Commissioners Notebook: May 2025

Published on May 16, 2025

Cabarrus County is known as a place where people come to live and thrive, and according to the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), it’s also a top destination for tourists 

At the May 5 Work Session, CVB President and CEO Donna Carpenter and Executive Vice President John Mills presented commissioners with an update on the county’s 2023 tourism numbers and their projected budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). 

The CVB helps market Cabarrus County as a tourist destination and is primarily funded through occupancy tax collections from local hotels.  

The presentation shared tourism data from the previous year. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. The 2024 tourism numbers will be available later this year.   

In 2023, visitors spent over $624.98 million dollars locally, Carpenter said. Daily, tourism helped generate $112,602 in combined state and local taxes.  

Carpenter told Commissioners that tourism helps reduce taxes for residents.   

“If we didn’t have visitors spending money here, each resident would pay an additional $171.51 on their taxes every single year,” Carpenter told the board. “It’s our goal to make this number grow higher and higher each year.”.  

Mills broke down the projected budget to commissioners. For FY26, the CVB expects a budget of $7,556,500. In addition to occupancy taxes, CVB revenue sources include cooperative advertising opportunities, interest on cash deposits, Celebrate Cabarrus and retail sales in the visitor center. 

The budget for FY26 increased 7% over the previous year. Lodging revenues are expected to increase by $490,354.  

The CVB has set its budget allocations at 28% for salary and wage expenses, 12% for administration and 60% for Sales and Marketing. 

Cabarrus County Government retains 5% of all occupancy tax collections. For FY26, the County is projected to receive an administrative fee of $366,500, which will help cover expenses at the arena.   

The County is also projected to receive an additional 5% fee of $366,500 from the Sports Development Fund. That money is set aside and saved to cover needed expenses related to sports and tourism infrastructure.

Also during the Work Session, the board:  

• Heard from Active Living and Parks (ALP) Project Event Manager Rae Moore on the projects selected for the Matching Incentive Grant Program. The projects include the addition of an outdoor seating area at Weddington Hills Elementary and construction of an outdoor storage building for the Mt. Pleasant Dixie Youth Baseball Association. The Matching Incentive Grant program encourages certain non-profit groups (PTOs, civic clubs, youth sports organizations, church organizations, garden clubs and athletic or recreation associations) to provide more adequate recreational and park facilities locally. All improvements must be located on public property owned by Cabarrus County, the boards of education, a municipality within the county or property leased to the County for a minimum of 15 years. The two requests total $16,209. A 50% County match is required for the projects.  

• Heard from the Department of Social Services (DSS) Adult and Aging Services Program Administrator Tammy Bare on a Home and Community Care Block Grant. The funding serves Cabarrus County residents 60 and older and promotes health and well-being services. The grant is administered by the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services through the Centralina Area Agency on Aging. For the upcoming fiscal year, Cabarrus was instructed to request $1,066,283, the same funding as last year: A 10% County match is required for the grant. Funding recipients include DSS, Transportation Services, Housing and Home Improvement Program, ALP and Cabarrus Meals on Wheels.  

• Heard from Cabarrus County Sherriff’s Office (CCSO) Chief Deputy Tessa Burchett on grant funding for the department’s K9 unit. CCSO was awarded a $7,500 grant from the American Kennel Club to help offset the cost of replacement for the next budgeted K9 purchase. No County match is required. 

Commissioners are expected to vote on these items and more at the Regular Meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday (May 19) at the Cabarrus County Government Center in downtown Concord.  

To read the full Work Session agenda, visit cabarruscounty.us/Government/Boards-and-Committees/Board-Meetings, click the May 5 Work Session tab and select Agenda under ‘Related Information.’  

Watch the full May Work Session at youtube.com/cabarruscounty.  

During Monday’s meeting, County Manager Sean Newton is scheduled to present the FY26 Recommended Budget. Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget during their Work Session on June 2. The final budget vote is scheduled for the Regular Meeting on June 16. 

Residents can watch commissioner meetings on the Cabarrus County livestream at cabarruscounty.us, on YouTube (@CabarrusCounty) and on CabCo TV (Spectrum Cable Channel 22).  

Stay updated on these and all County programs and projects by visiting cabarruscounty.us and following Cabarrus County at facebook.com/cabarruscounty and on Twitter and Instagram @CabarrusCounty.