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Council approves $2,000 one-time bonus, renames rainy day fund and debates keeping millage after reassessment
Summary
Charleston County council approved a $2,000 one‑time bonus for eligible full‑time employees and voted to rename the rainy‑day fund as a Disaster Reserve Fund with an amended 8% aspirational upper boundary, while declining to adopt staff’s recommendation to hold the millage at its current level after reassessment.
County staff told council three near‑term financial items require action: a one‑time staff bonus proposal, changing rainy‑day fund policy, and whether to maintain the current millage rate following reassessment.
Council voted to approve a one‑time $2,000 payment for full‑time employees who worked a full schedule through 2025. The motion to fund the bonus from fund balance was moved and seconded and carried on a roll call, with the clerk recording the motion as passing “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ayes and 2 nays.” Chair and staff explained the one‑time cost of the bonus was estimated at $4.2 million and staff recommended using fund balance because of stronger than projected FY25 results.
Council then considered renaming the rainy‑day fund to a Disaster Reserve Fund and adding an upper boundary goal to the reserve. Staff initially recommended a 12% upper limit but, after discussion, the council amended the recommendation and approved an 8% upper aspirational boundary; that motion passed on roll call 7 ayes, 1 nay, 1 absent. Councilmembers discussed that the change is primarily definitional and aspirational and that no immediate dollars would be allocated by the vote alone; staff said it would guide future policy and reserve targets.
The third staff recommendation — to maintain the current millage rate of 41.7 mills after reassessment rather than allow it to drop to an expected 38 mills — prompted extended debate. Staff said leaving the rate at the current level would generate roughly $20 million in FY26 with proposals to allocate $12 million to the disaster reserve fund and $8 million to drainage and mitigation projects, and that doing so could reduce the need for future millage requests. Several councilmembers argued forcing that decision on the same day as the other budget votes was premature; a motion to adopt the millage recommendation was made but died for lack of a second.
Council also discussed procedural timelines tied to auditor deadlines for setting millage, the desire for further detail on longer‑term replenishment policies for the reserve, and the political sensitivity of perceived tax increases immediately after reassessment notices. Staff said additional details and formal budget ordinance readings would follow to meet statutory deadlines.
