How Hanahan is run
Who runs Hanahan, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Hanahan's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Hanahan
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Hanahan city staff
The budget shows positions and payroll by department. The city does not publish individual salaries. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hanahan in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.7M (2025-06-30). City of Hanahan · Jan 14, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$6.7M · 32%
- State property tax relief revenue$3.3M · 16%
- Business licenses$2.8M · 14%
- Electric and gas franchise fees$1.2M · 6%
- Use of fund balance$1M · 5%
- State aid to subdivisions$578,499 · 3%
- Permits$350,000 · 2%
- Other$4.6M · 22%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$5.3M · 26%
- Fire and EMS$4.4M · 21%
- Recreation and parks$3.5M · 17%
- Non-departmental (insurance, legal, IT, other)$2.4M · 12%
- Public works and mechanic shop$2.1M · 10%
- Administration$1.6M · 8%
- Other (court, building and codes, animal control)$1.3M · 6%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Hanahan is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHanahan Police DepartmentCity of Hanahan · Jan 14, 2026
- FireThe cityHanahan Fire DepartmentCity of Hanahan · Jan 14, 2026
- EMSThe cityCity of HanahanCity of Hanahan · Jan 14, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityHanahan Public WorksCity of Hanahan
- Curbside recyclingPrivate companyRepublic ServicesCity of Hanahan
- Electricity and natural gasPrivate companyDominion EnergyCity of Hanahan
- Parks and recreationThe cityHanahan Recreation and Parks DepartmentCity of Hanahan
- Code enforcementThe cityCity of HanahanCity of Hanahan · Jan 14, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | HardeevilleSC | ClemsonSC | HanahanSC | GreenwoodSC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,459 | 18,941 | 22,415 | 22,745 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $185,000 | Not current (2021) | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,937 | $2,076 | $920 | $1,017 |
| Debt per resident | $974 | $2,730 | $545 | $40 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $962 | $944 | $469 | $541 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 12.0 | — | — |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Clemson pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Hanahan publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted contract or salary for City Administrator Courtney Soler on the city website. City of Hanahan
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member online Hanahan City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows $89,635 of payroll for the seven elected officials combined, but not each official's pay. City of Hanahan · Jun 9, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget draws $1,028,286 from fund balance. With $15,660,373 unassigned at June 30, 2025 and no written minimum, what reserve level does the council intend to keep?
- The general fund budget rises from $17,617,679 in FY2025-26 to $20,614,775 in FY2026-27. Which new positions and pay changes account for the increase?
- The city's share of state pension liabilities was $10,520,576 at June 30, 2025. How do rising contributions fit into future budgets?
- The budget lists $89,635 of payroll for the seven elected officials, but no posted document states each official's pay or the City Administrator's salary. Will the city post the ordinance and contract that set them?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Administrator proposes the budget, and the council adopts it by ordinance after a first and second reading. For FY2026-27, the first reading and public hearing were May 26, 2026 and the second reading was June 9, 2026. See who is running for council
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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