[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6068516,"mediaKeyId","3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551","parentId",3093000,"title","Beaufort County presents balanced draft budget with $181.9 million general fund, moves garage to internal service fund","audioSeconds",508,"startMs",786000,"endMs",1294000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551&start=786&end=1294","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551/thumbnail_786000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6068516/Beaufort-County/South-Carolina/Beaufort-County-presents-balanced-draft-budget-with-1819-million-general-fund-moves-garage-to-internal-service-fund","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6068516-6e3431dfe791ed45d069cc2d2e99f612/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201213&Signature=O7NCQ8Ap3W024ifZoynx0iQrF8xXIOh4d4k~o4Szyq80vmWElcXm8T3u2Ok8tYmllhl7DfJ~Q-Y-rBBBb7UjNAxiVux3Nel3bzzAR30OJiw85B0uyU6aWiiDLnWhOoeKFem91FpLJT4OAj-rxM3UWmXxEqJS5ygVu9ybJ9ZXn-ZLaUxKnqiyEs8016XgK0ryqatohEAk6fhCRaHrBFNSkJcLV4MHZ8zFLjbJhMjPjLJga3RTrdzLSOKkBIskx3V~qujaOI-1zalgggxcc1L8rEWpRAaPsKkA-Y2qtwMIw2BnX44aoljKiukDbihnxh5Qto0T6qDj9I7y3r~YCcT-aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","BCTV","date","2025-04-09T00:00:00Z","article","Beaufort County staff presented a draft fiscal year 2026 budget at the council's budget workshop, showing a projected general fund of approximately $181,907,989 and a higher estimated mill value.

County budget presenter Harriet said the presentation covered general fund changes, personnel requests, vehicle and equipment needs, and capital improvement projects. She told the council that the county had incorporated a 3% cost-of-living adjustment into salary line items and that the solid waste department would move back into the general fund while the county garage would move out to an internal service fund to generate revenue through charging other public entities.

Harriet said the estimated value of a mill for FY26 is $2,900,000, up from $2,700,000 in the prior year's estimate. She reported that estimated tax revenue for the general fund would increase by about $11.6 million. Fiscal year 2025 adopted budget after a fleet-related fund-balance amendment was about $160,170,215; the FY26 projected general fund figure presented to council was $181,907,989.

Harriet and staff described personnel requests the administrator recommended, including three full-time and one part-time position for family court, three full-time and one part-time positions for animal services, EMS shift positions previously presented, and nine new positions for the Hilton Head Airport enterprise fund (counted as enterprise fund positions; staff said the airport has revenue to absorb that $361,000 cost).

Budget staff and the fleet director Todd explained equipment and vehicle requests. The general fund vehicle request was presented as $4.9 million after a “scrub” that reduced an original request near $9.8 million; total vehicle and equipment requests across funds were higher. Todd said roughly 80% of vehicles requested were replacements. Harriet said the departments and staff reduced equipment requests by about $2.5 million from their original submissions.

Carolyn Wallace of Capital Improvements overviewed the CIP list and said 91 projects are on the proposed list for FY26; some are “shovel ready,” others are multi-year. Staff presented fund-balance figures for CIP: roughly $28.7 million in previously allocated-but-not-started projects and a proposed $24 million of new projects for FY26; staff said they were still fine-tuning exact allocations.

On enterprise funds, Harriet said proposed transfers from the general fund to enterprise funds are $0 for FY26; staff emphasized the goal of having enterprise funds operate independently. For the garage/internal service fund, staff said projected revenues and expenditures were both about $3.9 million and that the garage would begin seeking memoranda of understanding with municipalities and the school district to provide fleet services the county hopes to bill for.

Administrators outlined next steps on the budget calendar: staff will publish the full budget in advance of the Finance Committee presentation, then present a first reading of the county ordinance on the budget (staff used the phrasing “20 first” and later dates of May 12 for first reading and May 19 for outside entities on the calendar). Harriet said the full backup documentation would be included in agenda packets prior to formal hearings.

Council members asked about contingency and flexibility; Harriet said the county typically holds a $1 million contingency and that some of the mill increase would be placed into contingency to absorb cost increases. Council members asked which CIP items were shovel-ready and whether the garage-as-internal-service would be documented to avoid future reversals; staff and the fleet director described plans to create MOUs and restore billing practices the county used previously.

The budget presentation was informational; staff asked council for direction and said they could return with additional options such as a flat-dollar COLA alternative.

Ending: Staff emphasized the numbers were still being fine-tuned and promised the council a full packet before committee and council readings. Harriet said departments continued to review line items and that staff would return with updated figures as questions arise.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Beaufort County Council Budget Workshop 9AM 04/09/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Beaufort County staff presented a draft fiscal year 2026 budget showing a projected $181,907,989 general fund, a higher mill value, and structural changes that include moving the solid waste department back into the general fund and returning the county garage to an internal service fund.","taxTitle","Beaufort County, South Carolina","taxId",5067,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6068511,"Sheriff Tanner asks council to raise starting pay, cites competition and retention; presents $3.2M general-fund increase request",2569,7406000,9975000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551&start=7406&end=9975","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551/thumbnail_7406000.jpg","/articles/6068511/Beaufort-County/South-Carolina/Sheriff-Tanner-asks-council-to-raise-starting-pay-cites-competition-and-retention-presents-32M-general-fund-increase-request","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6068511-7b2f4175c271cad3e5ec302311bf40cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201213&Signature=YVDISOv4L1rb-vCiHtFYVsRXT3dmAkiuCaL0WOvHwZ969vUWKeYbnT~cIvRLSiJBAoitdQjPHdo3SERYX7VP~Xv4NaSUyuqxT-i3E~G9BZ3z9UnBvl8zuKVZdI6MZ8y8khHPBuKPz1T5G2uh4Rxqvqr7wzO3XjVjVKpbTedvSi~yCUJQUtAklO3mhkymFLNKxJsEWXL5tOao-NLFTS3GK0pNl8-eCmgU15kqOm0QxmESLUyhR1yQl9rh1KGBkRTq-5SctYsYfxadrZ4B-oor54zDq1lSOW-cbArgy05unhrJk4NFxtVvfHaT3Ddm6nYWKZrLJd22kbl1FaPM3x4Zpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sheriff P.J. Tanner told the council the sheriff's office has persistent vacancies and competing employers and asked the county to increase law‑enforcement starting pay and adjust pay brackets to retain deputies and other public‑safety staff.

Tanner gave a short history of retention and pay in the sheriff's office and said the county competes for recruits with state agencies (e.g., SLED, highway patrol), neighboring municipalities (Bluffton, Port Royal), and non‑law enforcement employers (for example, some service‑industry jobs and federal agencies). He said a starting deputy salary presented in the draft budget would be raised to about $58,000 and, with the proposed 3% COLA included in the plan, would reach a $60,000 effective starting salary. Tanner said the proposed adjustments would increase pay for the county's less‑tenured cohorts (0–5 years, 5–10 years, 10–15 years) to improve recruitment and retention; he stressed the county issues protective equipment and trains deputies and therefore must pay for that investment.

Budget staff Suzanne gave an outline of the sheriff's line‑item request: staff told the council the sheriff's total expenditure increase request was about $4.1 million (rounded) with the general fund portion roughly $3.2 million; staff said the request as presented would affect roughly 139 employees across the sheriff's office and dispatch. The sheriff's office reported roughly 28 current vacancies (numbers fluctuate as the office hires, employees transfer, or retire).

Council members and staff discussed alternatives. Council asked whether a flat‑dollar adjustment for employees (for example, a flat $3,000 across the board) versus a 3% COLA could be modeled; staff said they would run both scenarios and return with numbers. Suzanne said the administration had built a 3% COLA into the county draft budget; council asked for a comparison of a flat dollar option vs. the percentage approach before final decisions.

Tanner emphasized that while long‑tenured deputies near retirement were not the main target of the proposal, the pay adjustments should reduce turnover among less‑tenured deputies and dispatchers and make the sheriff's office competitive in hiring. He detailed that neighboring agencies’ starting pay in the region ranged from about $55,000–$59,000 and said without adjustment Beaufort County risks losing newly trained deputies to other agencies or to state and federal positions.

Ending: Staff and the sheriff agreed to provide detail modeling for alternative COLA approaches and to finalize vacancy and impact numbers for council review before the next budget committee meeting.","Sheriff P.J. Tanner told the Beaufort County Council the sheriff's office is losing deputies to better‑paying local, state and federal employers and asked the county to raise starting pay to about $60,000 effectively by combining an entry‑level raise and the draft 3% COLA.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6068501,"County auditor reports website and service updates, requests $50,000 budget reduction",299,3337000,3636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551&start=3337&end=3636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551/thumbnail_3337000.jpg","/articles/6068501/Beaufort-County/South-Carolina/County-auditor-reports-website-and-service-updates-requests-50000-budget-reduction","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6068501-fc1bc7d0dfc6a79f66d619873b2962cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201213&Signature=YzBcfdIuXoUq6dMU4KvD2oHmcrXa6Kuj0nqU-NVXyMPA1Asc~XKhTNkFfmf4QOTyoZXQRCj8A515SfiTaVLqwjvuYqerWW9T26p0w3nnDBTa2NpQuLupVGIW4TxVzDw99ZDYK~2XUylFVp7~vOgssl1nWPQLPsfWSNDihZ9beqAMy8JBJmz2u3f93aecEymEhal1E8YwQJwr2d8xsJsJbNquTPYZ5QTYWrwHG8o~uxJDkPcrplnl~1fN30tUp13TRqSN9GzFACKYrUxW22uSuwSFmRpnWPnL-~rAHtydUvs5yXffNC6XZTtThjFlVW1LTpk5WfviHbSzJzdc23dU6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Auditor David Cadd updated the council on office improvements and his FY26 budget request. Cadd said the office launched a new website with nearly 72,000 hits and a tax calculator that registered nearly 16,000 views; he said the office also implemented Zendesk and logged tens of thousands of tickets, resolving a large share quickly.

Cadd said the auditor's office is requesting no new full‑time personnel for FY26, cited one longstanding vacancy for a property inspector, and said he planned to reduce the auditor's budget by $50,000 to return funds to taxpayers. He described using online tools to reduce foot traffic and phone volumes and said he would welcome council audits of the office. He also noted one open inspector position that had been difficult to fill during the past year.

Council members praised the new tax calculator and discussed usability; Cadd said staff would continue to improve navigation and suggested the county RFP for a new consolidated county website next year could include fee‑display and calculator features.

Ending: Cadd said he will continue to pursue efficiencies, keep a hiring vacancy open for now, and that his FY26 request shows a $50,000 reduction from current appropriations.","County Auditor David Cadd told council the auditor's office launched a new website and tax calculator, uses Zendesk for public requests, and is proposing no new positions and a $50,000 reduction in its FY26 budget.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6068506,"14th Circuit solicitor requests step increase toward state average funding; proposes multi‑year MOU",664,5492000,6156000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551&start=5492&end=6156","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093000-0562229b2640489d7eed592fc1399551/thumbnail_5492000.jpg","/articles/6068506/Beaufort-County/South-Carolina/14th-Circuit-solicitor-requests-step-increase-toward-state-average-funding-proposes-multiyear-MOU","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6068506-2ee29d3cffd1f0db7974166f41b85cdc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771201213&Signature=Y65cf0~74ilj~glt3pez1sWSJnBbJGVFHXoej8c-WT9JoWXL2Y8vZ0FeYJoYSAFi3TXwrzyLPTd60IdeHWTAn6uM5Hbvba46a2PrWG0yjCbFar1tHzYsTH~OJguDnOYPYK6lW63f0ApgauIenWQsRY0Tu9-zqs3T0N~9wBvJgdClRK~JGkeGU~zWB~a~m-dPS0Ar5ZbNQYkFIWkR9NFvAThIc8C5uXbRW~7GBboPS513p9oaeN5qpI2znKceX77Xlqt5tSuymE2TtVsNKB-mGiBAjENa2lg6TCletMvYdJZ0IW8vK2JpBoTGSDj0U1e7kxotSXrAaw5TzCetuk2~RQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Duffy Stone, the 14th Circuit Solicitor, urged Beaufort County Council to increase the county’s contribution to the solicitor’s office so the office can recruit and retain prosecutors and reduce caseload backlogs.

Stone described his long prosecution career and said public safety and professional prosecutors are essential to victims, the community and fair process. He cited a new South Carolina Supreme Court order encouraging a three‑tier scheduling and case triage system that gives prosecutors time to prepare and try cases and urged counties to fund staffing levels that make that approach workable. Stone said the solicitor’s office previously ran a case‑reduction program that cut dockets but was supported in part by federal grant money the office could not sustain without local county support.

Stone presented county funding per capita data from the South Carolina Prosecution Coordination Commission and said Beaufort County currently funds the solicitor’s office at about $8.97 per capita while the state average is $14.10 per capita. He proposed that Beaufort start at the state average ($14.10) and adopt an MOU to increase county funding by 7% annually for five years to approach comparators such as Jasper County and others with higher per‑capita solicitor funding. Stone supplied a written report and asked council to consider the plan as an investment in timely and effective prosecutions, victim services, and the county’s Family Justice Center and training facilities.

Council members asked questions about how much of the solicitor’s budget comes from state and federal grants; Stone said some specialized units and positions are grant‑funded (for example, the special victims unit), but that local contributions are critical for planning and retention. Council members expressed support and said they would review the solicitor's detailed materials.

Ending: Stone asked for an MOU or phased implementation; council requested time to review the written materials and funding comparisons in the solicitor’s packet before making a budget decision.","14th Circuit Solicitor Duffy Stone asked the council to raise the county's contribution to the solicitor's office from about $8.97 per capita to the state average of $14.10 per capita (the change as presented would be about $2.8 million). Stone proposed starting at the state average and adopting a five‑year increase schedule by memorandum of","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Beaufort County presents balanced draft budget with $181.9 million general fund, moves garage to internal service fund

Sheriff Tanner asks council to raise starting pay, cites competition and retention; presents $3.2M general-fund increase request

County auditor reports website and service updates, requests $50,000 budget reduction

14th Circuit solicitor requests step increase toward state average funding; proposes multi‑year MOU