Greenville County Council debates phasing in use of Filo revenue to fund roads after schools, fire districts raise alarms

Greenville County Council members spent most of a workshop session debating whether to reallocate future Filo revenue toward roads and infrastructure and how to phase that change so it does not immediately reduce funding for school districts and small fire districts.

The discussion began after county staff reported that initial estimates of the proposal’s impact on other taxing entities had been larger than subsequent, more detailed breakdowns, and continued through debate about reserve use, credit ratings and a request from one council member for a commitment to spend at least $40 million on roads next year.

County Administrator: why the change was proposed and what the numbers show

The county administrator told council members the office examined gross and detailed collections and the way Filo receipts are allocated. “We have been studying this thing nonstop for several weeks now,” the County Administrator said, explaining that the county takes 31% off the top of every Filo, 1% goes to partner counties and the remainder is distributed pro rata among taxing jurisdictions based on millage. The administrator said an early, headline number that circulated — roughly $14,000,000 — was later reduced after detailed work, and staff has identified about $7,000,000 of year‑over‑year growth in Filo revenue through the end of April.

Nut graf: why the debate matters

Councilors said the stakes are county roads, the budgets of Greenville County School District and small fire districts, and the county’s fiscal reserves and credit rating. Several council members urged a phased approach and more outreach to affected entities so that municipalities, fire districts and the school…