In the second session of the 118th General Assembly, the Municipal Association of SC and its member cities and towns continue to focus on job creation, economic development and positive quality of life as local foundations for statewide success.
Local elected leaders understand the importance of cities and towns as the catalysts for a successful economy through regional collaboration, public-private partnerships and locally-driven decision making. The legislative agenda is built on the
foundations of promoting economic growth, enhancing a positive quality of life and encouraging local accountability that support the state’s efforts to stimulate business, economic development and job creation.
In the 2012 legislative session, the Municipal Association of SC sets the following priorities for changes in state law to better serve residents and businesses by increasing the flexibility of local elected leaders to meet local needs. These changes will ensure efficient and effective service delivery required to create the environment businesses need to bring and retain jobs.
Challenge: Residents and businesses located in an unincorporated area completely surrounded by a municipality often face uncertain public safety response times and inefficient service delivery.
Solution: Update the state’s annexation laws to allow more flexibility in annexing property completely surrounded by a city or town. City residents will see increased efficiency of service delivery and effectiveness of public safety if cities and towns are able to annex unincorporated enclaves completely surrounded by the city.
Municipal Capital Projects Sales Tax
Challenge: Funding municipal infrastructure improvements that city residents and business owners support is difficult if county councils have decided not to place the question of a county-wide capital project sales tax on the ballot or if the majority of county residents have voted down such funding.
Solution: Allow municipal residents to vote to impose a capital project sales tax for funding specific municipal infrastructure projects when the county has opted not to pursue this option or when county residents have voted down the ballot question. City residents can decide at the local level which infrastructure projects are important to them and how they want to pay for these projects.
Rehabilitation of Abandoned and Dilapidated Buildings Act
Challenge: Residents and businesses demand a clean and safe city that is attractive to development and job creation but often find dilapidated, abandoned and unsafe buildings that impede the growth they desire and cause hazardous conditions in the community.
Solution: Give cities and counties access to a program available in other states to offer private sector developers and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to participate with cities and counties in a program to get rid of blight.
Local Government FundChallenge: In the current economic environment, cities and towns have prioritized projects and spending. However, with limited revenue options and increased service demands, cities and towns must increasingly rely on the Local Government Fund as a stable revenue source to meet local needs.
Solution: Ensure all revenue collected by the state on behalf of local governments is returned to cities and towns through a fully-funded Local Government Fund. Cities and towns depend on the Local Government Fund as a stable revenue source to provide the services, infrastructure and programs that spur economic growth in local economies.
In addition to the four legislative priorities, the Municipal Association has adopted the following statements to support legislation that enables cities and towns to meet local needs and provide services important to residents and businesses.
- Fiscal Issues
- Continue authority of local councils to set business license fees that are administered in a fair and consistent manner.
- Ensure changes in tax policy brought about by comprehensive tax reform efforts maintain cities’ and towns’ ability to make local decisions regarding revenue streams.
- Support efforts to responsibly reform the state retirement system to balance the fiscal needs of government with the retirement needs of thousands of municipal employees who participate in the state and police officers retirement systems.
- Encourage local fiscal flexibility and accountability of local elected leaders.
- Ensure cities and towns can continue local collection, oversight and allocation of local accommodations and hospitality tax revenues.
- Ensure local parks and recreation programs have the resources to operate in a safe and accessible manner.
- Economic Development/Infrastructure Issues
- Develop options to give cities and towns increased flexibility to offer incentives for recruiting and retaining small businesses.
- Support funding for road, bridge, utility and port infrastructure maintenance, improvements and expansion.
- Ensure local leaders have the flexibility to determine local priorities for a sustainable future in the use of alternative energy and other environmentally friendly practices.
- Maintain local control of regulation of municipal utilities to keep our state’s utility infrastructure well-maintained and growing to attract new investment and jobs to our state.
- Support local governance and regulation of municipal airports and the areas surrounding those airports.
- Ensure local leaders have a voice in developing the criteria for grant distribution through the SC Rural Infrastructure Authority.
- Support cities and towns in their efforts to make broadband internet access available to all residents.
- Public Safety Issues
- Support municipalities’ ability to make local decisions for the protection of residents, businesses and visitors.
- Eliminate availability and use of synthetic drugs such as bath salts and synthetic marijuana.
- Support efforts to establish a study committee to evaluate and set forth recommendations to reform court fines and fees.