As the Greenville News reports, Greenville County Schools trustees unanimously approved a 4.6 mill tax increase Tuesday night. While we were trying to come to an agreement last night on our own budget, Greenville County Schools trustees unanimously approved a 4.6 mill tax increase. The County also raised fees this year, and the State raised the gas tax. This is one of the reasons I personally did not want to raise taxes this year. Nevertheless, our Simpsonville city residents will see an additional $10 added to their tax bills in the form of a PW fee.

But residents aren’t the only ones who will be paying more.  For the first time, each business and each mobile home resident will, in effect, be contributing to the Public Works fee.

A Public Works Fee of $34.00 will be collected times the number of separate businesses located on each taxable parcel of improved real property located within the core central business district  as that district is identified on a map maintained in the Office of the City Planning Director that currently use a single roll-a-waste container for solid waste collection.  If there are, for example, 5 businesses operating from 1 taxable parcel, the owner of the taxable parcel would be billed, on the annual tax bill, the sum of 5 X $34 = $170.  Presumably, real property owners who house businesses in the Core Central Business District will pass the cost down to their tenants.

Please note: the city will continue service to those who will not be considered part of the “Core Central Business District” until JULY 28th to allow more adequate time for those businesses to make arrangements for permanent collection.

The same logic will be applied to the 3 mobile home parks in Simpsonville: the park owners will be charged $34.00 times the number of separate lots located on each taxable parcel (i.e. each park).  Presumably, park owners will pass this cost down to residents.

What does this get you?  Perhaps the biggest change residents will notice is the return of the much-desired brush service.  We’ve been hearing for almost a year from residents who have described the burden bundling has placed upon them. Recently, I polled 100 residents in the Simpsonville City limits, and the primary concern was clear: the return of brush service.  We have planned a fiscally sustainable option for returning that service. Read more about that here.  This does not change our overall contract with ACE.  We will simply be adding a service to supplement what ACE does for us.  You get two new city personnel and two new city brush trucks to provide that supplemental service.

So your extra $10 a year helps ensure you no longer have the burden of bundling.

Read more about what you get in the budget here.  Read all previous budget posts here.