An overview of the next fiscal year budget with City Manager Chris Story

Today on the podcast, we're talking with City Manager Chris Story about the most critical piece of policy produced by our City every year, the budget. Some of the highlights of the upcoming fiscal year budget include a projected four percent growth in overall revenue and a five percent growth in property taxes revenue. That property tax growth represents the biggest gains for the City in more than a decade, a strong indicator of the growth seen in recent years both in Downtown Spartanburg and throughout the city as a whole. New expenditures this year include a three percent cost-of-living increase for City employees, and a $264,000 mandatory increase to the employer contribution to the state retirement system. We'll also delve into the most contentious item deliberated this year during budget discussions, a proposal to purchase the former Integral Solutions location at 450 Wofford Street and retrofit the building to house a new fire department headquarters at an estimated cost of $9 million and a proposed small millage increase (around $12 on a $100,000 home) to cover some of the cost for the new facility. Council initially voted 4-3 to remove those items from the budget after Council member Sterling Anderson put forth the amendment, citing concerns over property tax increase as well as the planned renovation. Council will instead take up a plan for a replacement fire station later in the year.