Budget Work Session Recap for May 26, 2026

Josh Morton: This week on Saluda County Unplugged, County Council spent nearly three hours going line by line through the proposed county budget. There were discussions about EMS staffing, sheriff's office pay, aging fire trucks, county mechanics, and even the rising cost of autopsies. And by the end of the night, council members were openly discussing the reality that taxes may have to increase to cover rising costs. So this week we're walking through the budget workshop and breaking down some of the biggest conversations. Budget workshops are held to allow the County Council to review the proposed county budget and discuss potential changes. These meetings also provide an opportunity for department heads to come before council and explain requests for the upcoming year. And this particular workshop really highlighted some of the challenges rural counties are facing across South Carolina right now. Several departments discuss the same issues in one form or another: increasing costs, aging equipment, Saluda County Clerk of Court Sherry Coleman also presented a request related to a position in her office. One of the primary discussions involved reclassifying one position from deputy clerk to chief deputy clerk. Sherry explained that the title change would better reflect a needed position in the office, and the reclassification would also come with a relatively small pay increase. Council members seemed generally supportive of that request, especially since it involved reclassifying rather than creating an additional position. We also heard from probate judge Abigail Ridgell. Judge Ridgell discussed the growing workload inside the probate office and requested that a current part-time position be converted into a full time position. The probate office handles estates, guardianships, marriage licenses, involuntary commitments, and a variety of court related administrative functions. And she explained that the office has continued to stay busy. The council also reviewed the budgets for all other county departments, Roads and Bridges Superintendent Andy Coleman also had one of the longer discussions of the evening. One major topic involved the county's heavy equipment fleet, particularly motor questions or an idea for an upcoming episode, email us at public info at salutacounty.sc.gov. And remember, when thunder roars, go indoors. We'll see you next week. The fire service portion of the workshop was presented by, well, me, and focused heavily on the county's aging fire apparatus fleet. A large part of the discussion centered around repair and maintenance costs, which have risen dramatically over the past several years. Right now, the fire service is significantly over budgeting our repair line item, largely because maintaining older apparatus has become increasingly expensive. And council members talked quite a bit about how difficult the situation has become. This workshop really highlighted balance and act the county government faces every year. Council is trying to maintain emergency services, public safety, roads, courts, recreation, and other county operations while still dealing with inflation, staffing shortages, and rising operational cost. And whether it was autopsy costs, aging fire trucks, EMS staffing, deputy pay, or county mechanics. EMS Director Jacob Starnes discussed the EMS budget, and one of the major topics there was the request for an additional transport position. Jacob explained that EMS used to have dedicated positions for transport, but has not had them since 2020. The additional position would help improve staffing flexibility and support the increasing workload that EMS crews are handling throughout the county. Saluta County Coroner Angie Rita presented her office's budget request. One of the main topics during that discussion was the increasing cost of autopsies and related services. Angie explained that fees have continued to rise, including new charges now being assessed in certain situations, including those where a body has begun to decompose. As the workshop wrapped up, council shifted from individual department discussions into the county's overall financial situation. Officials explained that the proposed budget was already more than three hundred thousand dollars short before adding raises or additional requests discussed during the meeting. Council members then began discussing the possibility of employee raises and what those increases would cost countywide. And Chairman Moore emphasized multiple times that the county's largest expense is personnel. Sheriff Josh Price one of the most extensive discussions of the evening. Sheriff requested an across the board 8% pay increase for employees within the Sheriff's Office in an effort to improve retention and remain competitive with surrounding agencies. Sheriff Price explained the challenges of losing trained deputies and struggling to compete with neighboring departments that are able to offer higher salaries. Andy explained that the county really needs two functioning motor graters to properly maintain county roads, and that operating shorthanded on equipment has negatively impacted maintenance operations in recent years. There was also discussion about replacing equipment through a new lease, which would be paid out of the equipment reserve account. Staffing shortages and difficulty competing with the private industry in larger counties when it comes to salaries. And throughout the meeting, council members acknowledged that most of the requests were not unreasonable. The challenge is figuring out how to pay for everything needed to provide quality services to Saluda County residents while keeping the budget balanced. And this discussion turned into more of a middle ground conversation from council. While there seemed to be support for increasing the employee's hours, council members also acknowledged the financial challenges involved with creating an entirely new full-time position. There did appear to be some interest in potentially increasing the hours enough for the employee to qualify for insurance benefits without necessarily moving fully into a traditional full-time role. Veterans Affairs included a discussion about proposed state legislation that could potentially help counties fund an additional veteran service officer in the future. Library discussion also included updates about increased state funding that helped offset some local costs this year. And recreation received praise from council members for the success of local athletic programs and the work recreation staff puts into leagues and tournaments throughout the year. The conversation focused heavily on maintaining adequate coverage and making sure crews are not stretched too thin. And Council members acknowledge that EMS staffing has become a challenge almost everywhere. Like many emergency service agencies, Saluda County EMS is competing with larger counties and hospital systems for qualified EMTs and paramedics, while our state as a whole is dealing with a shortage of EMS personnel. The discussion really centered on sustainability. Council members discussed how these costs are largely unavoidable because the county is legally required to conduct investigations and autopsies in certain situations, as it is the coroner's responsibility to determine the cause and manner of death. And one recurring theme appeared throughout the night. There are a lot of county expenses that simply are not optional. The coroner's office can't choose whether or not to respond to deaths or investigations. And when outside services raise prices, the county has to absorb those increases. One message came through clearly during this meeting. Maintaining county services gets more expensive every single year. The budget process will continue over the next several weeks before final adoption at the end of June, and there will likely be additional discussion about staffing, salaries, and revenue before final decisions are made. But having been a department head in Saluda County for the past 14 years, I want to personally acknowledge the openness and candidness of the discussion at this budget work session. And again, this tied into one of the biggest themes of the night: employee retention and making sure experienced staff members feel valued and properly compensated. Several council members acknowledged throughout the workshop that county offices rely heavily on experienced employees who often wear multiple hats and handle responsibilities beyond what their original job descriptions might have included. But he did acknowledge the progress made last year with pay increases while discussing the need to continue to move forward. Council members acknowledged that the sheriff's concerns were legitimate, but they also noted how difficult an eight percent across the board increase would be financially. At the same time, council members mentioned the possibility of a countywide two and a half percent raise for all county employees. One of the more important conversations during this section involved hiring flexibility. The employees who provide county services every single day. And while council members acknowledge that many county employees are still underpaid compared to similar positions elsewhere, they also recognize that fixing those issues requires additional revenue. Fire trucks and emergency apparatus are incredibly expensive to replace, so departments often try to keep equipment running as long as possible. But as those vehicles age, repair costs continue climbing. The discussion focused on the fact that the county is now reaching a point where major repairs are becoming more common and more expensive. But one of the biggest conversations during the roads and bridges discussion involves staffing, specifically the county mechanic position. Andy explained that the county has repeatedly struggled to hire and retain mechanics because salaries are not competitive with private industry. Council members discussed the fact that county mechanics are expected to work on nearly everything the county owns, from motor graters, dump trucks, patrol cars, ambulances, lawnmowers, weed eaters. So it sounded like council wants to find a way to help the office while still being mindful of budget constraints they're facing overall. Making sure the county can continue providing reliable emergency medical service coverage with increasing call volumes and staffing pressures. Council members recommended that Sheriff Price and the County Administrator work together to find ways to provide more flexibility when hiring experienced officers over those just beginning a career in law enforcement. Right now there is concern that the county's pay structure doesn't allow enough room to offer higher starting salaries to experienced law enforcement officers coming from other agencies. And council members seem to agree that this is becoming a serious issue. Council noted that proposed budget was more than three hundred thousand dollars short before adding potential pay increases and some of the requests discussed during the meeting. So let's go through the workshop and break down some of the major discussions. I think it is important that the council is making this conscious effort to have these discussions so that the public can have a better understanding of just what it takes to provide necessary services and where the money is actually spent. This eventually led to an open discussion about the possibility of a tax increase, although no decisions were made during this workshop. Council members also noted that they are still waiting on additional revenue information from the state before finalizing the budget. So additional revenue could be coming in that will close the gap. And throughout the discussion, council members repeatedly emphasized how important EMS response is in a rural county where transport times can already be significant due to the lack of a local hospital. Council appeared to recognize that increasing the repair budget may be necessary simply to keep the current fleet operational while long-term replacement planning continues. Pretty much anything that has a motor, and therefore they have to have a wide range of skills as well as a commercial driver's license. Andy requested increasing the mechanic position by two pay grades, but council members questioned whether that would be enough to attract qualified applicants. Several acknowledge that counties everywhere are competing for the same workforce, and that public safety positions are becoming increasingly difficult to fill. The broader conversation also focused on the reality that county jobs no longer attract employees based solely on benefits like retirement or health care. Where healthcare insurance used to be covered entirely by the county years ago, employees now have to pay for their own insurance, which is one less benefit available to help attract and retain employees. And this became one of the most candid conversations of the entire workshop. Council members openly acknowledged that experienced mechanics can make significantly more money elsewhere, and one member even shared a conversation with a technical college instructor who reportedly said entry-level automotive workers are already making a significant amount more than an experienced county employee. Employees today are looking closely at actual take home pay, and the council acknowledged that Saluda County still has a lot of work to do when it comes to being competitive. The discussion was fairly brief, but it set the tone early for what became a much larger conversation about rising operational costs across county government. The discussion eventually shifted into the larger issue of investing in employees and equipment maintenance now in order to avoid much larger repair and replacement costs later.