It’s been… let’s see… about five months since I last watched a County Council meeting or wrote about my county’s local politics. My family got busy at the end of the school year, and then summer started and I didn’t realize just how much my writing routines relied on dropping my kids off at school. It's hard to balance staying informed with all of the other responsibilities of work and home.

But the kids are back in school now, so let's get back to it!

The next County Council meeting is scheduled for next week, so this is a good time to get caught up on what I’ve missed. I did keep an eye on the news while I was enjoying the summer.

If you’re not able to attend Greenville County Council meetings, or watch the livestream, I recommend signing up for Chairman Blount’s newsletter on Substack. His weekly updates are one way to keep up with what’s going on in Greenville County.

Budget for 2027

It seems like the biggest news from the council has been the 2027 budget. There was a second reading of the budget in June, and then the budget was approved with few changes at the third reading. Here’s a news article with a short breakdown of the budget.

I’m glad to see infrastructure, public transit, and raises for county employees in the budget. Those seem like good priorities to me. I’m curious why affordable housing would be cut compared to last year, though. Housing prices in the area seem too high, making home ownership out of reach for a lot of folks.

Penny Sales Tax

The other big news is about a renewed proposal for a penny sales tax. County Council proposed one back in 2024, and I remember seeing signs up around town about it. It failed then, but it seems like it could be a good proposal to me.

Greenville County isn't alone in proposing a penny sales tax. Greenville City Council (not to be confused with the County Council; these are two different governing groups) passed a penny sales tax just this week, and voters in the city of Greenville will decide whether it takes effect or not. Other counties have also been considering similar taxes.

You can see a short video about the COUNTY penny tax on the County's YouTube feed.

I’ll admit, I still need to learn more about it to make a final decision about how I’d vote. But I’m leaning toward yes. Increasing taxes never sounds good at first, but personally, I want to live in a county with drivable roads. I'm willing to pay a little extra for that.