Richland County holds public hearing on 2027 tax budget; officials cite revenue gains and rising insurance costs

The Richland County Board of Commissioners convened a public hearing on the proposed 2027 tax budget on June 23, where county staff presented revenue forecasts and warned of significant increases in health-insurance costs.

County administration told the board they had received Schedule A from the auditor and were projecting approximately a 6% increase in overall tax revenue—about $9 million—driven in part by inside-millage receipts and outside levies. Staff said outside levies (for entities such as children’s services, mental health, developmental disabilities, parks districts, area agency on aging and public health) total 13.4 mills and were projected to bring in roughly $26.4 million.

During the hearing, media participant Carl Hull asked about sales-tax projections. County staff said sales-tax collections are reported with a roughly three-month lag and shared preliminary projections from the County Commissioners Association showing a July comparison expected to be down 1.34% versus July of the prior year, while year-to-date receipts were described as about 2.81% higher than the prior year.

Administration also highlighted revenue gains from conveyance fees tied to several large real-estate transactions; May-to-May conveyance-related receipts were cited as 23.6% higher. Overall year-to-date revenues were described as roughly 9.6% better than the same period last year, though staff noted some of that gain reflected a reclassification of inside millage to revenue side earlier in the budget process.

On the expense side, staff said salaries (about 4% higher) and PERS contributions (a required match cited at roughly 14%) are driving costs. Most notably, administration warned of sharply rising health-insurance premiums: officials cited health-insurance costs up about 10–11% year to date and projected a multi-year increase that could total about 52% over five years, with a possible 16% increase projected for 2027. County officials said they will meet with SECO at the end of July for more concrete premium numbers and to review plan options; the county’s cooperative contract runs through 2028 but staff said they must explore options given projected increases.

The hearing did not include final budget approval; the chair clarified at adjournment that the session was a public hearing and the budget was not approved at that time. The board adjourned at 10:50 a.m.