Bluffton presents nearly $114 million proposed budget; council keeps millage, weighs SRO funding and police pay increases

Bluffton officials on Thursday reviewed a proposed consolidated FY 2026–27 budget the presenter described as "just short of $114,000,000," maintaining the town’s property millage at 36 mills while proposing a 3% cost‑of‑living increase and a midyear merit program for town employees.

The budget presentation, delivered to the Town Council in a May 20 workshop, prioritized council goals including affordable housing, historic preservation, watershed protection and infrastructure projects. The presenter said the consolidated total is roughly $113.09 million in the slideshow and described the package as a 4.4% increase over the prior year.

Council members and staff spent substantial time on public safety staffing and compensation. The presentation includes a proposed change to police pay that would raise starting pay for recruits to about $61,000 a year; the presenter said the change is intended to help recruitment amid regional pay competition. "This gets our starting pay up for recruits to $61,000 a year," the presenter said. The police department will also implement other step‑plan adjustments intended to compress lower pay bands and improve retention.

Council also discussed whether to create or repurpose a school resource officer (SRO) position at May River High School. The town’s police chief outlined options: leave current coverage with two school security guards and an SRO; convert a security guard slot to a class‑3 SRO (a classification the chief said is often easier to recruit because of summer time off); or fund a full class‑1 SRO position. The chief said the district currently pays about $40,000 for one security guard and staff proposed asking the school to redirect that amount toward a new officer’s salary. "We asked the school to pay the diff to pay what they're paying for that security guard to put that towards the class 3 position," the chief said.

Staff noted tradeoffs in repurposing vacancies. The chief said five class‑1 positions are currently vacant across the department and cautioned that repurposing a patrol‑funded vacancy to a school assignment would reduce roadway coverage unless the town hires additional officers. Council signaled it would continue conversations with the school district and, depending on recruitment and funding, consider returning with a formal request between first and second reading of the budget.

On compensation for all employees, the presenter said the budget includes a 3% COLA and a midyear merit adjustment; the merit pool was described as 4% with an increased cap that will allow more lower‑paid employees to receive larger adjustments. "About 65% will reach the full midyear merit amount," the presenter said in explaining how the cap affects distribution.

Capital and fund‑balance items discussed included roughly $8.3 million in transfers to capital improvement projects, with approximately $7.8 million earmarked for land acquisition and multiple capital priorities such as a public services building expansion, affordable housing projects and Buckwalter area work. Staff also noted the town plans an emergency procurement for failing HVAC units at the law enforcement facility and will report that action to council in June.

The presenter reviewed the stormwater fee ($115 per unit) and compared regional rates; staff recommended two stormwater positions (an MS4 program manager and a six‑month overlap position to cover an upcoming retirement). Debt service remarks explained the legal debt margin under state law (up to 8% of assessed value) and the town’s current debt use (presenter said debt applicable to the limit would be about $6.2 million, using roughly 16% of the legal limit).

The council did not take formal votes during the workshop. The council scheduled a follow‑up workshop on May 28 to focus on capital projects and any lingering items before second reading of the budget ordinance.