Residents of Greenville will be receiving another tax increase in the upcoming fiscal year.
At Greenville City Council’s final budget session Monday, all council members except for one voted “yay” for the $86 million dollar budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Councilman Bill Boykin was the only council member to vote “nay.”
The city’s total revenue is $86,244,939, which is up from last year’s budget of $53,712,347.
The 2019-20 fiscal year includes a 4 mill tax increase, which is the same as last year. The 4 mill tax will go into the general fund to cover taxes, fees, council, municipal court, mayor’s office, city clerk’s office, legal, human resources, planning, information technology, city hall maintenance, Keep Greenville Beautiful, police, fire, engineering, street department, buildings and grounds and the humane shelter.
“The decision was made to increase the ad valorem tax millage rate for fiscal year 2019-2020 above the current fiscal year’s ad valorem tax millage rate by 4 mills. That means that you will pay more in ad valorem taxes on your home, automobile tag, utilities, business fixtures and equipment and rental real property. This increase is estimated to generate approximately $775,000 for the city,” City Clerk Amelia Wicks said.
Starting Oct.1, taxes on a home are estimated to increase by $10 per every $25,000 of the taxable value of a home. For instance, if a house is valued at $25,000, the increase in city taxes will be $10. If the value is $50,000, the increase will be $20, and so on, Wicks said.
Also, sewer and water rates will increase 18%, separately. On a minimum water bill, the water and sewer rate, together, will increase to $4.79. There will be a charge for $4 dollars a month and $48 dollars a year for trash pickup.
The council also agreed to not give raises to city employees this fiscal year after they received an across-the-board 5 percent raise last year.
“The approval of this administration’s fourth consecutive balanced budget by the City Council is another positive step in the right direction for our residents, families, businesses and taxpayers. This financially responsible, community-focused plan — which preserves staffing levels and city services, and plans for the modernization of our city’s facilities and improvement of our infrastructure — demonstrates our commitment to strong financial oversight and fact-based budgeting practices,” Mayor Errick Simmons said. “I express my thanks to members of the City Council who engaged in this important process, and applaud the work of the city clerk, external financial consultant, and department heads for their diligence and expertise in developing this year’s budget. We respectfully ask our citizens to be patient as we move Greenville confidently forward in the areas of public safety, infrastructure, economic development, workforce development, parks and recreation, and other critical areas.”
