Budget vote tonight

By LARRY HILLIARDLedger Staff Writer

For the first time in 14 years, the budget Gaffney City Council is expected to approve will include a tax hike.

It’s a question of just how much.

Gaffney Administrator James Taylor has acknowledged he will recommend an eight-mill tax hike when he unveils his proposed $12,135,674 budget at tonight’s 7 p.m. regular meeting.

The tax hike means that an owner of a $100,000 house would pay $32 more in taxes this year.

But both Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly and Gaffney City councilman Tom Reid have expressed concern the hike is too steep.

“I knew that we would likely raise taxes, but eight mills seems high to me,” Reid said.

Taylor said the tax hike is needed to pay for soaring insurance costs and help bridge a $300,000 gap between projected revenues and expenditures.

Taylor also said his proposed budget funds no capital projects and includes no cost-of-living raise for employees.

The proposed budget represents a 4 percent decrease from this year’s $12,640,929 budget.

The city’s budget debate comes on the heels of Cherokee County Council already passing first reading of a five-mill increase of its own.