Type your property's assessed value below. The calculator uses the petitioners' own proposed rate to show what your annual municipal tax would be if the incorporation passes. Below it: what other North Carolina small towns charge today, the honest case for the proposed rate, the honest case for caution, and the rate history in comparable NC municipalities. Both directions, respectfully.
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From your Cumberland County tax bill. Updates as you type.
If your property is assessed at $250,000:
$250.00
Annual municipal tax (year 1, proposed)
$20.83
Monthly equivalent (year 1)
$2,500
10-year total at the proposed rate
Calculated as ($250,000 / $100) × $0.10 = $250/year, the increase between the current $0.15 fire-district tax and the petitioners' proposed $0.25 total rate. The 10-year total assumes the rate never changes.
Projected cost in two scenarios
Year 1 is the rate the petitioners propose. The 5-year and 10-year figures below are projections, not predictions. Scenario A assumes the elected town council never raises the rate. Scenario B applies the typical North Carolina small-town trajectory described further down this page (opening rate of $0.10 incremental, working rate of about $0.18 incremental in years 3 to 7, mature rate of about $0.25 incremental in years 8+). Reasonable people can argue either way. Both are shown so you can decide.
Scenario A · Rate held at the proposed $0.10 increment
Year
Annual
Cumulative
Year 1
$250
$250
Year 5
$250
$1,250
Year 10
$250
$2,500
Scenario B · Typical NC trajectory
Year
Annual
Cumulative
Year 1
$250
$250
Year 5
$450
$1,850
Year 10
$625
$4,625
Cumulative figures sum the annual amounts each year. They do not account for Cumberland County property reassessment, which happens on an 8-year cycle and can raise your assessed value (and therefore your tax) independently of any rate change. They also do not include the existing $0.15 fire-district tax or the Cumberland County base rate, both of which continue.
This is the increase the petitioners themselves describe. Their materials cite $0.25 per $100 as the proposed total municipal rate, of which $0.15 is your existing Cumberland County fire-district tax already on your bill. The $0.10 increment is the new municipal portion. The real-world rate could go up after incorporation: once a town is incorporated, the elected town council sets the actual rate, and the $0.25 figure is not legally binding.
$8.33 / month per $100,000 property value.
Organizing Committee, Facebook reply, 21 May 2026
That published figure ($8.33/month per $100,000) is the same math this calculator uses. A $100,000 assessed value yields $100/year, or $8.33/month. The calculator just lets you plug in your own number.
What other North Carolina municipalities charge
To know whether $0.25 per $100 is low, normal, or high, here is what nearby municipalities actually charge today:
Municipality
Population
Rate per $100
Annual on a $250,000 home
Proposed Gray's Creek
~20,000
$0.25
$625 (or $250 net increment over current $0.15 fire tax)
Falcon
~260
~$0.20
~$500
Wade
~500
~$0.22
~$550
Eastover
~3,600
~$0.30
~$750
Stedman
~1,000
~$0.42
~$1,050
Fayetteville
~210,000
$0.4995
~$1,249
Hope Mills
~17,000
$0.48
~$1,200
Spring Lake
~11,000
$0.74
~$1,850
Wilmington (for scale)
~115,000
$0.395
~$988
Cary (for scale)
~180,000
$0.34
~$850
NC statewide municipal median
varies
~$0.45 to $0.50
~$1,125 to $1,250
Sources: NC Department of Revenue FY2026 municipal tax rate tables; Cumberland County tax office; individual municipal budgets. Verify any specific figure against the cited municipality's current budget before quoting.
The proposed Gray's Creek rate of $0.25 would be at the low end of the distribution. If the petitioners hold that line, it would be among the lower municipal rates in North Carolina. That is not a small claim, and residents who value low taxation deserve to see it honestly compared.
The honest case for the proposed rate
There are real reasons a resident inside the proposed boundary might consider $0.25 per $100 a reasonable trade. Stated without snark:
Local control over zoning. Zoning decisions affecting Gray's Creek are currently made at the Cumberland County level. An incorporated town has its own zoning authority under NC G.S. Chapter 160D. For residents who feel county zoning has not protected the area's character, this is a meaningful gain.
Local control over revenue. Property tax revenue currently goes to the county, where it competes with priorities across all of Cumberland County. Municipal tax revenue stays in the town for local roads, drainage, basic services, and amenities chosen by the town council.
A recognized voice in Raleigh. An incorporated municipality is a participant in NC League of Municipalities, can apply for state grants, and has standing in negotiations with neighboring towns over annexation, service contracts, and water/sewer extensions.
The proposed rate is modest in the regional context. At $0.25 per $100, Gray's Creek would be lower than every other Cumberland County municipality except Falcon (population ~260). Residents would pay roughly half what Hope Mills residents pay and roughly a third of what Spring Lake residents pay, while still gaining the same incorporation status.
Towns with minimal service profiles can hold rates steady. NC municipalities that maintain a contract-out service model (sheriff for police, volunteer fire, contracted solid waste, minimal town staff) can hold rates near $0.25 to $0.30 for many years. If the petitioners' published "small government approach" sticks, Gray's Creek may stay near the opening rate.
$250 per year on a $250,000 home is roughly the cost of one tank of gas per month. For a resident who values local control and believes the town can deliver, this is a defensible trade.
These are legitimate considerations. Anyone weighing the proposal deserves to hear them in their strongest form.
The honest case for caution
There are also real reasons to be careful about treating $0.25 as a final number. Also stated without snark:
The rate is set by the future elected town council, not by the petitioners. Once the town is incorporated, the council adopts the annual budget and sets the rate. The $0.25 figure is the petitioners' published proposal, not a legal cap. A future council with different priorities can change it.
The statutory ceiling is $1.50 per $100. NC G.S. 160A-209 caps municipal property tax at $1.50. That is six times the proposed rate. The legal room to grow is substantial.
The published budget assumes a minimal service profile. The petitioners' budget materials describe contracting with the Cumberland County Sheriff for police, continuing the existing fire service arrangement, and a small admin payroll. If residents subsequently want their own police, paid fire, sidewalks, parks, or a planning department, the rate has to support those.
Cumberland County assessments rise on an 8-year cycle. Even at the same rate, your dollar amount will go up if your assessed value goes up. A reassessment that raises your $250,000 home to $325,000 raises your $0.10 municipal tax from $250 to $325 with no rate change at all.
County tax does not decrease. You continue to pay Cumberland County's base rate (about $0.79 per $100). The municipal tax is on top of that. Your total annual property tax bill goes up by the municipal amount; the county portion stays the same.
The two published budgets in circulation do not agree. The Facebook version totals $17M in revenue against $11M in expenses. The website version totals $13.97M revenue against $7.5M in operating plus $4.95M in one-time capital. They differ on sales tax by roughly $3M. Until those reconcile, the $0.10 figure rests on assumptions that are not yet stable. See the budget comparison.
How rates have moved in NC municipalities over time
The honest data on what tends to happen after a town incorporates in North Carolina:
Phase 1 (opening rate, year 0 to ~2): Petitioners typically propose a low introductory rate, often in the $0.10 to $0.25 range, to demonstrate fiscal restraint to voters considering the petition. The proposed $0.25 falls at the top of this range.
Phase 2 (working rate, year 3 to ~7): As the town inherits real responsibilities (road maintenance, code enforcement, basic capital purchases, insurance), opening rates have often moved into the $0.25 to $0.45 range. Some towns hold steady. Many do not.
Phase 3 (mature rate, year 8+): Towns that take on more services (paid fire, police, water utility, parks, planning department) commonly land in the $0.40 to $0.75 range. Towns that hold a minimal-service model can stay near $0.30.
This is a pattern across the body of NC municipal data, not a prediction about Gray's Creek specifically. Any given town can stay near its opening rate if its council holds the line. The pattern is descriptive, not deterministic.
The petitioners' timeline (signatures by November 1, 2026; charter consideration in the 2027 General Assembly session) puts Gray's Creek in front of the Joint Legislative Commission on Municipal Incorporations. That commission evaluates incorporation petitions against NC G.S. Chapter 120, Article 20 criteria including density, service feasibility, and impact on neighboring jurisdictions. The Commission has historically declined to recommend petitions that arrive without complete supporting documentation.
What a fair-minded reader might conclude
This is a decision residents make for themselves. Two residents can look at the same numbers in good faith and reach different positions:
A resident who values local zoning control, trusts the petitioners' published rate, and is comfortable with the modest opening tax may sign the petition.
A resident who wants the full charter and reconciled budget before signing, or who is uncertain whether the $0.25 will hold once the council is elected, may decline to sign.
Both positions are defensible. The point of this page is to put the numbers and the context in front of you, not to tell you which one to choose.
Commercial property
The same rate applies to commercial parcels. A commercial property assessed at $1,000,000 would face roughly $1,000/year in new municipal tax under the proposed rate. A $500,000 commercial parcel would face $500/year. Plug in your assessed value above for an exact figure.
What this calculator does not include
Cumberland County base property tax (about $0.79 per $100 of assessed value) does not change. This calculator shows only the new municipal tax. Your county bill continues as it is today.
Fire-district tax ($0.15 per $100) you already pay. The proposed $0.25 town rate absorbs this. Your net new outlay is the $0.10 increment, which is what the calculator reports.
Future rate changes. The $0.25 proposed rate is set by the petitioners' published materials. Once incorporated, the elected town council can raise (or lower) the rate. North Carolina law caps municipal property tax at $1.50 per $100 of assessed value (G.S. 160A-209), so the legal ceiling is six times the proposed rate.
Assessed vs. market value. Cumberland County's assessed value is usually below current market value. Use the assessed value from your tax bill for an accurate result.
Before you use this
Check whether your property is inside the proposed boundary. If it is not, none of this applies to you. Use the Am I Inside? tool to check your address against the petitioners' published map.
Where to find your assessed value
Your assessed value is printed on your most recent Cumberland County property tax bill. You can also look it up by parcel or address at the Cumberland County property records portal.
Related
Budget analysis: where this $0.10 fits in the petitioners' published revenue assumptions, and what it does not appear to cover.
Am I Inside?: check whether your address sits inside the proposed boundary.