Annexation is often among the most talked-about issues that a municipality can face. It can be a complex issue as well, affecting a city government’s finances, infrastructure development and emergency services planning, among other impacts.
To help explain how annexation works under state law, the Municipal Association of SC launched a new Annexation in South Carolina information hub on its website. It offers materials such as a one-page summary of annexation processes in South Carolina, and short videos that can help municipal officials and legislators understand annexation.
It includes, for example, this recent podcast in which the Association’s advocacy team explain how annexation works in South Carolina, as well as common misconceptions about the process.
Several short videos explain annexation as well, including this annexation overview from Senior Field Services Manager Charlie Barrineau.
Other videos from Association Legislative and Public Policy Advocate Erica Wright and Associate General Counsel Sara Weathers explain the technical aspects behind the three annexation methods in South Carolina — the 100% freeholder petition annexation method, the 75% petition annexation method, and the 25% petition and election annexation method. The overwhelming majority of annexations in South Carolina use the 100% method, which involves individual property owners requesting annexation of their property.
For South Carolina cities and towns who have municipality-specific annexation webpages they would like included in the Association’s annexation resources, or for those who have a story to share about why annexation is important to their community’s development, contact Erica Wright at ewright@masc.sc.