Millage cap exception for property near bases needs Sanford’s signature
The previously tied hands of Sumter officials could be loosened if Gov. Mark Sanford signs into law a bill that allows counties a special exception to a state-mandated millage cap in order to purchase land rights around military facilities.
And many Sumter officials will breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Sumter County Administrator Bill Noonan said the bill frees the county to prevent encroachment near Shaw Air Force Base.
“It gives us an option to decide to take significant measures to protect the integrity of military bases,” Noonan said”. “This is the avenue we can follow to do it.”
The bill barely passed before lawmakers called time on this year’s legislative session. Thursday was the last day the General Assembly was scheduled to meet this year.
But legislators will return in a couple of weeks to review any vetoes by the governor.
“We haven’t set a date,” said state Rep. Murrell Smith, R- Sumter. “But we’re coming back into special session specifically to deal with any vetoes. Otherwise, we couldn’t deal with them until the next session in January.”
Smith said he was concerned that the Senate allowed one more exception. “It was for Chesterfield County that allows an exception for state parks with more than 40,000 acres,” Smith said. “It’s a very narrow, specific exception for the situation.”
He said the action concerned him as setting a bad precedent. “You don’t want to start down a slippery slope of allowing millage cap exceptions,” Smith said. “What we have is a unique situation.”
Smith said that although he had reservations about allowing another exception, he voted to pass the bill to get it through during this session.
Overall, it’s been a long wait, Noonan said. Smith sponsored the bill in 2007.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives in two months and transferred to the Senate. It then hit a wall in May 2007 when state Sen. David Thomas, R- Greenville, signed his name to the bill, essentially stopping it form proceeding through the Senate.
Meanwhile, both the city and county have danced around many rezoning request ordinances that involve development near the base. Should the bill be enacted, County Council will be able to collect monies for a maximum of five years specifically to purchase development rights.
State Sen. Phil Leventis, D- Sumter, said the Sumter delegation had “met and met and met” with Thomas in efforts to iron out the questions Thomas had about the bill.
“We were all involved,” Leventis said. “It took a lot of convincing to allow our county to have the latitude to protect the base with an investment.”
“Senator Thomas, like others, is distrustful of local government,” Leventis said.
Thomas did not return phone calls by press time on Thursday.
Thomas was asking that the base commander petition the local governing body to take steps to prevent encroachment, Leventis said.
“But they (base commanders) can’t advocate for public policy,” he said.
County Council-in the midst of its budgetary season- will still have the option of putting the legislation to work. It will have to do so before June 30 as its fiscal year begins July 1.
Noonan said the information would be presented to County Council on Thursday during a specially called meeting and could be discussed as early as next week.
Current estimates, which are those presented by the City County Planning Commission in July 2007, were that the county should raise $2.5 million to $3 million for about 1,000 acres of land.
City- County Planning Director George McGregor said the estimate was specific to the “critical areas at the north and south of the runway.”
McGregor said the county could decide to include a wider definition as to what land it would like to purchase.
Gov. Mark Sanford must sign or veto the bill within 10 days. Smith said Sanford hasn’t given any indication whether he’ll veto it.
By Jamie Hudson
The Item
Friday June 6, 2008
