All right.

I think we are good to go.

Um, whenever you're ready, Mayor.

All right.

Uh I'd like to call this budget meeting to order.

If we could have a moment of silence.

Okay.

Um appreciate everybody joining.

And I think you all have gotten a package from Amy, but I will turn it over to her.

And again, just apologies in advance from my perspective.

Um the technical issues here, so I'm just on the phone and not able to see, but Jennifer, you uh you could help me uh when somebody has a question.

Uh appreciate it.

So Amy, turn it over to you.

Good afternoon, everybody.

We'll um start with the tourism draft budgets because I know there'll be some discussion on the general fund and enterprise fund budget.

So um 2025 amended budgets and 26 budgets for tourism funds.

We'll start with our projections for a state A tax.

We're projecting 11.6 million for 26.

Um for 2025 is what we budgeted.

We're estimating around that amount, so not a huge increase there because we are seeing leveling off of these revenues.

Same with municipal A taxes are just modest increases.

Hospitality has pretty much flatlined, so we're leaving that um budget the same for 2026.

I'll go into them in detail.

So state A tax, what's included is our contribution to the CVB, which is required by state law, a transfer to the general fund, which is also required by state law, a contribution to the Dash, there's some debt service, our city sponsored events for Picklos, Plata Moja, the Charleston Farmers Market and Holiday Magic, visitor center operations.

We have three projects included, the Bertle Bank Park Boardwalk, which is replacing boardwalk material material that is deteriorating, rag square wall repairs, it's repointing the corner columns, and waterfront park hardscape renovation, which is renovating the garden rooms and mitigating trip hazards.

15% of it also go towards workforce housing, and then the remaining goes towards grants for nonprofit entities.

The accommodate accommodations committee meets on Thursday to finalize the awards.

We don't have a detail of that yet, but we'll bring that to you later.

And this is what it looks like.

So all the everything I just mentioned, those are the contributions to that.

2.5 million going to grant subtotals, which will be allocated out to all those grantees finalized on Thursday.

Okay, Councilman Parker.

Um just to clarify, I I haven't received this in my email.

I'm sorry, Councilmember, I can't hear you.

I haven't received she hasn't received anything.

No, this you haven't you got the agenda.

We're just going through all of this now.

Nobody got anything before today.

Okay.

Um amended 2025 budget.

I just highlighted the areas that were amending um fund balance increase was due to projects, which are also highlighted.

The Dock Street Theater, LED lighting, marine maritime center dock repairs, and angel oak improvements.

Any questions there?

All right, moving on to municipal accommodations.

It's 2% for overnight lodging, two separate ordinances, one must one percent must be used for capital improvements for tourism related capital projects, and one percent must be used for property tax relief to cover salaries and other operating expenditures due to tourism.

What we funded was additional funding for the Ashley River Crossing project, and then 2.5 million for the Ashley River Walk.

And that is the budget there.

First column is capital improvements, second is property tax relief.

Any questions there?

Nope okay, moving on.

Hospitality fee fund.

This is a long budget, so I apologize.

Draft budget includes a transfer into the general fund for the impact of tourism.

Includes all the contractual management agreement items typically paid from this fund, a contribution to the King Street bid, funding for the Lockwood drive knee wall, and then continued funding for the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, low battery extension that phase.

So this is why I say it's long, and there's like three pages of this.

This is the revenue, and then all the transfers out to the general fund for um projects and maintenance of our facilities, the ballpark, the tennis center, and then all the operating expenditures that we transfer out.

And mayor council member wearing has his hand at member wearing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

How much how much is the knee wall funding?

Oh, I'll get I'll show you the capital projects.

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, short.

Then we also have um we pay for entertainment district police salaries out of this.

These are all of the contracts that we have with the International African American Museum, the Gilead Management, Corp, Children's Museum, Charleston Museum, and the Gibbs Museum.

And then we also have the Gilead Center operating costs that we pay out of this fund.

And then monument maintenance.

Mayor, Mayor.

That's okay.

Mayor, Councilmember Greg has his hand up.

Councilmember Greg.

Thank you.

Uh Ms.

Warden, could you go back one slide?

On the I know we've talked about the aquarium.

Uh we that's an A tax, Councilmember Greg.

Oh, okay.

All right.

I didn't know if that came out of hospitality.

Um I saw the other museums here, so I didn't know that's how that was.

I assume that would be in the same group.

But okay, got it.

Thank you.

I can go back if you want, so I could show that to you.

Um I'll just look at these when when we cutting right back.

Okay.

Um mayor, council member Parker has her hand up.

Councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um the hospitality fees, these aren't cited by upgrading frets.

These are just how did how do you all come up with the allocation?

I'm sorry, Councilmember Parker, I can't hear you.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry.

How we come up with hospitality tax breakdown on where it can go.

Yeah.

Um, these are pretty standard, councilmember Parker, or the the transfer into the general fund for tourism-related um expenditures that we cover out of the general fund that could be salaries and some operating expenses, and then we have all of the agreements that we have.

I mean, this is pretty much standard every year, um, just depending on the amount.

And then we usually fund a couple of projects.

Okay, thank you.

And and yeah, and just for clarity for for everyone, I mean, as you all are aware, I think it's also mandated uh on how it's restricted on how it's spent by state state law.

Understood.

And then just a follow-up.

Um, a lot of these are requests, obviously.

That uh that they made they're not requests, they are contracts that we have with the other organizations.

Yeah, long-term contracts.

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, and then um seawall bond debt service, and then we cover second Sunday ESBN classic, and that's where the bid contribution is.

I thought I'd have the keep individual um.

I'll get to the knee wall.

Just I have somebody working on it.

This is okay.

Okay, good.

Sorry about that.

Okay, and that's okay.

So let me go back.

Sorry about that.

Amendment budget for 2025.

The only thing we have here is just the um transfer out to a capital improvement plan or improvement fund, sorry, and that is just a rejection and the transfer out to the capital improvement fund due to transferring the funding to the water plan study and um the contract with JMT for the Lockwood Drive Nee Wall.

Councilmember Parker, did she still have your hand up?

Or is that from earlier?

Okay.

So that was it for the amendment, and those are the two where we're just moving the money for hospitality.

And council member wearing the knee wall is 2.6 million.

Okay, thank you.

You're welcome.

I have a knee wall question as well.

This is Council Gregory.

Um that that $2 million for the knee wall.

Is that going to be coming out every year henceforth?

I thought we were um, unless I missed something, that we were only in the design phase of the knee wall.

And that's what we um voted on.

It's it we we've actually voted to uh I think it's a two-year five million dollar total, and it's to actually construct it.

And just while it's no guarantee, there's a good chance that we will be able to get um reimbursed for part of this from the Army Corps from the title of minimum flooding because it would ultimately work with the system uh that's being designed holistically for storm water and search.

So our approval is for a two-year period to get to the five mil.

Right.

Okay, and the reason why I'm asking is because the seawall has been in there for what almost we have 50, 60 million now on the seawall.

And then just want to make sure that you know what we're we're voting on is not similar.

And by that I mean we the sea wall has been in there for years now.

Right.

The the design for the for the perimeter protection.

Um is separate from this, but yes, it's been part of the budget for a while.

It's been moved around a little bit, been reduced and added back to, and this is separate from that.

Yeah, understand.

I just wanted to wanted to make sure of the time period, and and it's a two-year okay.

And council member Gregory, this will be the only hospitality funds towards the knee wall.

Okay, thank you.

And mayor, council member Waring has his hand up.

Yep, council member wearing.

Yeah, I think the knee wall is just part of continuous same discussion.

This is a part that's going around Lockwood.

Am I correct?

That's right.

Goes from basically the Army Reserve to the variety store.

That's right.

Okay.

Thank you.

Any other questions that I can't see.

All right, Miss Warden.

Okay, so we will move on to general fund and enterprise funds budgets.

Um, right now we have a balanced budget.

There's some discussion at the end um regarding some compensation, but for right now it is um, it is balanced.

So you can see.

Comparison, you can see revenues, general fund revenues increased by 26.7 million, enterprise fund revenues um by 31.3 million, and expenditures increased by 26.7 million, and the same for um total expenditures.

I'm not going to a little bit more detail.

So the biggest increases in revenue were property taxes, business licenses, local option sales tax, permits and fees, and transfers in property taxes just based on increases in assessed values and collection trends, business licenses.

We have collected 57 57 million dollars today.

So we are comfortable with our with our number to increase that to 58.

And then this also includes the addition of sub-classifications for accommodations and short-term rentals.

The estimated additional revenue for that was 2.3 million, which brings us to the 60.5 for licenses.

Local option sales taxes based on historical trend, and that is Charleston County only.

Permits and fees is based on current year trend and estimate of future development, and the transfer in um increase is both from tourism and from the enterprise funds, just increases in those transfers.

Parking is mostly due to the transfer in for the parking garage maintenance project.

Any questions on those?

Yeah.

Well, I'll Ms.

Mostaler.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Ums one local, I mean the business license.

We got a bump up by 15%.

Is that unusual year?

Is that uh with trend?

A little mostly because of that new subclassification, Councilmember Warrior.

And we have seen we've budgeted um 52 million dollars last year.

We're at 57 million right now.

So the trend has been really healthy with business licenses.

So with that, and then the addition of the subclassifications is really what that large increase is.

Okay, thank you.

That's good.

Yeah.

Any other questions on revenues?

Okay.

And then just council member Parker has her hand up.

Councilman Parker.

Um, Amy, I better late than never, but just remind me the parking and the hotel fees that we raised um a year or two ago.

Can you can you just remind me what the fee is for um the hotels in the garages again?

I can tell you that as soon as somebody gives me that.

I don't have off the top of my head, council member Parker, but I'll give it to you in just a second.

I'll have somebody working on that right now.

Right.

And then this is just a pie chart for um our revenue by category.

Just to kind of give you a visual of it.

Okay, moving on.

Largest expenditures increases by function.

So for general government, public safety, culture and recreation, debt service, and then parking were our biggest increases.

General government is mostly due to salaries and benefits, IT programs, rents and insurance, and then public safety is salary benefits.

We also have an additional 15 firefighters in this budget, and then culture and recreation, it's just salaries and benefits, debt service.

It's the additional bond for the West Ashley office building, an additional debt service for the fire training building.

We have a Motorola lease and a revolving loan fund revolving loan for fire station number eight, and then parking again is due to the maintenance project.

Any questions?

Any other questions on that?

Yeah.

And then that's just uh pie crafts.

Well, second though, back to parking, uh, Mr.

Me.

Um the is any consideration in that at all for this Wentworth Street parking garage that you know this deal between the college of Charleston and no, so no consideration for this budget.

No, those are all of our parking garages.

Okay, good.

Um, council parker, we went from 125 to 130 for hotels.

Okay.

I'm sorry, Mary, go ahead.

Can you say that one more time?

You said 25 125 to 430.

Well, I guess I mean per car.

I sorry.

I mean, what what are the hotels?

What do we charge the hotels?

Space.

It's for the spaces.

So you charge for space, yeah, for a month.

Okay, understood.

So council member heekings, can I just ask you?

You remembered it a year or two ago.

I mean, I know you do.

What are they?

Are the hotels charging more?

I mean, what was the change?

I guess I'm curious what the additional revenue did it help, did it hurt?

Are we we only kicked up our revenue by five dollars a space, which as you might recall?

I thought should be a little bit higher.

I don't know.

I don't think anybody knows my hotel, how much they bumped up their numbers, but um they're passing it through for sure.

I think it's certainly increased our revenue because we know how many spaces we rent to the hotels times that by five bucks.

That's what increased our revenue.

And I think we've got some move.

We're still got some room to move there.

Yeah.

Okay, have we looked into it?

I'm just curious.

Again, this is a another potential source that we've been out in our meeting on Thursday.

Um, and I know this wasn't.

Well, we we did just yeah, we we we could certainly look at it again.

We did to your point just look at it and just just increased it um a little over a year ago.

But we did just in fairness to the hotels, we did just increase their business license fees um by creating that subcategory uh that's gonna be pretty significant uh to them.

So we we're certainly getting some more revenue off of the hospitality industry for sure.

Okay, let me just clarify too all the increases because we increased the hotel rate.

We also increased the loss ticket rate from 30 to 50 dollars, and then in 2025, we raised raise a monthly fee by five dollars.

So we've done some very recent increases to parking.

Okay, I was about the hotel, but okay, thank you.

Um are we in line with other municipalities?

Yes.

Okay, I mean we're a little bit less than the county.

I'd have to go back and look at that again, but yeah, we're a little bit less than most of the private garages around here.

There's no other municipal garages here other than the county garages.

I mean in other areas.

I'd have to go and look again.

We did that last year.

I don't I don't know what they are, if they've changed the rates or not.

So we can we can look at that and get back to you.

Okay, cool.

Any other questions?

Yeah, Mr.

May, I think I I know what council park is referring to.

Um when we rent a space to a hotel, and Mike, you you were the one that um councilman uh seekings, you were the one that brought this to council last year.

Um I don't know, we let them have a f uh, let's call it 25 a day, and they were you know marking it up substantially to the to the um person renting a room.

Uh and then that's when you say there was plenty of space there that the increase.

And so if I'm hearing correctly, the answer councilwoman parker was we increased it five dollars a month from 125 a month to no, I'm sorry, I gave you the wrong thing.

I was giving you regular monthly parkers for hotels.

We increased it from $20 to $30 a night.

Okay.

All right.

I think that's what you were kind of getting at it.

Correct.

I mean something about that too.

Yeah.

And again, it hotels are charging $50 or uh we you know, we have some of the hotels are charging $50, and we're on the charge of 30.

I just didn't know where I know that's kind of where we landed in one year now.

But yeah, it's a good point.

But but uh Mr.

Mayor, if I heard you correctly, you said that we uh and I think Ms.

Morton, we adjusting the business license fees for hotel to kind of maybe make up for some of that.

I don't want to put words in your mouth.

Yes, yeah, that was the the subcategories that we've created.

And correct me if I'm wrong, Ms.

Morton, but but that's uh largely uh uh directed at hospitality.

So it's accommodations and small short-term rental accommodations, yeah.

Yeah, and that's part of that large increase uh council member wearing that you pointed out uh relating to business licensees.

And again, gotcha big skip from year over year, but but wouldn't be of we wouldn't we shouldn't expect that percentage increase next year.

Would be nice.

Yeah, that's right.

Um okay, any other questions on on this show you X expenditures by department and the largest ones are highlighted there, BFRC executive fire information technology, police and non-departmental, and then of course parking again.

And for BFRC, it's rent and insurance and uh additional subscription with work day to further expand workday efficiency.

Executive is new positions in the city website redesign, fire salary and benefits and the addition of the 15 firefighters information technology new projects for security maintenance and enhancements, and then police, mostly salaries and benefits, body warrant cameras and their duty weapon transition, and then non-department is debt and reduction in salary savings, parking as a maintenance projects again.

Any questions on any of that?

Okay, and then that's just a graph of expenditures by department visual.

And then any questions?

I'm sorry.

Yeah, it's just an observation, Ms.

Mia.

Um, so police and fire is about 15 million or so.

And our total collection and park and property taxes is about what as a previous slide back.

I can go back.

It's what you're getting at is it's 125% of our property taxes, Council.

Okay.

Thank you.

We have public safety.

Oops.

Sorry.

Property taxes is 132.6 million.

We have a wonderful stream of river.

Multiple, right?

So just what's included in the budget.

Total new programs requested was 20.9 million dollars.

We funded 5.5.4 million, which is about 25.8%.

2.9 of that, 2.9 million of that is coming from other funding sources.

So the net impact to the budget is 2.4 million.

We had 107 staffing requests.

Uh we funded 29.

This budget includes a 2% cola for all employees.

It also includes um $731 and five $731,000 to place eligible employees at the minimum of their grade part of the compensation study.

Summary for BFRC, there was four positions requested.

Um revenue collections code enforcement, revenue collections digital digital service staff, and then the docks dock streets theater production manager and part-time stage hand.

Um revenue collections positions will be covered by additional revenue generated by those positions, and then dock street positions will be partially covered, covered by additional revenues generated.

Developmentals development services, they were asked, they asked to reclassify the lease stormwater inspector to infrastructure inspection manager, and then we have funded that by stormwater, and the other part is general fund and a civil engineer technician funded 35% by the general fund and 65% by stormwater.

Fire as for suicide cancer cardiovascular program, um resilient responder program, and various equipment and supplies for prevention, the that is the 15 personnel needed that we included, um, life safety equipment, fire shop equipment, upgrade, assistant fire marshal to deputy fire marshal, executive, um a paralegal for the prosecutor's office, and then for public information, a multimedia specialist, and then a redesign of our city website.

That would be a contract, human resources.

Um they have one new position in a senior HR generalist for performance, they have some position upgrades for management positions, HR business partner to HR generalists for knowledge management and an HR clerk to admin three, some additional travel travel and training, and then professional contract for compensation study um support.

Information technology has a lot of various projects and software just to update and improve technology technological infrastructure and keep our systems operational safe and relevant, mobility and tourism, a tourism director who'll be covered by additional tourism funds transferred into the general fund, and then parks as a mechanical systems manager, and then various repairs and improvements to our city facilities and additional funding for gateway landscape enhancements, police.

They have one personnel, an elder victim advocate that was previously grant funded, their duty weapons transition, and then a classroom trailer rental for their CPD range.

Yes, can you go back to the gateway enhancements?

Yes.

Um you break that out.

What is that?

What does that mean in terms of dollars?

Um, that's an excellent question.

And I know that somebody will get that for me pretty soon.

All right.

Sorry, so I'll get back to you on that one.

Recreation, um, one position upgrade, it was a gymnastics coordinator upgrade to a gymnastics manager, and then one new position at the golf course.

And that answer is 250,000, council member uh wearing.

Okay.

And then traffic and transportation, there was one position upgrade from assistant design specialist to a design specialist, and then a road vista sign retro reflectometer.

Which tests the right the reflection of the signs of our street signs to make sure that they're bright enough.

Case you wanted to know what a retro reflectometer is.

Okay.

Any questions on any of those items?

All right.

So then the additional discussion.

There was a discussion on increasing the cola for employees to three percent.

The additional cost to fund this would be 1.7 million dollars.

We would need to increase millage in order to fund that.

Um value of a mill is 2 million approximately 2 million dollars.

So we would need a 0.8 mil increase to fund the additional 1% cola.

So I have some examples of what that would look like to a taxpayer.

Charleston County 4% property.

It would be $18.

Or $3 over increase over 2025 would be $13.20 over base.

It would be $18.

And then six percent proper or sorry, four percent Berkeley County, it's a little bit higher.

Six percent property in Charleston County.

This is based on the obviously a six hundred thousand dollar house, 22.80.

And then Berkeley County would be 124.80.

We were also um asked to to show our net millage history.

So for Berkeley County, even though our mills are 82 in total, um, our net millage is 72.8 because of the option sales tax.

And then for Charleston County, oh, I missed I somehow missed Charleston County.

I'm sorry, I skipped right over Charleston County.

Charleston County um is 61.3 is our net millage.

But if you go back, uh well, let me get right on this.

If you go back from where I go ahead.

Thank you.

If you go back to 09, the county's net millage rate was 61.4.

And then here we uh 26 years later, and then millage rate is 61.39.

It's bumped up uh times past, but um the county also gives back um well, they give the local option sales tax back to the taxpayers.

I don't know what percentage they keep versus give back, but local option sales tax has proven to be very beneficial to property tax owners by giving it back to the taxpayers.

Um so I'll be interested to see what album was over the last everyone is so help us on this part with um is that Berkeley County above us?

No, that's a total millage, our operating village, and then this is what the net millage is.

Okay, gotcha.

Not operating, I mean that's total millage, not just operating.

So that's after lost revenue's been considered.

Right.

Gotcha.

So this is what everybody would pay on their tax bill.

Yeah, council member Greg has his hand up.

Councilmember Greg, click on there where this is going and just go ahead.

I've only been playing this for three years.

Um can you just bump over to the uh Berkeley County?

I can so 61.3 and 72.8.

I mean, we're we're paying 11 and a half mills more effectively in Berkeley County.

I just want to get the number.

Yes, sir.

All right, yeah.

And council member Sheikins and I've talked about there's councilman Greg about how to strategically go to the legislature to allow uh municipalities have given pull credit council member seeking for work, you know, talking about through.

I know you're aware of this, but uh being surgical about allowing municipalities say over 100,000 people to um blend their millage so that you don't have one part of the city paying different millage than another.

Um hopefully you can something even for sure in favor of a tax increase.

Well, it's gonna be 11 dollars for a Charleston County resident.

It's a hundred and what was the number 115, and I would challenge you to find a single house out here that's assessed at 600,000.

Um it's gonna be quite a quite a bit more than that.

I honestly think it would be hard anywhere, but we did like to see what the median was in Charleston, and that's what they gave us, but I agree.

It's too low.

That's 15 dollars, Council Margaret.

Yeah, I know it's not nothing uh I'm not criticizing your analysis, Ms.

Wharton, just stating that I don't think there are many uh houses assessed at $600,000 in Berkeley County and the city.

I agree.

You'd be surprised with the 15% caps and whatnot.

So the people that have been in their houses a long time may very well be in that neighborhood.

It's it's the appraised value that we're looking at, not the uh the assessed right.

I'm pretty sure that at Berkeley County on Daniel Island, it it really is tough even at that 50% cap to find $600,000.

I mean it those numbers, and and you know, you go to six percent on commercial properties where local owners are operating businesses for for instance like King Street, that millage rate when it goes up, really hits them hard.

Right.

So if you look at uh chart uh in 2009, uh net millage rate was 61.4, and in 2026, uh net millage rate is 61.3.

Um again the pile of giving back the uh local option sales tax.

Um let me ask this.

Um again, I mean I said this last week when we spoke.

Um, and I hear you council member seekings, you know, strategy to go to you know, members of the delegation for strategy, but I really do believe uh North Charleston has to have a similar problem with Dorchester County.

I would doubt that Dorchester County's millage rate is the exact same as uh Charleston County.

So it would be interesting to see.

I think North Charleston's in three separate counties, council.

Okay, well, there you go.

So um how they how they juggling those balls.

Um so you've got the number one size pop by population state in the union, state in the I mean city in this state, as well as the number three by population city in this state running into that problem because of you know different governmental bodies that they spread across.

And Columbia has the same thing too.

They do.

Those are the three cities by population in the state.

So I think the action step uh, you know, councilman member um Greg, you're uh right in that you know, we had this conversation several times, but well, we need some action steps on this.

Um does it does any good?

So I yeah, go ahead.

Go ahead.

There's no question we do.

And I think you know, it's gonna require not just the city of Charleston, as y'all are probably well aware.

Um sometimes that backfires in the legislature if it's just Charleston.

So uh looking to have a I think this is worth having a conversation with Burgess, Mayor Burgess, and Mayor Rickman.

Um, and I think they'd be very supportive of uh you know, as I say, surgical legislation that would allow for larger municipalities that have this unique situation, which again I may be off, but I'm pretty sure it's just those three, uh, could be able to balance the scales so that the residents are all treated equally.

And Mr.

Mayor, Councilmember Parker had her hand up.

Yep, councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I know I I couldn't really come in, but um, I am just curious.

I mean trash service, um some of our landscaping services, things like that trees work a little differently out there.

Is that correct?

Uh in terms of like we will go back.

Contracts, private contracts.

Our our um garbage collection is pro as a contract in on Daniel Island, yes.

Try to at least yeah, tree pruning all that.

That's the that's provided by the city.

All of it.

You said tree tree trimming and stuff.

Yeah.

I mean the street trees are are pruned by city crews.

Um, but you know, when you look at the vast majority of the homes in this area are in planned unit developments, and so um some of those have like private amenities.

Um, and then the HOAs or the you know, town associations or the community associations handle maintenance on on those places that are part of um you know those public amenities or amenities associated with the the plan unit developments, any other discussions or comments so we we will um I'm sorry, Mary, go ahead.

So I just said I was supposed to say thanks, thank you to Amy and BFR BFRC staff for putting these things together for us.

Um you had something to say, Amy.

Yeah, so the it was more um the discussion on the on the additional millage for the three percent cola and whether that was something that we wanted to do or not.

We do have to get that um Amy and Mayor, Councilmember Gregory has his hand up.

I have council member Gregory.

Yeah, just a couple of questions.

Um how much bonding capacity do we have left?

How many how much borrowing capacity do we have left?

Um moment I have to get the most recent.

I don't have my back for in front of me, Councilman Gregory.

Oh, you could you could you could you can send it?

It's not a okay.

Got it.

Councilmember Parker has her hand up.

Okay, councilmember Parker.

Um can we just can we just discuss the loss um information that we discussed at the previous meeting in a little bit?

Um I know we all probably don't need a full lesson in it, but just amount, what that means for each citizen or each taxpayer.

Um if you could go back uh Ms.

Wharton to the millage slide to the net millage and so the local option sales tax reduces the operating millage specifically this year, like I said, I don't I think most of us we don't it is this year for a lesson on what it is, but just the amount this year.

Um I understand the city's never utilized that app, but just what do those amounts look like we talked about at the previous meeting?

When you say the amount, are you talking about I'm sorry, okay, Mayor?

Other than raising the yeah, so if you can just the the value per mill is what is is about two million dollars per about two million, yes.

Right.

So if you look at the net millage, I mean the decrease in millage, that kind of gives you an understanding of what we're talking about.

So if we took just making sure I under, sorry, making sure I understand this correctly.

If we took two million from loss, we could raise it up.

You know, mute.

You cut out.

I'm sorry, it's so loud.

Um if we if we take two million from lost, we can raise it a million.

We could if we take if we I think she's saying it would be like raising it a mill, or mayor.

I think that's what she's saying, but we would have to play with the tax credit factor, Councilmember Parker.

Um to do that.

It's not gonna be it's because we re reducing the tax credit factor, not like regular millage, right?

So that's that result's still the same.

Right.

That's what I that's what I'm asking for.

That information.

What do you asking for though?

Do you want a number?

You want us to calculate what the tax credit factor would be for two million dollars?

Yes, I thought this is what we discussed at the meeting on Thursday.

I know it's not, it might not be a fan of what if everyone doesn't have to do it, but I think we talked about at least being the information.

This is what we talked about.

Yeah, the millet, the net millage is what I think it to be.

Mayor, we have a number of council members with their hands up.

So council member Gregory had his hand up, then seekings, then wearing, and then Greg.

Okay.

Go in that order then.

I I lowered mine.

I'm fine.

Thank you.

All right.

So just really briefly, I think one way to look at it, if you look at this chart on the millage that grows in the net millage with the full weight of loss being applied, is the percentage that reduces taxes in Charleston County.

I know it's a little bit lower in Berkeley County, but effectively by putting all of lost against our tax bills, property tax bills, you're reducing property taxes by 25%.

So every mill you take away from that on the backside is about a two and a half, no, two and a quarter percent property tax increase.

And so you don't have to go back and look at sort of that mythical six hundred thousand dollar house that doesn't exist.

Um you just look at your percentage tax bill.

And if every time you raise a mill, you're hitting people up for a couple of half percent of their tax bill.

That's good way to look at that.

Councilman were wearing.

Yeah, I have to agree with councilman seekings on that.

Uh the impact on the property taxes is this for the for the property a whole lot better.

And frankly, if it was on the millage uh side, and I know we've rounded it at um two uh two mills.

I mean two million, but you know, Ms.

Watts is one point seven, so it's actually less than a mill to be able to give our employees a three percent cost of living increase.

So um I was hoping we we find which way to do it.

But one reason I asked for this chart, and thank you also, Ms.

Um Watton for I mean at the midnight hour, cranking out this information.

You can go from 2009 all the way through to 2026, and basically our net millage rate to uh our taxpayers has been you know virtually we had a bump up in 2024, you know, 67 net mills, but it has been you should see some of these other cities.

Uh they're no way close to us.

Um property tax bill has almost been flat a lot.

Um, if you look at the school board now, it's a little bit different, obviously.

That's 50% of your tax bill, but again, um millage rate, you're talking less than one mil, point eight mil to be able to remember.

Keep in mind that we pass in the uh, even though slight, we pass any uh group medical cost on to the uh every employee, which will reduce the in net pay.

So anyway, I noticed some people on this call that wasn't on the call last week, but when we show the uh cost of living, it's really a little bit uh well I won't I'm gonna say as an individual on fifth not to have the cost of medical increase uh closely associated with that councilman Greg, I think you got your your last one.

Yes.

Um so I guess I would like to see uh um if we if we took the two million out of the lost credit, um my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but these the net millage between right now Charleston County is paying 61.3 and Berkeley County is paying 72.8.

That net millage difference would decrease if we took this two million, we need this two million dollars and we took it out of the loss credit.

The Berkeley County and Charleston County taxpayers would be more in balance than they are right now.

If we pass this millage increase on, we're gonna further increase this discrepancy between Berkeley County and Charleston County taxpayers.

Oh see how you calculating it.

Because I do when when the the lost credit is much lower in Berkeley County than it is in Charleston County.

So right now we're paying and and even the tax increase.

Did you go to the Amy's projections on the tax increase?

It's 11 dollars in Charleston County, it's gonna be 115 in Berkeley County.

I saw that right.

But we will have to reduce the tax credit factor for both Berkeley County and Charleston County.

Right.

I understand, but um it it will right now there's an 11.5 mil difference between the two counties.

If if this $2 million were to come out of lost, that number would be lower than a lot.

The difference, the net millage difference between the two counties would be less than $11.5 if the two million dollars comes out of the lost credit.

That's just math.

Right.

So I'm just making the statement that there's a there's a discrepancy, and there always has been between in it between Charleston and Berkeley counties in the net millage.

Um and and when we talk about you know a two mill tax increase or a one mil tax increase, and it's only you know $11 in Charleston County, that discrepancy is much larger in Berkeley County, and and the way to fix that is to take if instead of raising millage, we can just reduce the lost credit.

But uh quite frankly, I don't have a whole lot of faith that anything would get done there in the next decade.

Um Ross is uh chuckling, but he knows it's true.

So mayor, council member Parker has her hand up and councilman Parker.

I either way it goes.

I mean, I just hate that we're kind of we're pinpointing the employees and the cola on this.

I mean I I get we I just wish obviously there's things we could move around to five or two million.

I mean, obviously.

And we could be talking about something else that we could be either using loss or uh raising millage, correct?

I'm sorry, we we can the the two ways to for the balance or continuing expense, not a one-time expense, would be yes, uh taking breaking from tradition and using loss, uh not not with not returning all of the local option sales tax, or uh raising millage, raising taxes.

That's the only way to get our employees to the three percent cola.

We've cut this budget at the end of the year.

Or we cut the credit, Councilmember Parker.

There's no more cutting.

But I'm saying this.

Unless we eliminate programs or right.

So we could have funded this, and we could have something else be the item that we're discussing.

Raising bills are using lost credit, correct.

Oh, I'm I don't I'm not sure I understand the question.

What there's something besides employees besides um the cola, is there something else we could have cut social asking?

Well, I I think we've cut this pretty significantly.

Um we are again just for for clarity too, we are giving seven hundred and thirty-one thousand dollars back to employees in the form of adjustments to their grades, which um you know is a increase to employees, I'll be it justified by this compensation study.

So net going back to employees is really I guess with the is the two percent plus the seven hundred thousand, and then the other thing we're committing to uh for the upcoming calendar year to go back to employees that would probably get us well over the three percent would be the performance base bonuses based on um first money out on savings, but we've got to have the compensation study completed and the uh ability for um uh uh reviews um performance reviews to be set up uh through work day in order to be able to implement.

So there's it's kind of a work in progress, and uh I hear everybody on their concern and desire to make sure that we're taking care of our employees, and I share that belief uh wholeheartedly.

Now do we want to go through the exercise to raise taxes, be it front door or backdoor, a millage increase or through the loss, um uh, or do we want to try and work through the get the compensation study finalized um work through this performance based on the structure and to councilwoman Parker's point, um, really dig into uh some of the programs that have been ongoing and determine whether or not we want to keep some programs in expense of making sure we have uh a colo year over year that uh matches the minimum the the Southeastern standard?

I mean, I think that's something we could do and have a goal for 26.

Mayor Councilmember Tinkler had his hand up, followed by Councilmember Waring and Parker.

Okay, Councilmember Tinklin.

Well, I I think you may have answered some of my questions, but I mean to to Councilman Greg's point.

I mean, if we were to try to equalize um the effective millage rates for both Charleston County and Dorchester County or Burbank County residents, um what how much how much of an increase would that be for Charleston County?

And you may not be able to answer these questions.

I don't know if you could estimate, but how much would that be an increase in Charleston County and ultimately how much revenue would that generate?

I mean, would it cover some of these things that we're we're uh we're trying to find revenue for?

I think if you were to, I mean, I don't know often, I mean, and this would be something that would have to be calculated, but but Councilmember Greg makes the point that because Charleston County gets more uh of the lost money back, um, you could reduce that we'd have to just do a formula to figure out exactly how where that equilibrium would hit um to cover this cost or just that would be largely borne by Charleston County residents um versus Berkeley because more of it goes back to Charleston County now, so it would make it more equal, I guess is the right way to describe okay.

So, and then we can work on that just so we can get you the number.

I just don't know what off the top of my head, and I think it'll take a little bit of work to get to that number.

Um who was second was Tinkler Waring?

Councilmember.

Let me refer to Councilwoman McParker and I'll speak after her.

Okay, councilwoman Parker.

Thank you, Ms.

Again, just looking for a number.

I think that that we took X dollar one million, one million, two million dollars from last credit.

What does that cost?

The average median, 600k, all the numbers you put together, you know, for the millage.

What does that mean from giving back to that make sense?

Am I asking for that important?

Um, I can't give that to you right now, but we have to do the calculation because we need to figure out what the tax credit factor would need to be reduced to, and then run the number.

So it's not something I can just give you right the second.

Okay.

I'm just because I think we discussed all of that on Thursday.

That's why I was asking for those numbers.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um government where I got a couple of questions and observations.

From a bonding capacity, uh which way would be um how would affect uh bonding capacity when it comes to um well, if it does at all paying for that millage versus lost revenue.

I don't think it necessarily matters, Councilmember Waring, just as long as our revenues don't decrease, right?

I mean, that's what they're more looking at, making sure that we're stable.

So I don't think it matters whether it's millage or lower sales tax.

Well, number one, it's a minor amount of 1.7 million out of 380 million dollar budget.

Um, one of the things, and it is somebody, I don't know who said it, but somebody may mention it kind of regretful, and I'm paraphrasing that it comes down to this, you know, 3% versus 2.6 uh COLA.

But I think we have to recognize what we have done throughout uh in particular the last year in an effort to get um a TIFF pass.

We overwhelming majority of us uh voted uh for future funding, basically 400 or 450 million, whatever the number is gonna be for the union peer prop uh property.

So what did we do?

Some of the action steps that we did to help that to occur.

We gave away 33,000 square feet of office space that we owned and had no debt, okay.

Uh the school district took people from rental uh space and put them in that space.

Our people uh went to rental property, which we had to appropriate more money to pay for that rental space.

So that's part of that revenue isn't isn't there today to solve this this problem.

Um the second thing is to get the county on board, we all of us, not the men, not just the mayor, the overwhelming majority of us uh voted uh to give those parking spaces to the county in the Cumberland Street Garage.

That was revenue that was lost, okay, in an effort to get future revenues.

Now there's no doubt about it.

Um 10 years from now, it's gonna look like this council made and mayor made a very 10-15 years from now, very uh wise choices.

But um our budget year, um they got benefits, lowered costs in the case of school district, assets.

The county got revenue, they didn't pick up expenses basically.

They they netted revenue, and we lost revenue and picked up expenses in an effort to get future revenues down the line.

And I'm not gonna speak against the TIF.

Every TIFF in this city virtually has benefited this TIFF, the city greatly.

But to be in the tight position we are today is because we voted for future revenues.

Now, it's kind of coming down to, as I said, treating employees a little bit fairly.

If we didn't have to pass on this um health care increase, then maybe the 2.6 could fly.

But the reality is we passed on health care costs.

Uh, I believe 3% certainly makes sense.

Um, but but for those action steps that we took as a city and a council for future revenues, uh, we wouldn't even be talking about this.

We we could do that, balance the budget, and and it wouldn't have been an issue at all.

So um, but when you have employees move out of 33,000 square feet, spread them around to three or four different locations.

Um I'm concerned about our employee morale.

Now, they used to could walk from a uh a parking garage that was adjoining to the building.

Now CCSD employees walk from the parking spaces into the building.

Um there's some pain involved with this, and this is part of that pain.

Um employees have certainly experienced some pain.

Uh, they can't speak for themselves.

We can because we work, they work in a right-to-work state.

And if they're perceived as being disgruntled, they could be fired.

But as a city council person, we get to speak on behalf of employees as well as ourselves.

Put yourself in that position.

What happened if you were in one of those buildings?

Now you're in another space, you're having to drive further downtown, parking a surface parking lot.

Um, I think morale, we need to do something at the very least for morale.

There's no pay raise.

All we're talking about is trying to stay even with inflation.

And I and the mayor rightly pointed out last week that the federal rate is 2.6%.

Now I'm not even arguing with that.

But that federal rate, as I said last week, does not include the passage of health care costs increase, which is just a reality and doing business.

City actually pays an overwhelming uh share of that health care cost.

It's still a great deal for employees.

They never see the full cost.

And I know we show them sometimes, but all employees know is they net pay.

Okay.

That's what they take care of their families on, in my opinion, of um on a $380 million budget.

I'll debate right now is hopefully how do we pay for this lost revenues um uh millions rate.

I think the millis rate is the better way to go.

But if it comes to the employees, then my entire opinion on this uh council, I've never voted to use uh lost revenue, but I'll violate that to take care uh employees.

Um I can go either way though.

You make a really good point, you bring up bring up a very good point.

And I think we all agree that you know we want to do everything we can to uh make sure our employees are taken care of that their morale is high.

And it has been disruptive, no question about it moving out of uh uh Calhoun Street, and we have made sacrifices and the employees have made sacrifices.

Um there's some ongoing issues with the the new landlord that we're dealing with, and I won't even get into, but you bring up uh the the union peer TIFF, and one thing I'd just here's an idea and perhaps maybe even a recommendation.

Um that we do have money coming back to us um from the port related to the creation of the TIFF.

And we've been going back and forth, of course, there's been some uh changes over at the port over the details of of that money.

Um but I think you know, while it is a one-time uh uh uh uh funding that we're working out on what the details of the payments payments would be.

Uh it wouldn't be a recurring revenue, is I guess my point.

But if there's an opportunity for uh the funding that some of the funding that comes out of that that could be dedicated towards um getting us to the three percent colour, I'm all for it.

And and there should be significantly more funding than that that would be coming in.

But again, it's because it's not a recurring revenue, we'd have to be careful about it.

But um, since you brought up the union peer TIFF, and that is undefined revenue, but I would say more than what would get us to a three percent COLA is very safely assured.

Uh perhaps that's something that we could tie to this.

We could say we'll move forward with the uh the budget is proposed with the condition that the first whatever it is, the additional 1.7 million dollars to get to a three percent colour for employees um would be the first money out of the agreement with the uh finalized agreement with the port.

May our council member Gregory has his hand up.

Yes, council member Gregory.

Um can't we find that in a different way?

Can we do a do um a half percent um cut across the board somehow?

I mean, it's not a lot of money we're talking about pro from programs or wherever.

Um again, we we we've been taking up the budget and I understand.

I understand I clearly understand, but I do think that we've got to put our employees first.

Um, I mean, they're they're they're the backbone um of this city.

And and I just think that when we're talking about one percent, let's find the damn money and make sure that they're taken care of from wherever I I mayor council member uh has his hand up followed by council member Parker.

Councilmember Rappel, then Parker.

Um Councilmember Parker can go ahead of me.

Okay, councilmember Parker.

Okay, all right.

Yeah.

Um one of you all go.

Okay, yeah, we gotta we gotta wind this down.

Um so listen, I think um it's it's been a tough year for our our employees.

It's been a tough year for a lot of people that are that are making sort of blue-collar wages around around this country.

Rich people are doing just fine in America and in Charleston.

And um, so when we think about where this impact is going to be felt most significantly, um people that own primary residences in the state of South Carolina and are assessed at 4%, do not pay a lot in property taxes.

They pay unbelievably low property taxes when compared with other states in the region.

That 4% um um method is is extraordinarily beneficial to primary uh residences, especially when you factor in the hundred percent generous loss credit, as council member Waring has pointed out, and you look back at 2009 and you see a flat line.

So when we're talking about do we add a two mil increase, do we roll back the lost a little bit?

Regular people, voters, people that live in their primary residences that are taxed and assessed at 4%, are not going to be seeing a big tax increase at all.

Now, to be fair, and this is a point Councilman Seekings makes often in these discussions, and he's 100% right.

If you own a second home, a third home, fifth fourth home or fifth home, or you own a business and you're assessed at six percent, you pay high property taxes, especially when compared to people that live in um their primary residences.

And the average person might be thinking, oh gosh, the difference between four percent and six percent, it seems small, but when you run the math and you see how that number works out when you calculate the millage, it's significant.

So, you know, we looked earlier um during the budget presentation about a shockingly um good year in business license tax revenue.

Now, some of that is due to the adjustments we're making for hotels and accommodations uses, no doubt.

But I think that very it doesn't account for all of it, certainly doesn't account for the entire 15%.

The fact that that number is so high is an indication that businesses in the city of Charleston are having a great year and great for them.

It shows that our retail economy is going strong, business is go is going strong in a lot of ways.

So I think when we talk about where this tax increase, should we decide to do it, whether through a millage increase or or a minimal lost rollback is felt, it either way it's not going to be felt significantly on people that um live in their homes, particularly people that have lived in their homes for a long time and have seen perhaps Burns Downs, my old neighborhood, I'll give you an example.

There are people who bought that house for 50,000 in the 90s, and it might be worth close to a million dollars right now on the market.

But when you factor in that 15% cap on reassessments, those types of people, the the regular old Charleston people that have lived in their house forever, they are they are such beneficiaries of the current property tax scheme we're operating on.

They're not going to be feeling the impact.

The people are going to be feeling the impact are rich people that just bought new primary residences at a million dollars plus and are being trued up, you know, with the ATI, or people with second and you know, multiple homes and and business owners.

They are the ones that are going to be, you know, they're good, they're the ones that are gonna be facing more of the burden.

But but you know, when we talk about burden, when you're talking about a two-mil increase, when you're talking about a minimal rollback of the lost, it's not it's not, I would submit it's not that significant, particularly when you factor in um how important an increase in cola will be for our city employees, which again, when we say city employees, we're talking about police officers, we're talking about firefighters, we're talking about sanitation workers.

Everybody that works at the city is extraordinarily important.

No, don't get me wrong, but the vast majority of our workforce is public safety, sanitation, things of that nature.

That's where the bulk of the of the employees come in.

So we really have to decide um, you know, play some trade-offs.

I mean, fortunately, this is nothing like the discussions we were having in 2020 and in 2021.

Okay, so for our new friends on council and the new folks that are coming in, you know, we're we're light years in better position now than we were back then, obviously.

Um, so it really just comes down to a minor tax increase that will not be significantly felt by voters and resident people that have been living in their house for a long time, or um, you know, putting this off for a future date.

So I just wanted to throw those considerations out there.

I think this is a good discussion.

I think um, you know uh Mayor and his team have done a great job with Amy and her department on um getting us to this point that we are now.

A lot of great work has been done to even get it to this point.

But um, you know, we're like on the two-yard line here.

We got some options, and I think we just got to decide if we want to uh what direction we want to go in.

So thank y'all.

Yep.

Um councilwoman Parker.

Thank you, Ms.

a future dates i just wanted to throw those considerations out there i think this is a good discussion i think um you know uh mayor and his team have done a great job with amy and her department on um getting us to this point that we are now a lot of great work has been done to even get it to this point but um you know we're like on the two yard line here we got some options and i think we just got to decide if we want to uh what direction we want to go in so thank y'all yep uh councilwoman parker thank you ms mayor um what am i correct the apex money we can utilize some of that for employee pay correct are we is there what no no i thought back that time so there is municipal accommodations tax that gets transferred into the general fund for property tax relief so we've already done that it's already included in this budget okay and and it was the maximum amount yes okay all right thank you so again guys I mean I certainly hear what you're saying council member rappel and and respect it uh the only thing I would say is that there's there's no minimum or no minor uh tax increase uh just there there's there are people that will be up in arms about this um just seeing it as a tax increase now councilman Gregory you make a good point you know let's just find it somewhere it's not a lot of money um and it isn't but I mean I I do want to again compliment Amy and and her staff for really turning over every rock um and uh you know we we've got to this point guys because we we got hit pretty hard by an unforeseen cost increase a significant cost increase primarily on insurance right and council member uh wearing's point I mean part of that is picked up you know respect by employees as well so what I'll go back to again is if we can agree to the budget proposed with the two percent cola and we make a commitment to figuring out how to get that cola to three percent for 26 uh through uh uh additional revenues that will be coming in um and I feel pretty confident like I mentioned the TIFF uh and the portnership with the port or the agreement with the port but I think we could probably figure out potentially a few other opportunities there my point is I think we can get there without raising taxes there's there's a there's a or adjusting the loss because it's not a huge numbers has been pointed out now I don't have it defined a hundred percent right now but I think we could um do a little bit of additional digging and come up with it um and again with the understanding that it would be one time potentially for 26 it would be one time revenue and we would need to be looking at the COLA the compensation study and um and various programs at the city in 26 uh once we have all of these other things that we've been working about working on housekeeping wise uh to to make sure our employees are well taken care of but it's just we don't have it all locked down quite yet and it I agree it's taken way too much time but it's just the reality that we're faced with right now and so for the small amount of money that we're trying to get to take care of our employees I would urge council to allow us to figure that out figure out that funding gap without raising taxes or without doing the loss and I think we can I do think we can mayor council member wearing has his hand up and council member parker did you still oh never mind that's just council member wearing council member council member wearing all right um so number one I think it's and I know you know this too but I think it's um budgeting when you do it with reoccurring revenues.

I do think that can agreed bonding okay um I think there's another little pocket if you will um there's supposed to be what a settlement with the law school for four million dollars again that's not um whenever that thing closes that may close prior to whatever happens with the port um but I would say going forward we need to solve this based on reoccurring revenues not um I hear you know I would not want to yeah and I and I don't mean interrupt you but I'm with you completely okay I think just my concern is that we we we haven't we don't have the final out output of the compensation study for example um and that's gonna help dictate uh uh you know where we need to be in grades and if we do a tax increase if that tells us instead of two mills we need three mills to just keep everybody where they need to be well then I don't want to do this twice in a row does that make sense or it may tell us that we're you know I don't think

I think just my concern is that we we we haven't we don't have the final output of the compensation study, for example.

Um and that's gonna help dictate uh uh you know where we need to be in grades, and if we do a tax increase, if that tells us instead of two mills, we need three mills to just keep everybody where they need to be.

Well, then I don't want to do this twice in a row.

Does that make sense?

Or it may tell us that we're I don't think it will, but uh that that it doesn't need as much of a millage increase.

It's just there's some information that is not been fully defined because we're we we want to get it as accurate as possible with job descriptions and grades and working with all of the staff, and and we're in the thick of that right now, it's just not complete yet.

Well, I understand that.

I just think it's gonna take a little bit longer than you know, let's say the first three months of the year.

I think it's gonna take a little longer than just in case that happens.

I actually what councilman McGregory said is a almost a little, and believe me, I know y'all have been using the pencil eraser a lot to get the budget where we have been, where we are now, but almost a half a percent cut across the board gets us there without having to touch um you know millage increases or lost revenue, and it's reoccurring, and it is reoccurring, so it gets back down to sound budgeting.

But um I you know the part about going forward with a promise.

Um I think these employees need to be reassured.

Um in particular, yeah, the last 12 months, they had a tough year, you know.

Others uh probably feel better about their work environment.

Um again, I'm referring to the uh um CCSD employees, they got a good deal out of it.

You know, again, I voted for it and I would vote for it again because the the global view makes sense you know, for the porthority property to have the infrastructure funded appropriately.

But we can just as we dot the I and cross the T on that on that um on all the transactions involving the port property, we need to dot the I and cross the T's when we vote on what budget we're gonna send to the newspaper for people to see.

Um, and I think you do that with reoccurring revenues, which you've agreed to.

So I think either you do it uh you don't want the millage increase.

I've never done it before, but I'm saying it publicly uh for these employees.

I'll I'll I'll do the lost revenue um for employees.

Uh, but it should be good to see whether half a percent or maybe even a quarter percent cut across the board does.

You're just talking about 1.7 million out of 3 million dollar budget.

Well, what I might require what I might recommend then is if that's the way the majority is interested in going, is and and Ms.

Wharton throw something at me if you think this is um be heavily problematic.

Uh I would rather say we'll do the I would say 2.6, which is the um the Southeast Region uh average for CPI, but if it's will the council to do three percent.

I mean, I I don't want to argue against the employees by any stretch, want to support them.

Um I would say instead of just cutting across the board that you know uh that we would look at taking that 1.7 million uh instead of raising taxes or addressing loss out of new programs, and then when we are able to uh get some of this revenue in, be it through the law school transaction or be it through the agreement with the the port, we can we can implement those new programs at that point.

So instead of just across the board, we take it out of the new programs.

Um uh uh look to fund those uh as the revenue comes in would be my success.

That's a good suggestion.

I can go I could go for that.

Let's leave taxes alone.

Agree with that as well.

Yeah, and lost revenue alone.

I that sounds a great idea, Mr.

Mia.

Some of those other revenue, plus some of this new program, is some of that are those reoccurring, or are they gonna be one time expensive?

Um, they're all they're all reoccurring here.

No, they're one time.

A lot of them are one time that are already funded by other people.

Oh, they are resources.

So and some of those what new programs we we can't cut.

So we'll look at new programs and base budget increases because some of the new programs we can't cut for police and fire.

Especially.

So we'll go through both.

Okay.

That'll work.

It works for me.

Yep.

So the proposal is for three percent, Mr.

Mid.

I hope so.

Who's gonna make the motion?

I move, I move for the three percent.

Oh Mr.

Matt, you said get me in trouble.

We're all in this together.

What are you talking about?

We are all in this together.

Um we have a motion and this just for clarity for for discussion.

I do want to just make sure we're clear on this.

We're tasking the this warden to uh go through the to we're prioritizing the three percent.

Um asking her to find approximately 1.7 million dollars to is that the number?

I just want to make sure we're clear on this.

That's the number to mayor counsel through let me just finish this point through new programs and or what's available in KOAC.

Um budgeted basically, yes.

Uh somebody else has their hand up, yes, sir.

Council member Brady.

Uh Councilmember Brady.

Yeah, thank you, Ms.

Rare.

I I think because it's a workshop, we can't take official action.

Uh so I don't know that we can do a motion because uh it is merely a workshop versus a uh an actual parliamentarian.

Okay, fair enough.

Um aware.

Uh I'll take your word for it.

Mayor, I think if you just want to get a general recommendation, so Amy has some guidance because the ad has to go to the paper on Wednesday.

That's okay.

A recommendation to find something to balance the budget and find the difference between what we got and what we where we want to be and bring it to council on um Wednesday.

Um I'm not going to get that done by Wednesday.

So we're going to send the paper to the paper, the budget we have with the two percent, and then whatever changes we need to make, we'll have to do um on the floor of council on the first reading.

That sounds good.

Works for me.

Well, any any that's that's the ready.

Anybody opposed to that?

Yeah, that's a right to recommendation.

Okay.

But what we come in the council council on Wednesday will be what two percent.

There's nothing on Wednesday.

I just need to send the ad into the paper Wednesday for it to be advertised on Sunday because we have two weeks, we have to do it before first reading as state law.

So that's what I'm I'll have to send in the two percent budget.

Then if we want to have another workshop again to go kind of go through everything, we can, and then we'll have to make the recommendation for the changes on the floor council first reading.

Why don't we do that?

I have to present I have to present whatever we advertise in the paper.

That's what I have to present on first reading.

So then we just have to make the changes on the floor first reading, December 2nd.

That's not a problem.

Yeah, but that's hard.

So what we'll have well, let me say this.

What we'll have in advance, and anybody wants to see it uh um uh via FOIA or whatever for the public, it's fine.

In advance of the first reading, we will have a breakdown of how we're proposed to get to the 1.7 for discussion purposes at uh the first reading for an amendment.

Does that work for everyone?

Works for me.

But I mean, what about Ms.

Think about Ms.

What and that's all yeah, we can do that.

Well, again, this would be in this would be in advance of the first reading, which would be in a couple of weeks.

Okay, not on not on and we can also have the draft budget to you on the 18th.

So what we can do is that draft budget will be this two percent, but we'll have with it what the changes would be.

Is that work?

Yes.

Does that make sense?

What I just said.

Would you mean the draft will go in?

That's what will go in the paper available to the media.

And then what what I send to you on the 18th will be that two percent cola budget that we were talking about.

Right.

But then with that, when I send that to you all, I'll have the changes where we made the cuts, what we cut out, all that, and what it will look like.

That's the recommendation.

Is that good?

That's the recommendation, yes.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Let me tell you.

Well, I think this has been a you know robust discussion, guys.

I sure have.

Okay.

All right.

Okay.

All right.

Uh well, appreciate appreciate everybody's time and uh we'll see you uh in three days' time.

Take care.

Bye bye.

All right.

Bye bye.

Thanks, guys.