Tonight, we’ll take the final vote on the FY2026 Greenville County budget. After months of work, conversations, and compromise, I’m proud to say that I support this budget, not because it’s perfect, but because it’s a significant step in the right direction.
The truth is, there’s no such thing as a perfect budget. With every decision we make, there will always be people on both sides of the issue, some who feel we should spend more, others who think we should spend less. That’s the nature of public service and democracy. But what matters most is whether a budget reflects the values and priorities of the people it’s meant to serve. And in this case, I believe it does.
This budget focuses on what matters to the people of Greenville County: public safety, infrastructure, transparency, and accountability. It includes over $42 million in public safety funding, and makes the most major investment in our road system in decades, with $40 million going directly into road projects. It also supports economic development, parks and recreation, and other essential services, all while reducing property taxes and returning us to a one-year budget cycle.
That return to a one-year budget cycle is important. It gives us the flexibility to stay responsive to changing conditions and come back to the table next year with better data, better results, and better ideas. In other words, this isn’t the end of the budgeting process, it’s the beginning of a new, more responsive one. We’ll be right back to work analyzing how this year’s plan is performing and what we can improve in the next.
I do not have any additional amendments during Tuesday’s final reading. The only amendments I’m currently considering are to increase salaries for our public safety personnel, which I believe is a necessary conversation to ensure we’re taking care of those who take care of us, and the other is concerning allocating monies to ensure performance reviews can be performed in various County departments during the year.
I know this budget won’t satisfy everyone. But after voting against the last budget, I believe this one represents a more thoughtful, balanced, and community-driven plan, a budget that actually listens to what the people of Greenville County have been saying for years. It’s not just balanced financially; it’s balanced in how it delivers on your priorities.
Thank you for continuing to stay engaged. It’s your voices, your concerns, and your values that helped shape this budget, and that’s exactly how it should be!
