Latest / Saluda County Unplugged / September 14, 2026 County Council Preview
Transcript
- Josh Morton: Two public hearings. One possible final vote on airport hangar rental rates. Two millage decisions. And consideration of a new policy for how the county buys, sells, and leases real estate. Plus a request to increase EMS response coverage. And two resolutions, including an appointment to a regional board. Let's preview the September 14th County Council meeting. Welcome back to Saluda County Unplugged where we shine a light on Saluda County Government. I'm Rachel. And I'm Josh. The Saluda County Council will meet September 14th at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Saluda County Administration Building located at 400 West Highland Street in Saluda. The meeting is open to the public and will be recorded. Video will be available through the Saluda County SC Government Facebook page. Before we dive in, one quick reminder. We record these preview episodes a few days before the meeting, so we will have time to get them edited and published. That means that the agenda is still considered a draft when we're recording. And it's always possible that items could be added, removed, or changed before Monday night's meeting. We'll cover the agenda as it's posted today, but be sure to check the county website for the most up-to-date version before the meeting. And because this is a preview, the words matter. When we say council will consider something, that means it's coming up for discussion or a possible vote. It does not mean the outcome has already been decided. The same is true for ordinance readings. A public hearing gives residents an opportunity to speak. A reading is the formal step where council considers the ordinance. Those can happen at the same meeting, but they're not the same action. The meeting will begin with the call to order, invocation, pledge of allegiance, approval of the agenda, and approval of the minutes from the August 10th meeting. Council members will then have time for reports and comments before the meeting moves to public comments. That public comment period is a general opportunity listed on the agenda for residents to address the council. A little later, council will open two separate public hearings tied to specific ordinances. If you plan to speak, it's always a good idea to review the latest agenda and any public participation instructions before the meeting so you know where your comment fits. After those opening items, the agenda turns to two subjects listeners may remember from the August meeting: tea hangers at the Saluda County Airport and the county's building permit fee schedule. Both are scheduled for public hearings, but they are at different points in the ordinance process. The Tea Hanger Ordinance is also scheduled for third reading, while the building permit fee ordinance is scheduled for second reading. Let's take a look at those one at a time. First up is ordinance number seven-twenty six concerning the county owned tea hangers at the Saluda County Airport. The ordinance is essentially an amendment to update the rental rates for those hangars. The title also refers to authorizing the leases, but the practical change before council is the proposed rate amendment. Council considered second reading in August. On September 14th, residents are scheduled to have an opportunity to comment during the public hearing, and the ordinance is also listed under old business for third reading. Third reading is the important procedural marker here. If council approves the ordinance at third reading, That would ordinarily complete council's three reading process and make this the final vote on the ordinance. Council could also amend it, postpone it, or take another action during the meeting. So the outcome is not final until that vote happens. The second public hearing concerns Ordinance eight twenty six, which would adopt an updated building permit fee schedule. This item first appeared earlier in the summer and returned for first reading at the August meeting. The September agenda now lists both a public hearing and second reading. A building permit fee schedule sets the charges associated with permit and inspection work. Those fees can affect homeowners, contractors, developers, and businesses depending on the kind and scale of a project. And because this is second reading, approval Monday night is not the final step. The ordinance would still need to return for third reading before becoming final. So for the permit fee ordinance, the public hearing gives residents a chance to comment and second reading moves the proposal forward. Under New Business, Council will consider county millage for fiscal year 2026-2027. Millage is one of those words that appears regularly in local government, but is not used much in ordinary conversation. In simple terms, a millage rate is part of the formula used to calculate property taxes. One mill represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. That last phrase, taxable value, matters. A tax bill is not calculated by simply multiplying the millage rate by a property's market price. Assessment rules, property classification, exemptions, and other parts of state and local tax law affect the final calculation. For Monday's preview, the big point is that council is scheduled to consider the county's rate for the current fiscal year. That rate helps support county operations and services funded through property taxes. Another useful distinction is the one between approving a budget and setting millage. Council adopted the county budget earlier in the year. The millage decision is part of establishing the property tax rate used to help fund that budget. So while the agenda line is only a few words long, this is a consequential annual action. We will pay close attention to the proposed rate, any comparison with the prior year, and the reason council gives for its decision. The next item is a separate consideration of millage for Saluta School District One for fiscal year 2026 and 2027. It appears immediately after the county millage item, but residents should not blend the two together. The county and the school district are separate public bodies with different responsibilities. The two Millage Actions may appear on the same county council agenda, but they support different functions. at a property tax bill later, this distinction is important because the total bill can contain several components. Hearing the word millage twice on the same agenda does not mean council is taking the same action twice. One item concerns county millage, and the other concerns School District 1 millage. The agenda includes a request to increase response coverage for emergency medical services. That short description tells us the goal, but not the plan. The agenda does not say whether the request involves staffing, scheduling, where crews are positioned, or another operational change. So those important details will come during the meeting. The agenda lists this as a request under new business. Council's being asked to consider it, and the outcome is not decided until council acts. Council will also consider establishing a policy for buying, selling, and leasing county real estate. This subject did not begin with this agenda. Citizens raised the topic of how the county handles real estate transactions during an earlier council meeting. So while the item is listed under new business, the underlying issue has already been part of the public discussion. This policy is specific to real estate. It's not a general policy for vehicles, equipment, or every other kind of county property. The agenda doesn't identify a particular parcel or building, so this appears to be about setting a consistent process rather than approving one specific transaction. And this is a good example of an agenda item where the practical effect depends heavily on the written policy. Once that document is available, we can explain the actual steps it creates rather than guessing from the title. The agenda closes new business with two resolutions. The first would recognize September as National Preparedness Month. This is a recognition and public awareness item rather than an ordinance or a new operating policy. spending request or a specific emergency management program with it. The practical reminder is still a good one. Preparedness is about knowing how your household will receive emergency information, have a plan, and think through what you may need before severe weather or another emergency arrives. The final resolution would appoint a member to the Three Rivers Solid Waste Authorities Board of Directors. Board appointments can sound routine, but they determine who represents the county when a public body does its work. And that's our preview of the September 14th, Saluda County Council meeting. Because we're working from a draft agenda, be sure to check the county website for the latest version before the meeting. And after the council meets, we'll come back with a recap of what was approved, what changed, and what still has another step to go. Have questions or an idea for an upcoming episode? Email us at public info at salutacounty dot sc.gov. And may the force be with your agenda packet. We'll see you next time.