Latest / Saluda County Unplugged / June 22, 2026 Called County Council Meeting Recap
Transcript
- Josh Morton: Welcome back to Saluda County Unplugged. I'm Rachel. And I'm Josh. Thanks for joining us. As always, our goal with this podcast is simply to help residents better understand the work being done by Saluda County government. Council meetings include a lot of important business, but sometimes the details can be hard to follow if you aren't involved in local government every day. That's why we like to break down these meetings and explain what was discussed and why it matters. The June 22nd meeting was a called meeting, and Council worked through a relatively short agenda. On this week's episode of Saluda County Unplugged, we're recapping the June 22nd called County Council meeting, which included several important items, including approval of the upcoming county and school budgets, updates to employee policies, and a discussion and executive session related to economic development. This was a fairly focused meeting, but there were several items that affect county operations and county employees. So today we'll walk through what happened and explain what each of these decisions mean. Have questions or an idea for a future episode? Email us at publicinfo at salutacounty.sc.gov. And don't forget to remember the Alamo. We'll see you next week. Council also held second reading on Ordinance six-twis, which relates to a lease agreement between Saluda County and Aiken pilot training. This item continues discussions related to the county's airport operations and the use of county facilities. The ordinance passed its second reading, allowing the process to continue forward. Council also approved a reserve fund disbursement related to the remaining funds from the 2025-2026 budget. Those remaining funds will be transferred into the county's Heavy Equipment Reserve Fund. This reserve fund is used for the purchase or lease of heavy equipment, helping the county plan ahead for major equipment needs rather than having to address those costs unexpectedly. At the end of the meeting, council entered into executive session to discuss an economic development item. Executive sessions allow council to have discussions on certain topics that are permitted under South Carolina law, including specific economic development matters. After returning from executive session, council took no action. And that's an important point to highlight. Sometimes when residents hear the term executive session, they may assume that a decision has been made behind closed doors. However, Josh: Council approved new job descriptions in three county departments: EMS, the Clerk of Court's Office, and the IT department. In EMS, Council approved a new transport EMT position. This position will be utilized for non-emergent transport of patients, ensuring that emergent units are not tied up on these types of calls and remain available for true emergencies. Josh Morton: That wraps up our recap of the 22nd County Council meeting. This meeting covered a lot of important operational items, especially as the county prepares for the start of a new fiscal year on July 1st. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Saluda County Unplugged. We hope this helps you better understand the work being done by your county government. One of the first major council considered was approval of changes to the county's flex time and pay policies. This is an important update because it clarifies the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees under the county's personnel policies. Josh: Chairman Jim Moore said that the amount of funds transferred this year would be roughly ten thousand dollars, and that these funds would be used towards lease payments on new equipment next year. Josh Morton: In the Clerk of Courts Office, Council approved the creation of a Chief Deputy Clerk position. While this is a new position title, it does not add an additional employee to the county payroll. The position will be filled internally and one of the existing deputy clerk positions will remain unfunded. The meeting then moved into the budget portion of the agenda, starting with the third reading of ordinance three dash twenty six, which establishes the twenty twenty six twenty twenty seven budget for Saluda County School District one. Council is prohibited from taking action while in executive session. Any action must be taken after returning to open session. In this case, counsel only discussed the item and no vote or action came out of executive session. The meeting included routine items like approval of minutes and council comments, followed by several important items, so let's get into it. The approved school budget includes approximately thirty point one million in projected revenues and approximately thirty point two million in budgeted expenditures. in the IT department, council approved the creation of an IT manager position. Similar to the clerk of court position, this is primarily a change in title and responsibilities for an existing staff member rather than a new position. Council also approved adding a part-time IT analyst position. Under the previous policy, most county employees were treated as non exempt employees and were eligible to earn flex time when they worked outside of their normal schedules. The updated policy more clearly aligns with federal wage and hour requirements by recognizing that exempt employees are salaried employees whose responsibilities include completing their work regardless of whether that requires occasional work outside of normal hours. The largest portions of the budget are personnel related, with approximately $17.3 million budgeted for salaries and about $8.85 million budgeted for fringe benefits. Like the county budget, the school budget is the result of a multi step process that includes multiple readings and public input before final approval. The approved budget will take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year on july first. This position will support the department at twenty hours per week. These types of updates are part of making sure county departments have the right structure in place to support the services they provide while still being mindful of staffing and budget impacts. For non-exempt employees, the policy continues to allow flex time when additional hours are approved and worked outside of the normal schedule. However, the updated policy clarifies that earned flex time must be used within the same pay period and cannot accumulate from one pay period to another. The goal of the change is really to create a clearer and more consistent process for employees and supervisors while making sure the county's policies accurately reflect the difference between exempt and non-exempt positions. Council also held third reading on ordinance four-twis, which establishes the county government operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget process is something we've talked about several times on the podcast because it is one of the biggest responsibilities of County Council. The budget that was approved on june twenty second was a result of several months of review, discussion, adjustments, and public input. The approved county budget includes approximately nineteen point two million in general fund revenue and expenditures, along with debt service, bringing the total budget to approximately nineteen point seven million. It's also important to remember that a county budget is really a plan for how services are provided. The budget supports departments across county government, including public safety, roads, solid waste, courts, recreation, and many other services residents interact with every day. The budget went through the normal process of first reading, second reading, a public hearing, and third reading before final approval. I'd also like to mention that we are planning an upcoming episode where we will be taking a deeper dive into the details of the county budget, so be on the lookout for that.