MAULDIN, S.C. (WSPA) — The City of Mauldin’s property taxes are increasing for the first time in 15 years. City Council unanimously approved the second reading of Mauldin’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget on Monday.
“It’s a good budget that makes investments in the future of this city,” councilman Michael Reynolds said.
The $38.4 million budget includes a tax increase of six mills for city residents and businesses. “The financial impact would be $24 per year per $100,000 assessed home value,” according to the city.
The budget also includes a tax increase of three mills for residents and businesses within the Mauldin Fire Service Area, which is the unincorporated area around Mauldin that is served by the city’s dire department. “The financial impact would be $12 per year per $100,000 assessed home value,” according to the city.
“We didn’t take this lightly because this is 15 years,” Mayor Terry Merritt said. “All of us live here. All of us are getting hit the same.”
The tax revenue will be used to hire additional first responders and public works personnel. The city plans to hire for the following positions:
- 4 patrol officers to create a traffic team within the Mauldin Police Department
- 3 firefighters to operate the city’s quick response vehicles
- 2 sanitation drivers
- 1 Parks Division employee
- 1 Street Division staff member to work on stormwater maintenance
The city also plans to buy six police cars, a grapple truck and garbage truck.
Merritt said raising taxes was not an easy decision for city council, but it was needed to keep up with the city’s growth.
“We’ve run the efficiency scale as long as we could,” Merritt said. “We’ve gone as efficiently as we can with the people that we have. We have to add staff. Our growth will go from 23,000 in 2010 to probably by 2030, we’ll be at 35,000 citizens.”
Residents and business owners can expect to see the tax increase in their tax bills that are mailed at the end of the year. Taxes will be collected in 2025, according to the city.
