Letters to the Editor
May 28, 2008
To: The Editor of the Morning News
Thank you for printing my letter to the editor on May 13th. However, in editing my letter, important information that I tried to convey to the public was misconstrued. In my letter, I stated, “By the way, the county scrapes and rocks dirt roads, but they do not pave roads”. This statement was edited to read, “By the way, the county scrapes and rocks dirt roads, but they do not have paved roads.” The very important fact that Florence County does not pave roads needs to be restated to the public and I hope the Morning News will do so by printing this letter.
A case in point is Country Lane. Recently, the people living on this dirt road petitioned Florence County Council to pave their road. They said that they have been waiting 20 to 50 years to have their road paved. The people residing on Country Lane and everyone who lives on a dirt road needs to know, that in their lifetime, their road will not be paved by Florence County.
The $30 Road Maintenance Fee generates over 3 million dollars a year and most of it is spent on county dirt roads that will never be paved. This is why public needs to know that Florence County does not pave roads.
Mamie Gray
May 28, 2008
To: The News Journal
I live in the city of Florence on a state street and own two vehicles. I pay a thirty dollar Road Maintenance Fee on each vehicle, even though I can drive only one vehicle at a time. This fee is not used for any maintenance on my street or any street in the city of Florence. Therefore, I am being double taxed for a fee that does not benefit me.
People who live in the municipalities of Florence, Quinby, Lake City, Olanta, Pamplico, Johnsonville, Scranton, Coward and Timmonsville need to know that no matter how many times they pay the $30 road maintenance fee, the county is not responsible for maintenance, of any kind, on their roads. People who live on state roads in the county need to know that no matter how often they pay the $30 road maintenance fee, the county is not responsible for any maintenance on their roads.
It is my understanding that the money collected from this fee totals in the millions and is used primarily for maintenance of dirt roads. I can’t remember the last time I drove down a dirt road, yet I and the majority of the population are charged millions for the upkeep of these roads.
Recently a petition was presented the Florence County Council to lower the thirty dollar fee. So, what action has Florence County Council taken? They are spending taxpayers’ money to take the petition to court. In a newspaper article, Councilman Schofield said, “County Council is listening and that is why we are asking the court to decide.” Frankly, I think we elected nine councilmen to decide. If 11,000 (16% of the registered voters) people sign a petition, the nine councilmen should have gumption enough to discuss the issue at an open council meeting and make a decision for the people they were elected to serve.
Margaret Grimsby
May 18, 2008
To: Morning News
Some people on County Lane say they have been waiting 20 years to have their road paved and others say they have been waiting 50 years. Mitchell Kirby was quoted in a May 8th Morning News article as telling these people, “I’ll be with you all the way until we get something done on this.” He may be all the way with them for another twenty years because Mitchell Kirby omitted some very important information - the county does not pave roads. I know this for a fact because I used to serve on Florence County Council.
Presently the nine councilmen have a total of about 1.2 million dollars in the nine separate discretionary Paving Funds (That is what it is called, but they don’t pave roads). The last time we checked Kirby had about $266,000 in his Paving Fund. There is no priority plan to pave roads, like County Lane that desperately need it. And since the money (presently 1.2m) is divided between the nine councilmen who use it only for roads in their districts, there will never be enough to pave a road like Country Lane.
Having said this, the county added on 4.5 million dollars in debt when the outstanding bonds were refinanced. This 4.5 million is for these projects: a museum in southern Florence county (This may refer to the Bean Market in the city of Lake City); development of historical sites; expanding the exercise room at the Leatherman Center; a recreational park in Southern Florence County; a new voter registration building; a library in Johnsonville; a sidewalk along Wilson road; and a recreational park in the Brookgreen area. Why add more debt to these bonds we have been trying to pay off for 18 years? Are these projects more important than the upkeep on our existing roads?
County Council is also planning to impose a county 2% hospitality tax to build a new museum in the city of Florence and give more money to the Bean Museum in the city of Lake City. Yes, I said the cities of Florence and Lake City. County hospitality tax money will be spent for city projects at a time when our county roads are in terrible shape and gas, food and other prices are skyrocketing. It comes down to this, when people are going through hard economic times, Florence County should not borrow money or impose a sales tax for new parks, exercise rooms, bean museums, or other optional projects. The people on Country Lane better prepare themselves to wait another 20 or more years because the county does not pave roads, this comes under the state.
Ted Vause
Letter to the Editor
Council Takes 11,000 People To Court - May 13, 2008
I am a Florence County native who has lived in other states and who returned to this area 25 years ago. I have seen numerous petitions circulate, here and elsewhere. However, this is the first time that I know of, that 11,000 people have signed a petition asking their elected officials for change. I happened to sign it myself and along with 11,000 others, we want to lower the county Road Maintenance Fee. What is County Council’s answer to 11,000 people? According to the May 1st article in the Morning News, Florence County Council is going to take the citizens, who they were elected to serve, to court.
They are going to spend taxpayers’ money to take 11,000 taxpayers to court! This is at a time when gas prices, grocery prices, and all other prices are rising. During this economic downturn, county council also is intending to raise the county sales tax by 2 cents. This is the same group of nine men who gave themselves pay raises after saying there was not enough money to give county employees a raise. By the way, the county scrapes and rocks dirt roads, but they do not pave roads.
They are taking the people to court because they do not want to give the people the opportunity to vote on this issue in a referendum. Whether you agree or disagree that the road maintenance fee should be reduced, I think you have to agree that these nine men are not handling this issue in a democratic way. The money belongs to the people! Let the people vote on how much they should pay.
Mamie Gray
Letter to Editor May 8, 2008
LOCAL GOVERMENT FINANCING
A recent Op-ed article from The State pointed out that Home Rule local government financing maybe costing more than the tax payers can afford. To-wit, Florence County Council’s revitalization of downtown Florence, by funding a new downtown museum via a 2% county hospitality tax, and other yet unauthorized capital projects from refinancing the C O P Bonds which added more than $4.5 million. The Morning News reported these on May 2nd. A list of proposed capital projects can be found at FlorenceCIA.com. There has been no discussion at Council meetings of the raising of $300,000 for Florence museum and $100,000 for Lake City Bean Market museum with a new 2% hospitality tax plus A Cultural Commission for $85,000 in the 2008/09 budget. Other unfunded mandates from the SC legislature will be a future burden on local tax payers. Most of these are not publicly discussed and very little if any input has been made by the public.
Who is making these decisions and not explaining the intent for enacting ordinances to pay for them? A democratic government is to be conducted in public meetings in the light of sunshine! We are experiencing difficult financial times and citizens have to live within their means; doesn’t this apply to local government also?
Economic development in Florence County has, to some extent, resulted in a tax burden shift from commerce to the private community. Five year reassessment has further exacerbated this burden. The policy of earmarks, competitive grants and council members unrestricted funds, make tax payers leery of government spending policies and any direct benefit to all county residents.
Many pressing needs such as providing Water in County areas for portability and adequate fire protection are inadequate as opposed to the current proposed projects.
Priorities are not in keeping with citizen’s needs and population growth. More public input and study will keep all residents advised through OPEN GOVERNMENT.
W. G. Ranson
Florence