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harleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin presented her proposed municipal budget to the city's finance committee on Monday, March 3, her sixth time introducing a financial plan since taking office in 2019.

The mayor's latest budget, which goes into effect on July 1, totals $113.5 million. That amount is up roughly 1.7 percent, or $2 million, from fiscal year 2024-25.

"This budget, I'm proud of it, but it was probably the most difficult budget we've had to do," she said.

Goodwin said an increase in overall costs made putting the budget together challenging.

"It is more expensive to do the critical city services work today than it was six years ago," Goodwin said. "Vehicles that cost us $30,000 six years back cost us $50,000 now. Insurance rates are extremely high, and rising."

Goodwin said her team went line by line, department by department, combing through expenses to make sure monies were allocated appropriately.

"This budget does not propose any new taxes or fee increases," Goodwin told council members.

The city's positive financial state proved helpful in allocating budget expenses, the mayor notes.

"Revenues are up, and we're seeing higher collections [at the city level]," Goodwin said."The investments that we're making and the things we're doing are working."

Fiscal year 2025-26 budget highlights

On Monday, Goodwin explained her fiscal goals and her team's approach to budgeting city finances.

"We make very smart financial decisions about the investments that we're making," she told committee members. "We're also very responsible and transparent about this budget."

Goodwin emphasized funding that targets many of the proposals she laid forth in her State of the City address. She spoke specifically about increasing monies allotted to paving and demolishing dilapidated properties. She also mentioned continued investment in "the places and spaces where our small people play."

The city is currently in year three of a four-year plan that would increase starting wages for city workers to $15 per hour. Goodwin said the 2025-26 fiscal year budget includes an "increase in salary for all city employees," including members of the municipality's police and fire departments.

Charleston Finance Director Andy Wood was on hand at the committee meeting on Monday. He spoke to committee members about the city's overall financial position before breaking down the mayor's proposed budget. He said the city's finances have improved by $329 million from fiscal years 2018-24. The city gained $61 million in the 2024 fiscal year alone, Wood noted.

"That's due to a combination of changes that have happened in the city and policy decisions that we've made," he said.

Wood warned that the city will likely face increases in some budget areas, including PEIA rates for employees and garbage disposal fees. The latter is a result of the forthcoming closure of the city's landfill, which Wood says will cause the municipality's share of disposal fees to more than double.

Members of city council are expected to vote on the mayor's proposed budget at their next meeting on Monday, March 17.