In December of 2020, the Charleston City Council approved a budget than included a tax increase to our residents.
However, there was a consensus on Council that if we received Federal Funding through a Coronavirus Relief Bill, we would rollback that tax increase before the County released the next round of tax bills (Fall 2021).
The good news is that the City of Charleston is expected to get nearly $21 million through the local municipality portion of the latest stimulus package!!!
I have asked that this item be put on our next (March 23, 2021) agenda for the Charleston City Council to amend the 2021 budget to go ahead and agree to rollback the tax increase and balance the budget without it.
There is absolutely no reason for us to raise taxes during a Pandemic. Especially when our citizens and businesses have already taken the brunt of the blow during this crisis.
Instead, we need to do what we promised we would. We need to rollback taxes AND reinvest the remaining stimulus money back into the economy.
The stimulus package clearly states that we can:
"To respond to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality;"
-H.R. 1319 pg. 593
This is the LEAST we can do!