On Monday, June 17, City Council approved a $38.4 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025 that includes funding for additional police officers, firefighters and public works personnel to meet the rising demand for services as the City’s population grows. To fund these investments, the budget includes a tax increase of 6 mills to City residents and businesses, and 3 mills to residents and businesses within the Mauldin Fire Service Area (unincorporated areas around Mauldin that are served by the Mauldin Fire Department). The increase to the Fire Service Area millage was approved by Greenville County Council on Tuesday, June 18. This is the City’s first property tax increase in more than 15 years.
“This is a good budget that makes investments in the future of this city,” said Council Member Michael Reynolds, who chairs the Finance & Policy Committee, at Monday’s meeting. “It makes investments in patrol officers, firefighters, sanitation drivers and equipment to equip our city to be prepared not just for this next year, but for many years to come. We worked hard with staff to make sure that we’ve got a budget that will move this city to the future.”
Since 2010, Mauldin has grown from a community of just under 23,000 residents to more than 28,000 residents today. That number is projected to increase to 35,000 residents by 2030.
The FY25 budget includes investments to increase service capacity in Police, Fire and Public Works, including the following:
- 4 additional patrol officers for the creation of a traffic team that will focus on accident response, traffic enforcement, parking enforcement and more.
- 3 additional firefighters to operate the City’s new quick response vehicles (QRVs), which will provide rapid medical response capabilities without the use of larger, more expensive vehicles.
- 2 additional sanitation drivers to operate vehicles that provide trash and recycling collection services, brush pick-up and limb and leaf collection. With these additional personnel, the department will be able to resume bi-weekly brush pick-up, which is currently on a four-week rotation.
- 1 additional Parks Division employee to help care for parks and recreation areas, city entrance signs and other beautification projects.
- 1 additional Street Division staff member to enhance stormwater maintenance efforts.
- The purchase of various capital equipment, including 6 police cars, a grapple truck and a side-loader garbage truck.
For Mauldin residents, the financial impact of the tax increase will be $24 per year per $100,000 assessed home value. For a home worth $250,000, the increase amounts to $60/year or $5/month.
For residents in the Fire Service Area, the financial impact will be $12 per year per $100,000 assessed home value. For a home worth $250,000, the increase amounts to $30/year or $2.50 per month.
The median home price in Mauldin according to the latest census figures is $220,600.
The new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2024. Both tax increases will be reflected in tax bills mailed in late 2024 and will be collected in early 2025.
For more info, view the FY25 budget here.
