Greer finance update shows $1.82 million unfavorable benchmark variance; council flags EMS response delays

Chris Klein, the city's finance director, presented the city's financial performance through August 2025 during the Sept. 23 Greer City Council meeting, reporting an overall unfavorable benchmark variance of $1,818,000.

Klein said the general fund cash balance was $18,326,000, year‑to‑date revenues were $1,582,000 and year‑to‑date expenditures were $9,161,000. "We had an unfavorable revenue benchmark variance of 673,000, an unfavorable expenditure benchmark variance of 1,145,000, and a total overall unfavorable benchmark variance of 1,818,000," Klein said.

Klein also provided brief fund snapshots: the hospitality fund had a cash balance of $2,935,000 with year‑to‑date revenues of $677,000 and expenditures of $8,400, and the stormwater fund had a cash balance of $3,757,000 with year‑to‑date revenues of $30,620 and expenditures of $93,351.

During discussion of departmental reports, a councilmember raised concerns about the fire department's monthly report showing extended EMS response times. The councilmember (unnamed in the transcript) said the city has logged multiple incidents where ambulance response exceeded 30 and 40 minutes and that the city sometimes must provide advanced life support when outside EMS units lack paramedics. The councilmember referred to year‑to‑date counts in neighboring jurisdictions: "I think we had year to date, '24 in Greenville County, 31 in Spartanburg County," the councilmember said.

Administrator Andy Merriman and staff acknowledged the concern and said they would follow up with departmental staff to provide additional information and work on remedies. No formal action or directive beyond staff follow‑up was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Klein and staff invited council members to ask questions; none resulted in further formal motions.