: Affordable Housing Fund 1¢, Community Investment Fund 8¢ (the extra cent Council kept), General Fund the remainder. The Town's budget page says the 1.75¢ increase “is tied to investments in public safety and a one cent increase to the Community Investment Fund.”
Your bill
What the tax change means for your home
Move the slider to your home's assessed value. The tax line updates; the utility lines are staff's figures for an average customer (5,000 gallons of water and sewer, 1,150 kWh of electricity).
The average Apex family home value in staff's analysis is $600,000. Utility changes shown are for the average customer, not your own usage. Tax = value ÷ 100 × rate.
In context
Apex's rate vs. the Wake County average
From the Town Manager's April 16 presentation. Hover or tap a year. Apex's rate has been below the Wake County average in every year shown, 2015 through 2025. Council's adopted 2026 rate is 37.35 cents; the chart's 2026 point is the Manager's April recommendation.
Staff's Wake County comparison of total annual cost (property tax, solid waste, water and sewer, vehicle fee, stormwater and electric for a typical household) ranked Apex second-lowest, behind Morrisville. That comparison used the 38.6-cent rate under discussion at the time, higher than the 37.35 cents adopted.
In his words
The standard behind the vote
“…my goal has been the lowest responsible increase … not the lowest number on paper if it creates bigger problems next year.”Terry Mahaffey, Apex Tax Rate Decision, May 22, 2026
What's next
Next year's budget starts now
The Town is already collecting input for FY2027–28. The Budget Priorities Survey is open through December 1, and the pre-budget public hearing is January 13, 2027. You can also email annual.budget@apexnc.org.
Info current as of October 5, 2026. Function percentages are as presented June 9, before Council's final $372,000 operating trim; they round to $1.01.
Discussion
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