Skip to content
Triangle Local

Wake County

Wake County: Voters will decide a $149.1 million Wake Tech bond on Nov. 3

The official ballot estimates 90 cents a year per $100,000 of tax value. The college lists training labs, Southern Wake renovations, and campus systems as the uses.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The downtown Raleigh skyline on a sunny day

File photo: Abhiram Juvvadi (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Wake County voters will decide on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, whether the county may issue $149,100,000 in community college bonds for Wake Technical Community College.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections county referendum list for Nov. 3, 2026; Wake Tech Oct. 19 news post
  • The ballot names the question Wake County Community College Bonds Referendum. The order was adopted July 6, 2026. The stated purpose is to construct, renovate, expand, improve and equip community college facilities for Wake Tech.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections county referendum list for Nov. 3, 2026
  • The required disclosure on that list estimates the cumulative cost over the life of the bonds at $228,767,016, using the highest interest rate charged for similar debt over the last 20 years. That total is $149,100,000 in principal plus $79,667,016 in estimated interest.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections county referendum list for Nov. 3, 2026
  • The same disclosure estimates a property-tax increase of $0.90 (90 cents) a year for each $100,000 of property tax value to service that cumulative cost.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections county referendum list for Nov. 3, 2026
  • Wake Tech's Oct. 19 news post and its Workforce Forward Bond page describe a $149.1 million proposal split as $41 million for workforce program expansion, $65 million for Southern Wake Campus renovations, and $43.1 million for collegewide renewal.Confirmed by Wake Tech news post, Oct. 19, 2026; Wake Tech 2026 Workforce Forward Bond page
  • The college's $41 million expansion list is $20 million for public safety at Eastern Wake Campus, $12 million for skilled-trades labs at Southern Wake Campus, $5 million for the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Scott Northern Wake Campus, $2 million for dental hygiene space at Perry Health Sciences Campus, and $2 million for planning at Conlon Western Wake Campus.Confirmed by Wake Tech news post, Oct. 19, 2026; Wake Tech 2026 Workforce Forward Bond page
  • The $43.1 million collegewide figure is listed as $20.4 million for building systems, safety, security, accessibility, roads, parking and wayfinding, and $22.7 million for technology, equipment, software, vehicles and specialized learning spaces.Confirmed by Wake Tech news post, Oct. 19, 2026; Wake Tech 2026 Workforce Forward Bond page
  • The News & Observer, in an Oct. 15 explainer, reported the same $149.1 million total, the same project buckets, and the same 90-cent disclosure.Confirmed by The News & Observer, Oct. 15, 2026
  • In-person early voting for the Nov. 3 election is underway in Wake County through 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Any eligible Wake voter may use any of the 18 sites.Confirmed by Wake County Board of Elections

Still unknown

  • Whether project lists or dollar splits will change after a vote. The college's pages describe planned uses, not a locked construction schedule
  • A completion date for any of the named projects

What this means for you

Instructions from Wake Technical Community College; Wake County Board of Elections

This site is not an elections office. For the college's project list, use waketech.edu/2026bond. For when and where to vote, use the Wake County Board of Elections. Bring an accepted photo ID. Early voting runs through 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.

What happened

In Wake County, voters will decide next month whether the county may issue $149.1 million in bonds for Wake Technical Community College.

The State Board of Elections lists the question as the Wake County Community College Bonds Referendum. The order was adopted July 6, 2026. The stated purpose is to construct, renovate, expand, improve and equip facilities for the college.

The required disclosure on that list estimates the life-of-debt cost at $228,767,016. That figure uses the highest interest rate charged for similar borrowing over the last 20 years and adds $79,667,016 in estimated interest to the $149,100,000 principal. It also estimates a tax increase of 90 cents a year for each $100,000 of property tax value.

This site is not an elections office. In-person ballots are being accepted now at the county's one-stop locations.

How the college would spend the money

Wake Tech's Oct. 19 news post and its bond page describe three uses, totaling $149.1 million:

  • $41 million to expand workforce programs.
  • $65 million to renovate Southern Wake Campus, the college's original campus.
  • $43.1 million for collegewide renewal.

The $41 million list is $20 million for public safety at Eastern Wake Campus, including work to finish the Fire and Rescue Training Center; $12 million for welding, electrical and HVAC labs at Southern Wake; $5 million for the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence at Scott Northern Wake Campus; $2 million for dental hygiene space at Perry Health Sciences Campus; and $2 million to plan a later expansion at Conlon Western Wake Campus.

The $43.1 million collegewide figure is listed as $20.4 million for building systems, safety, security, accessibility, roads, parking and wayfinding, and $22.7 million for technology, equipment, software, vehicles and specialized learning spaces.

The News & Observer published those same dollar buckets on Oct. 15 and matched the 90-cent disclosure.

The college's pages do not give construction end dates. They describe planned uses.

When to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. One-stop voting in the county runs through 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, the county elections board says. Any eligible Wake voter may use any of the 18 sites.

Voters can look up a sample ballot through the state's voter search tool. The office number is 919-404-4040.

The college's project list is at waketech.edu/2026bond.

Why it matters

This is the community-college question on the Nov. 3 ballot, separate from the $680 million school-construction question. If it passes, the county can borrow $149.1 million for Wake Tech. If it fails, that borrowing authority is not created.

Updates

  1. Oct 19, 2026, 2:08 PM

    Wake Tech posts an Oct. 19 summary of the $149.1 million Nov. 3 question. The State Board of Elections referendum list carries the official ballot wording, including the 90-cent tax disclosure.

Sources

  1. County-specific Nov. 3, 2026 referendum list (Wake County Community College Bonds Referendum: $149,100,000; July 6, 2026 order; $228,767,016 estimated life cost; $0.90 per $100,000 of tax value)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 2:00 PM

  2. Wake Tech Bond Would Expand Training for Careers That Keep Wake County Running (Oct. 19, 2026; $149.1 million; $41 million / $65 million / $43.1 million split)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake Technical Community College · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 2:00 PM

  3. 2026 Workforce Forward Bond (project list by campus and dollar amount)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake Technical Community College · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 2:00 PM

  4. Wake Tech is asking for a $149 million bond on your ballot. Here's what to know. (Oct. 15, 2026)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 2:00 PM

  5. 2026 General Election (Election Day Nov. 3; early voting through 3 p.m. Oct. 31; any-site rule)

    Official sourcePublished by Wake County Board of Elections · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 2:00 PM

Related stories