Daily Update - February 13, 2026

City of Wilmington Wants to be an Example of Living Wages?

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About Reuel Sample

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Friday February 13, 2026.

The Port City Daily is reporting that the City of Wilmington is considering tax increases to “complete capital projects and boost personnel pay.” The goal is to provide a much more realistic living wage to those who work for city government.

In her review of city wages, City Manager Becky Hawke said that at most the average homeowner in Wilmington will see a tax increase of 183 dollars annually to cover the needed 14.6 million dollars that would cover these wage increases. But, that does not include other potential budget increases to come.

WilmingtonBiz reports that the City of Wilmington is one of the region’s biggest employers with 1200 people on the books. Police and firefighters make up the majority of those numbers, with public services and administrative personnel coming in next.

Ms. Hawke says that while she is reviewing the necessity of vacant positions to see if those openings can be entirely phased out with resulting cost savings, she is adamant that no one will lose their job in this review. The goal, with a livable wage, Ms. Hawke hopes to “establish the city as an employer of choice and example for surrounding businesses.”

That is the scary part and it is where she is entirely incorrect.

It is not the government’s job to be a shining light of employee wage rates. It is not there to show the way for businesses in their employment practices. Government exists to provide services – not employ people. Because it does so using money earned by and taken from taxpayers – it needs to provide those services as inexpensively and efficiently as possible.

Yes, we need to pay our police force and fire firefighters appropriate wages as they constantly put their lives on the line for our safety. But in other areas – we should be asking what positions can we remove – not promising that no one will be fired. What areas can be privatized? What functions can be automated? Instead of being an example as an employer of choice, Wilmington should instead focus on being a shining light of how we can govern better – with less people – and certainly less taxes.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample. Thanks for listening.

Reuel Sample is the Editor-in-Chief of The Wilmington Standard. A graduate of Grove City College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he has served as both a Presbyterian Pastor and a Navy Chaplain. He is the product of a classical liberal arts education combined with real world experience in politics and business and conservative Christian worldview firmly rooted in the Reformed tradition. He is the host of several podcasts including the NHC GOP Podcast, the Pastor's Voice, and co-hosts the Nikki and Reuel Podcast Experience. An avid sailor, he has sailed around the world as a youth and to the Azores as a teen as well as extensive trips up and down the east coast of the United States. He is honored to be married to his wife Pam and makes his home in Wilmington, NC.