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Greenwood council adopts fee for nonemergency residential-care calls, passes tax-abatement resolution and hears 2026 budget overview
Summary
The Greenwood Common Council on Sept. 15 amended and approved Ordinance 25-18 to charge a fee for nonemergency responses to residential care facilities, passed Resolution 25-13 declaring certain property eligible for tax abatement, amended the heading of Ordinance 25-23 to 2026, and heard a detailed presentation of the proposed 2026 budget.
The Greenwood Common Council on Sept. 15 approved an amended Ordinance 25-18 to establish a fee for nonemergency responses or lift assists at residential care facilities and passed Resolution 25-13 declaring certain personal property eligible for tax abatement. Both measures passed on second reading by an 8–0 roll-call vote.
Councilmember Hopper moved approval of Ordinance 25-18, and Councilmember Gibson seconded. Fire Chief Jamie Warshall told the council that, based on data since 2022, residential-care facilities account for roughly 15% of calls each year and that the fee is intended as a deterrent to misuse of emergency resources. An amendment to correct typographical errors in the ordinance was adopted before second reading. The amended ordinance passed 8–0 on second reading.
The council then voted 8–0 to adopt Resolution 25-13, a resolution declaring certain personal property eligible for tax abatement. Hopper moved the resolution; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Bone.
During new-business introductions, the controller read a set of proposed 2026 ordinances into the record, including Ordinance 25-19 (appropriations and tax rates for the 2026 budget year) and a series of salary ordinances (25-20 through 25-24) fixing salaries for city employees and elected officials for 2026. The council also moved and approved an amendment to Ordinance 25-23 to change its heading to read the year 2026; that amendment passed by roll call.
City Controller Wright gave a detailed walkthrough of the proposed 2026 budget summaries on the city website, highlighting line-item changes and drivers such as inflation, insurance premium increases, contract maintenance, and capital project timing. Wright told the council that some line items reflect one-time grant match roll-offs and that personnel and benefit costs (including an estimated 8% increase in claims volume for self-funded health coverage) are a significant factor in next year’s budgets. Wright also described technical steps needed to transfer local income tax into the fire fund under new state guidance and said some funds (for example, certain bond payments) will roll off in 2026.
No vote on the overall 2026 budget occurred at the Sept. 15 meeting; the presentation served as an informational review and the ordinances read into the record will return for further consideration.
