CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The Charleston City Council has advanced a record $381 million budget for 2026, and city employees will get raises without increasing the property tax for homeowners.
Next year’s budget marks the city’s largest budget ever, with a 9 percent increase from this year’s $349 million budget. One of the main priorities for the budget is an increase in city employee compensation. With the new budget, city employees can expect a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment to help offset rising healthcare costs and overall inflation.
“The most important asset that we have with the city is the almost 1,900 employees,” Charleston City Councilman Keith Waring says. “That’s why we burn the midnight oil to try to give a little bit better cost-of-living raise.”…