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Mayor Brown halves LBW Community College allocation as council reviews budget
Summary
Mayor Jae’Ques Brown told the Greenville City Council on Jan. 26 that the city will reduce its allocation to LBW Community College from $80,000 to $40,000 for 2026 and 2027 as part of broader cost-cutting and policy reviews; City Clerk Dee H. Blackmon also reported stronger-than-expected tax receipts and reminded of an upcoming 1% sales tax increase effective Feb. 1.
Mayor Jae’Ques Brown announced at the Jan. 26 council meeting that the city would reduce its allocation to LBW Community College from $80,000 to $40,000 for both 2026 and 2027, saying the cut takes effect immediately and that he has notified councilmembers by email and spoken with Dr. Kelley to underscore the city’s continued commitment to the institution.
The reduction is part of the mayor’s ongoing effort to find in-house savings and other budget cuts. “The city values maintaining a strong relationship with LBW Community College and remains committed to supporting the institution and growing together,” Mayor Brown said when presenting the change and indicated he is working on two additional budget reductions while city policies are under review.
City Clerk-Treasurer Dee H. Blackmon provided financial context for the decision, reporting about $1.4 million in ad valorem taxes collected since November and a December sales tax deposit of $850,000 (above the usual $700,000–$750,000). She said the General Fund operating account balance is $998,735.69 and the money market account balance is $850,386.40. Blackmon noted payroll runs about $400,000–$450,000 biweekly and reminded residents that business license fees are being accepted through Jan. 31 (a 15% penalty applies after that date). She also said a 1% sales tax increase will take effect Feb. 1.
The mayor characterized the LBW allocation change as a budgetary step rather than a severing of ties, saying he had discussed the reduction directly with LBW leadership. The council did not debate or vote on the allocation change during the meeting; it was presented as an administrative decision by the mayor and discussed in the context of the broader budget review. The meeting adjourned at 5:26 p.m.
