By Stan Welch
The Town of Pelzer will hold a public hearing on the 2020-21 budget at 7 p.m. next Monday, June 8 at the Pelzer Community Building.
The Town of Pelzer will hold a public hearing on the 2020-21 budget at 7 p.m. next Monday, June 8 at the Pelzer Community Building.
The proposed budget will include the use of hospitality tax revenues to pay half the cost of adding police protection on the weekends as well as the existing arrangement with the ACSO. The additional cost for two eight hour shifts on weekends will be approximately twenty nine thousand dollars.
The budget proposes paying approximately half of that, or $14,560 with hospitality tax funds; funds generated by the sale of hot or prepared foods in the town limits. The law creating that tax calls for the money generated to be spent on recreational activities or tourism related activities. Councilman Eddie Waits proposes to meet that requirement by having the weekend officer patrol the town’s ball fields and boat landings.
The line item for public safety/ sheriff’s office increase by the $14,500 figure, while the capital projects/reserve fund line item is decreased by that amount. That decrease leaves approximately $9400 in the reserve fund.
In the public works budget, the monthly fee for trash pickup increases to eight dollars per trash can, beginning on July 1, 2020.That amount covers the cost that the town pays for the service, plus a bit more.
In the public works budget the capital projects/reserve line item is cut approximately in half, from $196,840 to $94,478. The contingency fund line item, for unexpected expenses, is cut from $65,000 to $39,809.
In the hospitality tax budget, which is handled separately from the general fund or the public works budget, $85,000 will be transferred from the fund balance to fund a series of projects, to include a branding effort for the town, a mural on the post office building, monkey park tree work, renovation of the community building, as well as others. A complete list is available in the budget document. The transfer leaves a little less than $10,000 in the hospitality tax fund.
The budget proposes paying approximately half of that, or $14,560 with hospitality tax funds; funds generated by the sale of hot or prepared foods in the town limits. The law creating that tax calls for the money generated to be spent on recreational activities or tourism related activities. Councilman Eddie Waits proposes to meet that requirement by having the weekend officer patrol the town’s ball fields and boat landings.
The line item for public safety/ sheriff’s office increase by the $14,500 figure, while the capital projects/reserve fund line item is decreased by that amount. That decrease leaves approximately $9400 in the reserve fund.
In the public works budget, the monthly fee for trash pickup increases to eight dollars per trash can, beginning on July 1, 2020.That amount covers the cost that the town pays for the service, plus a bit more.
In the public works budget the capital projects/reserve line item is cut approximately in half, from $196,840 to $94,478. The contingency fund line item, for unexpected expenses, is cut from $65,000 to $39,809.
In the hospitality tax budget, which is handled separately from the general fund or the public works budget, $85,000 will be transferred from the fund balance to fund a series of projects, to include a branding effort for the town, a mural on the post office building, monkey park tree work, renovation of the community building, as well as others. A complete list is available in the budget document. The transfer leaves a little less than $10,000 in the hospitality tax fund.
The budget will be the topic of a public hearing at 7 p.m. June 8.
Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride will also be speaking.
The regular council meeting will be held on June 16.
