Goose Creek council introduces $66.6M budget; funds fire, police and training facility

Mayor presented the city's proposed fiscal 2026 budget during the Oct. 14 meeting, describing an expenditure budget of $66,601,000 and general fund spending of $50,298,381. He told council the proposal represents roughly a 6% increase from last year and does not include a millage increase.

"So in this budget, this budget is, an expenditure budget of $66,601,000," the mayor said, laying out the proposal's scale and sources. He said about $16 million of the total reflects reserves and ARP dollars being used for capital projects rather than recurring general fund spending.

The budget funds five new general‑fund positions — including two sworn officers, a crime analyst, a court clerk and a business license specialist — and fully funds 12 firefighter positions to staff apparatus and a new fire station. Capital items listed include a roughly $3.1 million general‑fund allocation and about $4 million of impact‑fee revenue for Fire Station 4, plus phased purchases of police vehicles and sanitation equipment.

The mayor also noted a $2.5 million contribution obtained through Representative Cox toward a joint police‑fire training facility that will serve Berkeley County and neighboring jurisdictions. He described the impact fee for recreation and capital needs as roughly $3,200 per new single‑family home and reiterated that changes to impact fees require study and a capital improvement plan.

Council conducted the budget's first reading and held the required public hearing; no members of the public spoke on the record during that hearing. The mayor invited residents to a "Budget & Brews" open‑house event Oct. 21 at Stone Stow Brewery where staff will discuss the budget with attendees. The budget will return to council for additional readings and formal adoption steps.