Richland County Council approves second-reading budget ordinance, funds several millage agencies; zoo increase fails

Richland County Council on Thursday approved second reading of the ordinance levying ad valorem property taxes and a broad set of agency funding motions tied to the FY2026–27 budget.

The special call meeting opened at 6 p.m. and after procedural clarifications the council took dozens of motion-list votes. Among the results, the Recreation Commission was funded at its mill cap after members and Auditor Broly reviewed millage math; Midlands Technical College’s request for one-tenth of a mill was approved; and a series of grouped agency motions were carried by roll call. A proposed millage increase to meet the Riverbanks Zoo’s request failed after debate about whether to use a mill increase or hospitality-tax alternatives.

Why it matters: The second-reading approval keeps the county moving toward a final FY2026–27 budget and sets the tax and funding framework that will be subject to final votes in third reading. Several motions changed how specific agencies will be treated (mill cap vs. no-mill funding) and raised questions about taxpayer impacts and recurring funding sources.

Auditor Broly provided the council with numerical context when members asked about taxpayer impacts and agency totals. "If we took them to the cap, it would be 20,100,200," he said, describing the Recreation Commission funding projection; he contrasted that with the no-mill figure of roughly 19,525,525. Council members also asked for per-$100,000-owner-occupied-home impact estimates, which staff supplied for multiple millage items.

On the zoo request, Councilwoman Terio’s motion to approve a look-back/millage increase for Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens prompted questions about whether the request was effectively a millage increase or a use of prior look-back authority and whether hospitality-tax revenue could be used instead. Multiple council members said they opposed increasing millage for the zoo; the motion failed on roll call.

Several other motions were passed in blocks, with occasional items pulled for separate votes or administrative correction (a typographical error in an FY2026 award was flagged for third reading). Council members used the procedural device of dividing the question repeatedly to consider items individually when needed.

What happens next: Council asked staff to prepare updated printed analyses for third reading, including an auditor update on taxpayer impacts reflecting the motions approved at the meeting and fuller explanatory materials for staff-driven items. The ordinances (3A and 3B) were approved on second reading by roll call; third reading will finalize the budget and any remaining adjustments.