No tax increase in Greenwood County’s 2023 budget

There’s no tax hike in Greenwood County’s 2023 budget, although the county fire fee might be going up.

Greenwood County Treasurer Steffanie Dorn debuted the 2023 fiscal year budget for County Council at its meeting Tuesday.

The bottom line: No changes to millage rates, inflation has increased some of the county’s costs, the county is budgeting for several new hires and a change in the county’s fire service fees will have most people spending a little more than a dollar extra each month to fund six new firefighters.

Dorn gave council an overview of the changes. The county is spending nearly 24% more on employer health insurance premiums and a likely 17% more on vehicle, building and liabilities premiums. Dorn has planned for an extra $180,000 for increased fuel costs.

She was excited to share with council that county staff will get a 3% cost-of-living pay increase. The county saw a 5% increase in property values, and an similar increase in state funding from the Local Government Fund.

The county will see about $200,000 in savings from cutting retiree health benefits, a decision council made in September 2021.

While taxes aren’t rising, the county’s fire service fees will be going up. The vacant land fee is increasing from a range of $5-$50 to $10-$100. For all other categories of the fire service fee, the fee is increasing 20%; which amounts to about $13 a year.

Council unanimously approved final reading of an ordinance that brings sandwich manufacturing company E.A. Sween to Greenwood County. Previously identified as Project River, Sween will be spending $37.9 million to build a manufacturing site in the North Greenwood Industrial Park, where the company bought the speculative building put there with Capital Project Sales Tax funds.

Josh Skinner, Capital Project Sales Tax coordinator, asked council to approve a contract with Carolina Gold Construction to demolish the old driveways at the Northwest and Coronaca volunteer fire stations and pour new ones. Skinner said the driveways were in need of repair, and the bid of $201,452 covers removing the old, pouring the new and testing the new concrete, along with some other additions. Council approved moving forward with the contract.

Council approved second reading of an ordinance to rezone several properties on Boulware Drive and New Zion Road from the Rural Development District to single-family residential.

The change would allow one resident to subdivide their property and build a house for relatives, and other property owners asked to join the request because single-family zoning offers protections on future land use in the neighborhood. William Booker, one of the residents and a member of the planning commission, abstained from voting on the matter but expressed his support for rezoning at the council meeting. Council unanimously approved the request’s second reading.

In other business:

Council approved second reading of an ordinance to dissolve the Northfall Acres special tax district, which was formed to pay off a debt that will be paid off in June.

Council also approved appointment of Jerry Chastain to the Wellington Green tax district, Frank E. Jackson to Druid Hills, Sharon B. Swofford to Hunters Glen and Loy Sartin to Ammonwood.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:May 17, 2022

By DAMIAN DOMINGUEZ ddominguez@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/no-tax-increase-in-greenwood-countys-2023-budget/article_3448dd8d-1016-543a-bfed-a884f771004e.html