Richland County commissioners approve 2027 tax budget, hires and contracts

The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted July 9 to approve its 2027 tax budget and a slate of routine approvals covering hires, repairs and vendor contracts.

County Commissioner Cliff Meares opened the meeting at 8:30 a.m. and, after returning from an executive session on Job and Family Services union negotiations with no action taken, led the board through consent items. The board certified the July 7 record of proceedings and approved requisitions, weekly transfers and additional appropriations. Meares then moved to approve the 2027 tax budget, which had been reviewed previously; the motion passed.

The board authorized hiring three positions at Job and Family Services: an eligibility referral specialist 2 at $19.26 an hour, a unit support worker 2 at $16.85 an hour, and a fiscal officer at $22.26 an hour, each with an expected start date of July 16. The commissioners also approved a utility permit for Columbia Gas on Pleasant Valley Road and authorized advertising for two wastewater positions — a full-time billing clerk and a Class 2 operator — as the county seeks to fill public-works roles.

Meares presented a consultant agreement for the Marion Avenue Ridge project with a stated maximum fee of $99,277; the board approved the agreement. The county also authorized repairs at Job and Family Services, including an air-conditioning compressor quoted at $7,240, and approved three window-cleaning quotes for county facilities totaling several thousand dollars.

County staff described remaining work to finish security upgrades at the People’s building, saying the outstanding cost was roughly $75,784.89 to $77,000 to replace and add cameras and finish access-control work; the board approved moving forward to complete the project.

The meeting concluded with no additional business and adjournment at 9:03 a.m.