Here’s a recap of Greenville County Council’s May 19 meetings:
Introduced: $473.9M budget
Council introduced for first reading an ordinance establishing a $473.9 total budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which includes $286.6 million for the general fund.
The proposed budget is slightly lower than the current fiscal year total of $477.2 million but higher for the current general fund budget of $275.1 million.
Council will have to approve three readings for the budget to take effect before the end of the fiscal year June 30. Council is also likely to hold a number of budget workshops with the first scheduled for May 21.
Among the proposals included in the budget are an average 2.5% pay increase for all county employees with an additional 2.5% for public safety workers. The proposal also includes about $27 million for road maintenance.
The budget ordinance was approved by the Committee of the Whole without discussion during a meeting prior to the main council session.
Discussed: Penny tax for roads
Council appears to be ready to revisit a local option sales tax for roads following council member Curt McGahhey (District 21) advising council at a meeting earlier this spring that he intended to bring the matter back before council this year.
The council’s roads, infrastructure and public works committee took the first step on that path Tuesday afternoon following a discussion of the necessity of finding more money for the county’s deteriorating roads.
McGahhey, who chairs the committee, said the matter required urgent action following the General Assembly’s passage of a bill that would extend the ability to impose a local option sales tax for capital projects to the state’s municipalities. The governor signed the bill — S.866 — into law May 19.
McGahhey told his fellow committee members he felt extremely confident the City of Greenville would take advantage of the law and that if it passed such a tax the chances of the county being able to pass its own local option tax for roads would be effectively zero. He said this year would likely be the county’s last chance for a penny road tax.
The committee directed county staff to prepare a draft ordinance for a local option transportation tax before its next meeting in June.
Such a measure would face an extremely tight timeline as it would have to be passed before August in order for it to appear as a referendum question for county voters on November’s ballot.
