Here is a recap of the Fountain Inn City Council meeting on May 14.
Initial approval: $40.2M budget
Council gave initial approval to the city’s $40.2 million 2026-2027 budget.
If approved, the budget will go into effect July 1, and some of its highlights include:
- Adjusting the public works fee from $199 to $239 to cover increased landfill tipping fees and fully fund solid waste department operating costs without the support of the general fund.
- Slightly increasing sewer rates due to a rise in billing rates from billing partners.
- Adding a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for all eligible employees.
- Creating a new job in the natural gas department.
- Increasing holiday pay to 12 and 16 hours for the police and fire departments.
- Updating the compensation and classification study, a strategic plan and a sewer rate study.
- Completing the Wall/Jones Street parking lot, as well as Phase 1 of PD Terry City Park improvements using recreation impact fees.
This item will go before the City Council for final approval on June 11.
Postponed: Planned development change to add apartment units
Council unanimously voted to postpone further discussion on a request to approve a major change to 0.96 acres on Speedway Drive adjacent to the La Vida Apartment development. If approved, the project would enter into its Phase 2, which includes developing a two-story building with six one-bedroom units and one three-story building with 12 two-bedroom units. This item will go before the City Council for final approval on June 11.
Other items
Council unanimously voted to give initial approval to a couple of items, including:
- An annexation and rezoning request for 3.3 acres at 1587 Scuffletown Road. The city owns this property and wants to zone it as Residential Conservation (R-C) to allow for the development of Fire Station 3.
- A request to rezone 0.51 acres at 701 Fairview St. from General Residential 1 (GR-1) to Commercial (C-2). The applicant, Alicia Jordan, plans to use the property to open a multiple-occupant salon.
These items will go before the City Council for final approval on June 11.
