Budget Priorities 2021-22:
By Alex Saitta
May 17, 2021
Sprawl:
The county council is in the process of drawing up the budget for next year. To me, the most over-riding issue facing the county as well as all elected leaders in our county, cities and towns is sprawl. I warned about it five years ago; now it is in full force.
Comment from February 7, 2016: If (and some say when) those areas south and east of Greenville become too pricey, the sprawl of Greenville will then either turn north toward North Carolina or west toward Pickens. My belief is it is likely to go west toward Pickens because most of the main roads run east to west. We are already seeing the sprawl run west along I-85 and then north up SC 153 into Easley. It is starting to spread west along SC 123. Next it will run west on SC 93 to Liberty.
There are two tell-tale signs of sprawl. First, housing demand sky-rockets and rents go through the roof. Second, rents get so high (it becomes cheaper to own), so housing construction accelerates.
Housing Demand:
That is exactly what occurred. Here are the number of single family housing permits issued in Pickens County:
2010: 159
2011: 244
2012: 212
2013: 443
2014: 301
2015: 358
2016: 359
2017: 491
2018: 596
2019: 512
2020: 573
Below is total building permits of any kind in the unincorporated areas of the county, city of Pickens, Norris and Six Mile. The county government issues those permits and that data is easy to get. These figures include permits for single and multi-family homes, manufactured homes, commercial buildings, renovations, plumbing, electrical, sceptic tanks, putting in a pool, etc:
2010: 1,235
2011: 1,219
2012: 1,017
2013: 1,081
2014: 1,207
2015: 1,210
2016: 1,111
2017: 1,835
2018: 2,182
2019: 2,165
2020: 2,246
It is not only urban sprawl from Greenville, but regional sprawl from those fleeing the northeast and Florida and moving to the Carolinas. If we do not get ahead of the things population growth is stressing, we will be eaten up. Additionally, I want to protect the quality of life of those already here, and our aging population.
Aging population? Since 2000, 5k-12 enrollment in the School District of Pickens County has fallen by 531 students. Yet, the county population has grown by 15,823.
Top Priorities:
This is why my top budget priorities are EMS, solid waste, and roads. These services are being stressed by population growth and we falling behind the curve on all three.
Options being considered to get EMS caught up and ahead of the rising demand include building another EMS station in Easley; adding a 9 am to 9 pm ambulance crew or two to help in peak hours; upgrading a fire department or two to DHEC certification for handing emergency medical calls with quick response vehicles; and upgrading part of the aging ambulance fleet (6 of the 19 transports have more than 150,000 miles on them).
This year the county is spending $5.1 million on fixing roads and the county transportation committee another $2.5 million. You can see the state is also stepping up its effort on state roads like Highway 93, as the increased gas tax money is now flowing through the SCDOT. Unfortunately, Pickens County has a $110 million road problem, as 29% of its 660 miles of roads are in poor condition. Given the state is raising the gas tax 12 cents, we are looking for ways to boost county road funds without raising local taxes.
Turning to solid waste - trash, litter and recycling are a problem. Tonnage of waste in 2011 was 36,784. Today it is about 46,000 tons. Litter is all over our roads and Covid-19 has pushed recycling back a step or two. We are looking for another landfill, aiming to buy additional roll-off trucks to tote off full blue bins quicker at the recycle centers; adding a couple of litter control officers to crack down on illegal dumping; recruiting non-profit groups to pick up litter; urging the sheriff to put the prison litter crews back on the road; and getting the attendants back to the more detailed sorting of recyclables.
Conclusion:
There are five basic principles of finance I adhere to:
1) Live within your means. It is a bad idea to spend more than is coming in. If your revenue is this, spend only this or less, but not more than you a bringing in.
2) Set priorities. Revenue is limited so everything can not be a top tier priority. This is common sense too many question today.
3) In good times, save money for a rainy day. While recessions are fewer and farther in-between these days, they still do occur and revenue will fall below expenses at point. Savings will help cushion the blow.
4) Keep your debt to a minimum because interest buys you nothing; not even one pencil.
5) Tax increases are a last resort. The economy is driven by private investment and consumption. When taxes are raised, it reduces investment and consumption, hence long-term economic growth and income.
While the revenue is up, it is not infinite. As a result, we need to set priorities and those priorities for me are EMS, solid waste and roads.