City Council Passes FY 2023 Budget
The City of Charleston 2022 – 2023 budget, presented by Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin and Finance Director Andy Wood, was approved during tonight’s Charleston City Council meeting. This budget will go into effect July 1, 2022.
“Every employee across City government plays a critical role in providing the services that the people of Charleston need and deserve. It was a priority to me, in this budget, to provide cost of living pay increases for all employees and I want to thank City Council for making it one of their priorities as well,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “In addition to these much-deserved raises, I continue to prioritize infrastructure improvements, public safety and resources for our small businesses. These things are important to creating the vibrant environment we all want to live in.”
The City’s 2022 – 2023 budget:
- does not cut or eliminate any essential city services
- creates no new taxes
- does not eliminate any positions or make cuts to overtime—including police, fire, and public works
- does not change any funding to employee or retiree healthcare coverage
- allows for the purchase of critical machinery and equipment, including:
- Fifteen (15) Interceptor SUVs for the Charleston Police Department
- One (1) ladder truck for the Charleston Fire Department
- One (1) pumper truck for the Charleston Fire Department
- One (1) ambulance for the Charleston Fire Department
- Four (4) packer trucks for the Refuse Department
- Four (4) leaf machines for the Streets Department
- includes a seven percent cost-of-living adjustment for all city employees—including police and fire
- includes the highest initial demolition budget on record—$500,000—to more adequately address dilapidated and abandoned structures
- includes a $3 million paving budget—for the fourth year in a row
- adds two positions in the City Collector’s Office to better serve our local businesses—including a Small Business Liaison
