Latest / Saluda County Unplugged / County Council Meeting Preview for May 11, 2026
Transcript
- Rachel: Have questions or an idea for an upcoming episode? Email us at publicinfo at saluda county dot sc dot gov. Josh Morton: Welcome back to Saluda County Unplugged, I'm Josh. So just to recap, this meeting will include the first step in a process that could lead to a countywide vote on a 1 % sales tax tied to nearly $19 million in projects, final action on delaying reassessment, and continued progress on both the school district and county budgets. Rachel: expect third reading of ordinance 02-26, ⁓ is the proposal to postpone the county-wide reassessment by one year. We talked about this last month, but just kind of as a reminder, reassessment is the process that updates property values across the county, which can impact your property taxes. Since this is third reading, this is typically where the council will take final action Josh Morton: We'll start today with probably the biggest item on the agenda, which is the first reading of an ordinance to reimpose the 1 % capital project sales tax or CPST. Now, this isn't a new concept for Saluda County. The county has had a 1 % capital project sales tax in place for the past eight years. These types of taxes are set up in increments of up to eight years and what's being proposed now would be the next eight year cycle of this. Next week's county council meeting could set up one of the biggest decisions Saluda County voters will face this year. And remember, if at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you. We'll see you next week. Rachel: We're talking about a proposed renewal of the county's 1 % capital project sales tax anticipated to generate nearly $19 million in projected revenue and a long list of potential projects across the county. And I'm Rachel, and this is our council meeting preview where we walk you through what we expect to see before the meeting happens. plus board appointments and recognition of two long-time county employees. Josh Morton: Public safety and recreation to infrastructure. There's a lot packed into this proposal. Rachel: approved that one year delay would officially forward. Josh Morton: As always, we'll be back next week after the meeting to break down what actually happened and what decisions were made. as the agenda is subject to change because we do record this several days in advance. But there are a lot of important things on deck for this meeting. So let's get started. sales tax. Now before we get into it, just a little reminder of the process. Council has to go through three readings and a public hearing before they can adopt the ordinance. And if they do adopt the ordinance, in this case, this particular item has to go to a county-wide referendum. So ultimately the voters will decide whether or not this capital project sales tax is in place and whether or not these projects get funded. We're also expecting second reading on two key budget ordinances, one for the school district and one for the county. Ordinance 03-26 covers the school district budget and ordinance 04-26 is the county budget. Second reading is where things start to take shape a little bit more so you may see some discussion. There may have been some adjustments to the numbers since the first reading or there may be some clarification on specific items. Rachel: Until then, stay informed, stay engaged. see movement on the county and school budgets, a possible delay in reassessment and recognition of long-time employees. Josh Morton: and we'll see you next week on Saluda County Unplugged. This week on Saluda County EMPLUX. From a numbers standpoint, the state is projecting that this tax would generate about $18,977,000 over that eight-year period. The total cost of the proposed projects comes in at about $17,793,750, so it falls within that projected revenue. But again, none of this is finalized until we get to third reading. So this is really just sort of a checkpoint in the budget process. Rachel: We also expect to see a couple of appointments made at this meeting, including positions on the library board and the airport commission. And finally, one of the more meaningful parts of the meeting will be the recognition of county employees. This time, council will present resolutions honoring two individuals for their long-time service, building maintenance supervisor, John Oscar Perry, and detention center jailer, Sheila Abney. Moments like this are a great reminder that behind all of the agenda items are people who have dedicated years to serving our community. Josh Morton: Another important piece of this is how this project list was created. While County Council did put forward some ideas, projects were submitted from various entities and the projects were ultimately reviewed, prioritized, and selected by a committee made up of community members. So this list is really the result of that committee's process, not the County Council acting on its own. And one detail that often gets overlooked is that the order of these projects is important. These projects have to be funded in the order that they appear in the resolution. So if the revenue comes in lower than expected, projects further down the list may not get funded. Rachel: When you look at the list, it covers a pretty wide range of needs across the county. On the recreation side, there's $5.7 million proposed for a gym and wellness center, which we understand the county and town are working with the YMCA to develop, $500,000 for the development of a multi-purpose field with lighting at the recreation facility on Web Road. Public safety is another major focus. That includes $800,000 for a new fire station at Duncan Road and $230,000 for a substation on Fruit Hill Road along with $1.75 million for the town of Saluda Fire Station. There's also a significant investment in law enforcement and emergency services, including $3.5 million for an expansion of the Sheriff's Office. plus two new EMS substations, 1.15 million at the Circle and another 1.15 million in Ridge Spring. These EMS substations will replace their current substations, which are mobile homes that are really in need of replacement. on the infrastructure side, there's just over $3 million allocated for a sewer line in the traffic circle area. Josh Morton: again, this is just the first reading. So this is where the conversation really starts. will be additional readings, a public hearing, ⁓ and in this case, ultimately, there be a vote by the citizens before could be implemented.