The Municipal Association is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. In each Uptown issue leading up to the Annual Meeting, we will provide a snapshot of each decade, highlighting events and issues impacting local governments and the Association.
The World’s Fair offered people a glimpse into the world of tomorrow by showcasing its vision of the future. Americans, unable to forget the Great Depression, made conservatism and cooperation the general rule. A small group of local elected officials realized they had to pool their knowledge to meet the challenges of the changing times, pool their knowledge to meet the challenges of the changing times, and the Municipal Association of SC officially organized.
During the 1940s, the Association’s sole mission was lobbying at the State House for municipal governments. Local officials’ top issues were access to alternative sources of revenue, high insurance rates and taxes. Association members studied the possibility of establishing funds for self-insurance and pursued a fair tax on liquor, beer and wine to relieve the burden on the property tax.