No tax hike in works as Cayce weighs boosting employee pay, public safety spending

Jan 16, 2024

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Cayce is considering a cost-of-living raise for city employees as part of its proposed budget but no tax increase is planned. Leah Hincks/Staff

CAYCE — The city of Cayce is considering a cost-of-living salary increase for city employees as a part of its proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, as well as substantial increases in police and fire spending.

After implementing an 8 percent tax increase last year, officials in Cayce, a 14,000-person city just across the river from downtown Columbia, don't plan to raise property taxes to fund the $19.7 million budget, according to an unfinalized draft that Cayce City Council supported in a June 6 meeting.

The lack of movement on city taxes may be welcome for Cayce residents, who potentially face a bump in their overall taxes, with Lexington County gearing up to increase its taxes to account for high inflation rates and the county's growth.

The city is considering spending 13.7 percent more than last year's $17 million budget.

More than 40 percent of the city's budget is set to go toward Cayce's Police Department, spread among several sectors of police work: traffic, administration, investigation, parks, dispatch and school resource officers. The planned $8.5 million police budget is 18.7 percent higher than last year's.

Though the police are set to collect the lion's share of funding, Cayce is also considering a major increase in Fire Department spending at $2.7 million, 29 percent more than the city allocated to fire last year.

Among other major funding areas, the Sanitation Department budget is set at $1.4 million and the Parks Department at $1 million. Smaller portions are set to go to planning and development, the Cayce museum, city events, administration and legislation.

The proposed budget also includes a 4 percent cost-of-living pay increase for Cayce employees.

To offset rising fuel prices, capital replacement costs and the need to bump salaries to stay competitive, city staff has requested that sanitation fees be increased by $2, to a total of $15.50 per month. Cayce staff plans lean primarily on property taxes, a hospitality tax and a variety of fees, including business licensing fees, for revenue during the coming year.

New fees proposed by city staff this year include a food truck inspection sticker, a charitable solicitation permit and a coin-operated machine sticker. Cayce is also considering plans to collect fees from its new community tool shed, which opened on June 7 and will allow Cayce residents to borrow tools to complete yard work.

If the proposed budget receives final approval, it will go into effect on July 1.

Reach Leah Hincks at 843-830-2555. Follow her on Twitter @LeahHincks

Leah Hincks covers Lexington County for the Post and Courier in Columbia. She is a Massachusetts native who studied journalism at the University of Richmond, and spends her free time running and reading.

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Cayce staff don't plan to raise property taxes to fund the $19.7 million budget that will pay for the police, fire and sanitation departments among other miscellaneous spending. Read moreNo tax hike in works as Cayce weighs boosting employee pay, public safety spending