COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County residents are now paying more for curbside trash pick-up under the county's $1 billion 2022-2023 budget.
The budget, which took effect July 1, does not raise taxes, however.
"These last two and a half years living in this pandemic has not been easy. And if we can do anything to assist our constituents by not raising taxes, then that's what we'd like to do," said Richland County Councilmember Cheryl English.
English tells News19 the garbage curbside rate is increasing from $320 to $350. The landfill millage rate is also increasing to about 76 cents a year per user.
The county is planning to create 35 new positions, nine of which are a part of the solid waste department.
The budget also raises county workers minimum wage to about $32,000 a year starting August 5. Current employees are receiving a 4% raise while county detention officers are getting a 7.24% raise.
“A livable wage just means somebody can just go to work and not worry about whether to buy groceries or gas that they can do both at the same time,” said English.
The budget includes funding for several organizations. The Columbia Museum of Art is receiving $800,000, the Historic Columbia Foundation is receiving $500,000, and $400,000 is going towards EdVenture.
"It's kind of like tourism dollars, when you open those venues up, it brings more revenue which really helps the state and kind of helps us equalize and balance out the budget," said English.
Hospitality taxes are expected to bring in nearly $8 million in the coming year, while accommodation taxes are expected to bring in $400,000.
Under the new budget, all employees are switching to a new health insurance plan that is expected to save the county $40 million over the next five years.