Hampton County Council approves school district millage request as district outlines FY27 shortfall
June 08, 2026 | Hampton County, South Carolina
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
Hampton County Council approved a CPI-based millage increase requested by the Hampton County School District during its June 8 meeting as district leaders outlined a projected budget gap for fiscal year 2026–27.
Dr. Glenda Sheffield introduced the district’s FY27 budget and turned the presentation over to the district’s chief financial officer, Kathy Cleasure. Cleasure said the district is asking for a 2.63% CPI increase that would raise operating mills from about 250.53 to roughly 257.1 — an increase she described as approximately 6.6 mills — and that the change would support about $12,231,276 in ad valorem tax revenue for the district.
“We are planning to use our fund balance to be able to meet this deficit,” Cleasure said, and attributed much of the budget increase to mandatory state restrictions on the district.
Councilmember [moved and seconded] a motion to approve a 2.6% increase described in the presentation; Councilman Williams announced he would abstain because of an affiliation with the school district. The chair called for approval by raised hands; the transcript records the motion being carried without a detailed roll-call tally recorded in the public record.
The district’s presentation noted that the FY27 budget represents a roughly 12% increase in overall budget size relative to the prior year. Cleasure described projected increases in both revenues and expenditures and told council members the district plans to draw on fund balance to cover the shortfall. Several numerical line items in the printed budget were garbled in the meeting transcript; district staff provided the millage, estimated ad valorem revenue and the percentage increase during the presentation.
Why it matters: The millage change, if set by the county as requested, would increase property tax support for the school district and help cover anticipated spending growth tied to state requirements. Councilmembers did not request a roll-call vote on the record during the meeting as transcribed; the transcript shows one member abstained and no member voiced opposition during the hand vote.
What’s next: Adoption of the county-wide millage rate is part of the county’s budget-setting and tax-rate process; additional public notices and formal rate-setting steps will follow according to the county’s schedule and state law.
Dr. Glenda Sheffield introduced the district’s FY27 budget and turned the presentation over to the district’s chief financial officer, Kathy Cleasure. Cleasure said the district is asking for a 2.63% CPI increase that would raise operating mills from about 250.53 to roughly 257.1 — an increase she described as approximately 6.6 mills — and that the change would support about $12,231,276 in ad valorem tax revenue for the district.
“We are planning to use our fund balance to be able to meet this deficit,” Cleasure said, and attributed much of the budget increase to mandatory state restrictions on the district.
Councilmember [moved and seconded] a motion to approve a 2.6% increase described in the presentation; Councilman Williams announced he would abstain because of an affiliation with the school district. The chair called for approval by raised hands; the transcript records the motion being carried without a detailed roll-call tally recorded in the public record.
The district’s presentation noted that the FY27 budget represents a roughly 12% increase in overall budget size relative to the prior year. Cleasure described projected increases in both revenues and expenditures and told council members the district plans to draw on fund balance to cover the shortfall. Several numerical line items in the printed budget were garbled in the meeting transcript; district staff provided the millage, estimated ad valorem revenue and the percentage increase during the presentation.
Why it matters: The millage change, if set by the county as requested, would increase property tax support for the school district and help cover anticipated spending growth tied to state requirements. Councilmembers did not request a roll-call vote on the record during the meeting as transcribed; the transcript shows one member abstained and no member voiced opposition during the hand vote.
What’s next: Adoption of the county-wide millage rate is part of the county’s budget-setting and tax-rate process; additional public notices and formal rate-setting steps will follow according to the county’s schedule and state law.
View the Full Meeting & All Its Details
This article offers just a summary. Unlock complete video, transcripts, and insights as a Founder Member.
✓
Watch full, unedited meeting videos
✓
Search every word spoken in unlimited transcripts
✓
AI summaries & real-time alerts (all government levels)
✓
Permanent access to expanding government content
30-day money-back guarantee
