Florence County Council held a meeting Wednesday morning to take a closer look at raising pay for law enforcement officers.
Back in November, Sheriff Kenney Boone pleaded for more money to pay his deputies, but the challenge council members face is Act 388 that passed in 2016. It’s a state law that puts a cap on the amount of taxes local governments can raise.
“If there’s no population growth, there’s no inflation and obviously they’re not allowed to raise taxes in those areas. So, that constraints their ability,” said Rep. Murrell Smith, Chairman of the Way and Means Committee.
During Wednesday’s meeting, several members proposed alternative plans that could possibly benefit law enforcement officers.
“Option two was a lesser amount, but option three is something we can actually live with, within our taxing ability and our budget. That way we can start increasing the pay at the lower end of the pay scale first,” said Florence County Council Chairman Kent Caudle.
Funding option three would cost roughly $650,000 and require a 1.5 mils increase. It would also be dependent on the allowable cap enhancement.
“It’s all a tax, that’s where it comes from. If we do it on a sales tax, I think it would involved everybody,” said Caudle.
The plan to raise law enforcement officers pay is still in the works and will be discussed again in January.