Darlington approves 2016-2017 city budget
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Darlington’s mayor and city council members approved the second and final reading for the city budget for 2015-2016 on Tuesday, June 23, setting forth yet another year with no millage increase.
Revenue for the city is expected to be $6,090,400 down from $6,474,276 last year.
The city’s storm water fee passed second and final reading to comply with the Federal MS4 storm water mandate; the fee will begin October 1st.
The millage rate also passed for second reading. “The city didn’t increase our millage again,” said Howard Garland, Darlington City Manager. “We are still at 0.125 with no increase in millage. We have not had a millage increase since 2008.”
“Personnel costs go up, and we have to cut from other departments to keep it where it is,” he continued. “We are going to have to seriously look at a millage increase here; our millage is based on Consumer Price Index and that was only 1.2% this year.”
The decline in population growth also contributes to the problem.
“We haven’t had population growth in years,” continues Garland. “The current population is 6280. We are on a population decline throughout the county, in Darlington, Hartsville, Lamar and Society Hill. In Darlington, in our highest year we had population of around 8000 in 1980, 7200 in 1990, 6900 in 2000 and 6280 for 2010 census. Our older folks are dying, and younger people are not staying. Conversely, most of the towns in Florence County with the exception of Timmonsville are growing.”
According to Garland, there was a great deal of discussion from council members about the abandoned furniture on street/sidewalk issue.
“I do have a plan to deal with that,” said Garland. “We currently charge $20 a month for sanitation fees for picking up recycling, garbage and yard debris. If council will approve, I propose we take $2 from that fee each month and set it aside as a capital fund for street and sanitation department. Then, out of that money we’ll pay any tipping fees, because we are going to start picking up furniture.”
The plan will be for the city to pick up a chair, sofa, up to three items of furniture. The city will keep track to track if a homeowner or landlord abuses the service.
“Council and mayor fear that some people may take advantage of the service, so we need to stay on top of it. But the bottom line is, we have to do something.”
The issue requires a change in the ordinance, and will take two readings, July 12 and August 2.
The proposed water and sewer fee increase also requires an ordinance; the first reading will be held on July 12, with 2nd reading on August 2nd. The date the fee will be added to water bills to be later determined.
City manager Howard Garland congratulated city clerk/treasurer Gloria Pridgen for her work on the budget this year, her first on her own. “She did a great job on it, this was her first time working on a municipal budget.”
Ms. Pridgen was not available on Tuesday, so Garland said he had to make a few changes in calculations because the State of South Carolina sent out a change in the contributions from the state’s retirement fund hours before the meeting. The state sent out a 0.5 percent increase in employer and employee contributions.
The next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m.