It is no secret that Greenville is growing quickly, and our County Council has held the line on taxes for more than two decades, but there is only so long a community can do that before we reach a crisis.

We have now reached the crisis. Growth has subsidized low taxes, but growth also requires investment critical government services – the sheriff’s office, EMS, roads, parks, and any number of other services thousands of us rely on each day.

Govern is a verb. Politics is a noun. Governing is the hard work of ensuring Greenville County has the critical infrastructure and core government functions it needs to serve the people. Council needs to step up and govern for the future of our County, not re-fight the politics of the past.

The County Council could not approve a budget because a minority of the council once again has hijacked essential investments in essential services. Greenville County Council is a very conservative council and the budget under consideration is conservative. Let’s quickly examine the data because the facts are illustrative.

The Truth About Millage: Real millage in the county is 14 percent LOWER than it was in 2000. In 2000, eggs were less than a dollar a dozen. A loaf of bread was about $1. Ground beef averaged $2 a pound.

Our taxes are lower than they were in 2000. That sounds great, but our population is 40 percent larger than in 2000 and inflation is nearly 70 percent higher. That’s not sustainable public finance.

The Chamber examined the county’s base millage going back to 2000. Under the conservative “population plus inflation” metric, Greenville County’s millage should be more than 115 mills – a 104 percent increase over today’s rate. Let’s take out the population growth and assume that is paying for itself what growth can’t pay for is regular increases in the price of police cars, office paper, health insurance, fertilizer for athletic fields… you name it. We still should be at about 84 mills – a 62 percent increase.

The 7-mill tax increase being considered by Council means we’re funding Greenville County government’s 2024 budget at 2004 levels. Even with the increase, we should applaud County staff for even keeping the county government open at that level.

Growth is Accelerating: The County is officially expecting 220,000 people to move here between 2020 and 2040. That is explosive growth and recent Census data shows that growth could be accelerating – as happened 20 years ago in places such as Nashville and Charlotte.

The Politics: Previous county councils – as local government is wont to do – kicked the can down the road. They’re not alone among elected officials, but kicking the can only delays the inevitable. A reasonable approach over the past few decades would have prevented this crisis.

Thank you to the County leadership who has said on multiple occasions that they may represent single-member districts, but are elected to govern the best interests of the entire county. It’s time to govern, and it’s time for Greenville County Council to step up and do the job we elected them to do: Provide essential government services, fund critical infrastructure, and prepare our area for the next two decades of growth.

CALL THESE 5 COUNCILORS TODAY.

Councilman Joey Russo: 864.631.7486 [email protected]

Councilman Steve Shaw: 864.553.9713 [email protected]

Councilman Rick Bradley: 864.982.0196 [email protected]

Councilman Benton Blount: 615.879.6715 [email protected]

Councilman Stan Tzouvelekas: 864.630-5252 [email protected]