Spartanburg City Council voted 6-0 to approve the upcoming fiscal year 2023-2024 budget at their meeting on Monday. Mayor Jerome Rice was absent from the meeting. The $51 million operating budget includes no tax increases, but does include an increase to the City's solid waste fee. The $45 increase brings the total households pay for curbside garbage, recycling, and green waste pickup to $153 annually, still well below a number of nearby communities such as the City of Greenville ($204 annually) and the City of Rock Hill ($247 annually). Local residents outside the city limits must contract with a private service for garbage and recycling collection, with a cost of approximately $500 annually.
At their last meeting, several Council members voiced concerns over a previous version of the budget that included a larger increase in the solid waste fee. In a memo to Council, City Manager Chris Story said that staff was able to offset the revenue impact on of a reduced fee increase on the budget by "making a number of smaller revenue small number of expenditure reductions and deferrals."
On the expenditure side, the budget includes around $2 million to implement salary adjustments and a new classification system for the City's 425+ employees. The adjustments come after the conclusion of a salary study conducted earlier this year. City Manager Chris Story said the adjustments were necessary in order to align City positions with their respective market rates. The budget will need a second reading at the June 26 City Council meeting for final approval. You can view or download the draft budget by following this link.
Also at Monday's meeting, Council voted 5-1 to approve a development agreement with M Peters Group to bring a new light manufacturing facility to the former Pepsi bottling plant at 729 S Church St. The manufacturer currently operates a facility in Greer and will be using the new facility to expand operations. Council member Janie Salley voted against the agreement.
Plans call for construction of a new 90,000 sq. ft. building on the site, which will then be leased to a manufacturer assembling interior components for European luxury cars. According to the developer, the new facility will created around 100 jobs, and they will be working with City staff, SC Works, and other community partners to fill as many of those positions as possible with Southside residents. Prior to the vote, a number of attendees spoke regarding the proposed development during public comment, with seven speaking against the proposal and six speaking in favor. For more from Monday's City Council meeting, view the agenda packet and full video by visiting our City Council meeting portal here.