Fire districts get requested tax boost

Beaufort County Council set the county's tax rates Monday for this fiscal year, raising the rates only for three fire districts expected to face budget shortfalls.

Council members unanimously approved tax rate increases for the Burton, Lady's Island-St. Helena and Daufuskie Island fire districts.

None of the county's five districts increased spending from last year, but slow growth made it unlikely that some would generate enough property tax revenue to fund their operations, officials said.

The rate increase -- capped at 6.4 percent by state law -- will enable Burton to eke by, but the Lady's Island-St. Helena and Daufuskie districts still can't cover their budget needs without county money.

The tax increases range from 96 cents in Daufuskie to $23.76 in Burton for an owner-occupied home assessed at $200,000. Service will not be disrupted.

"In the case of Lady's Island and Daufuskie, we'd probably need to take a hard look at those (budgets) next year," said Councilman Stu Rodman, chairman of the council Finance Committee. "It would strike me that we may well be in the situation, since the deficit is increasing, that we may have to consider, as a council, breaking the mill cap."State law allows county councils to break the cap with a super majority, in Beaufort County's case, eight votes.

A proposed tax rate increase for the Bluffton Township Fire District was removed from consideration shortly before the council vote. The district will generate about $55,900 less in tax revenue than it needs to meet its budget, without an increase.

Councilman Jerry Stewart said Bluffton would be able to dip into its fund balance, projected to hit $2.77 million by June 2010, instead of raising taxes.

The Sheldon Fire District did not ask for a rate increase.

Monday's vote also approved the county operations and debt tax rates, which are rolled back this year because of countywide property reassessment.

A public hearing and vote on the tax rate for the Beaufort County School District is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 28 in County Council Chambers in Beaufort.

The Beaufort County Board of Education voted Sept. 2 to raise the rate for commercial property and non-owner occupied homes to make up for an anticipated $2.4 million budget shortfall, amounting to about $22 on a $200,000 home.

Council must approve the school board recommendation before it takes effect.