Greenville County Council approves FY2026 budget at second reading after amendment; schools held harmless for one year

Greenville County Council on June 3 approved the countyfy2026 budget at second reading after adopting an amendment that reduces infrastructure-bank transfers and retains current FELO (fee in lieu of taxes) distributions to schools, cities and fire districts for one year.

The amendment, offered by Councilor Bradley and approved by roll call, reduces the infrastructure bank FELO revenue estimate by $12,000,000, reduces transfers from the infrastructure bank to road programs by $8,500,000 and lowers road-program expenditures by $4,000,000. Councilors who spoke in favor said the change preserves school and municipal funding this budget year while shifting how the county will handle FELO revenue from new projects going forward.

The vote on the amendment was recorded as 8 in favor and 3 opposed; the FY2026 budget as amended passed second reading with a roll call of 7 in favor and 3 opposed. Council members asked for and the chairman scheduled further workshops and authorized amendments at third reading.

Why this matters: County FELO distributions are a major recurring revenue path to schools, fire districts and municipalities. Altering how the county retains or distributes FELO proceeds affects local school and municipal budgets, road programs and county priorities such as public transit and affordable housing.

Council discussion and staff direction Councilors emphasized…