Bluffton council approves FY2026 budget on first reading, proposes 3% COLA and merit adjustments

The Bluffton Town Council approved the fiscal year 2026 consolidated budget on first reading Tuesday, endorsing a package that maintains current millage rates while proposing a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for town employees and a merit program that can reach up to 4% with a cap designed to benefit lower pay bands.

Town staff framed the budget as a planning document that balances ongoing capital projects — including parks, the New Riverside Barn expansions and watershed/stormwater modeling — with operational needs. "Our goal is to make sure that the town council's goals and priorities ... are reflected within the budget," the presenter said during the council workshop recap. Staff highlighted continued use of interfund transfers, approximately $5 million moving from the general fund into capital projects, and noted the consolidated budget is down about $9 million from last year largely because prior capital projects have been completed.

Council members asked questions about stormwater funding and contingency planning for a potentially active hurricane season. One council member pressed whether the loss of a $309,000 FEMA-funded BRIC grant required the town to absorb study costs; staff replied that increased stormwater operations in the budget account for model and study expenses. "The majority of that [stormwater] increase is for conducting these studies," the presenter said.

The plan includes adding positions—most notably a full-time grants administrator to replace a contracted role and an events-and-venues position to support the new barn and welcome-center operations—and proposes modest changes to the master fee schedule, including reducing mobile vending permit costs. The council approved the motion to adopt the proposed budget on first reading by voice vote; second reading and further workshops are scheduled in the coming weeks.