In a packed chamber marked by sharp divisions and vocal community input, the York County Council passed the final reading of its fiscal year 2027 operating budget on Monday night, enacting a full property tax millage reduction over the objections of a frustrated minority.
The high-stakes meeting kicked off with a rapid-fire session of the transportation committee, which unanimously approved $1,500 in state-directed funding to dedicate local road segments in honor of fallen Rock Hill law enforcement officers Robert M. McFaden, Robert Gilmore Johnston, and Steven Wayne Jordan.
Council pushes through tax cut package
The primary legislative battle focused on the third reading of the county’s annual budget. Council Chair Kristen Cox introduced a sweeping, multi-part amendment designed to maximize a budgetary surplus driven by recent property reassessments.
The approved package delivers a one-mill reduction to the general fund tax rate—doubling the half-mill cut approved during the second reading—by eliminating or shifting several major spending lines:
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One-Time Projects: Alleviated $275,000 from stormwater and weather screening projects, moving those expenses to the county’s fund balance.
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Contingency Drawdowns: Reduced the county manager’s emergency contingency fund by $150,000 and lowered the salary contingency fund by $93,729.
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Administrative Restructuring: Eliminated a planned $38,000 reclassification of an executive assistant to an ombudsman position within the manager’s office, shifting the ombudsman role to the Economic Development department instead.
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Department Realignments: Consolidated the vacant dual position of Chief Financial Officer and Assistant County Manager, replacing it strictly with a finance-department-based CFO to avoid budgetary expansion.
The amendment passed 4–2, subsequently carrying the main budget vote by the same margin. Opponents on the council voiced concerns with the sudden package, calling it unexamined “crap” and warning that deep cuts to administrative management and contingency buffers would trigger severe operational deficits next year to achieve short-term political favor.
Local residents sound alarms on solar and data centers
Prior to the budget showdown, the council’s public forum was dominated by residents raising serious concerns over industrial zoning, environment, and county transparency.
John Worth of Fort Mill presented a comparative analysis between the incoming Silfab solar cell plant in York County and an existing facility in Greenwood County. Worth noted that Silfab is situated in a light industrial zone surrounded by homes, placing 38 times more residents and multiple schools within a one-mile radius than the Greenwood site.
“Toxic gas will reach Flint Hill schools in six minutes in a five-mile-per-hour wind,” Worth warned, providing council members with data showing that the location carries an unacceptable burden of risk due to the nearby population density.
A heavy contingent of residents from York and Rock Hill also criticized the rapid proliferation of high-density data centers, specifically targeting “Project Cobra,” a 391-acre hyperscale facility managed by QTS. Complainants argued that the county’s outdated zoning codes allowed massive, energy-hungry computing warehouses to bypass rigid scrutiny by disguising them behind code names and deceptive jargon like “campuses.”
Residents implored leadership to act on a proposed nine-month building moratorium recommended by the planning and zoning committee to properly study the noise, water, and electrical impacts of data centers on adjacent farmlands.
Darden Restaurants subsidiary unmasked
In a partial victory for residents demanding corporate transparency, the council unanimously approved a pass-through state incentive grant for “Project Brisk,” officially unmasking the entity as GMRI, Inc.—a primary manufacturing and distribution subsidiary of Darden Restaurants.
The $9.35 million project will establish a cold storage and distribution center at 3623 Lazy Hawk Road in Rock Hill. Corporate representatives confirmed the site will bring 80 full-time jobs paying an average of $28.10 per hour with full benefits. The facility aims to be operational by October 2026, with long-term forecasts positioning the site to expand into a premier Mid-Atlantic regional logistics hub.
