Columbia , SC - Governor Mark Sanford’s State of the State address made several key points that have direct connections to the state’s cities and towns.
Mayor Doug Echols of Rock Hill and president of the Municipal Association of SC noted Sanford’s call for better annexation laws in South Carolina. “ South Carolina cities and towns have long been dealing with the most challenging annexation laws in the country. Hearing this issue as part of the governor’s agenda is very encouraging.”
Sanford announced the creation of a land use planning conference to bring in experts to study growth issues and educate those officials at the local level on good planning practices. There is already a bill proposed in the state Senate that reforms annexation laws to help cities better plan for growth.
Sanford also mentioned several reform items that he classified as quality of life issues including strengthening DUI laws, land conservation and educational reform.
“ South Carolina cities and towns are the primary source of the resources that create a positive quality of life for its residents and businesses,” said Howard Duvall, executive director of the Municipal Association. “Police protection, tourism, recreation and cultural activities all provide for a positive quality of life for families as well as an attractive element for businesses in today’s global economy. Cities and towns are the economic engines that drive competitiveness and the focus on quality of life for the success of the state must begin with South Carolina hometowns. We were very pleased to hear the governor focusing on this.”
Another focus of the governor’s speech was pursuing comprehensive tax reform. “With the recent patchwork of tax changes over the past few years, it has become evident that we can’t solve our state’s tax problems with a band-aid here and there every year,” Duvall said. “The legislature must look at the state’s overall tax policy before making any further decisions on changes. This is especially true when considering proposed caps on local government spending which would tie the hands of city leaders when determining local financial priorities.”
Another topic mentioned in the speech that related to good fiscal management in cities and towns was the focus on reforming workers' comp and the Second Injury Fund. "Municipal governments deal with the same issues as businesses when it comes to meeting the challenge of skyrocketing workers' comp costs and required contributions to the Second Injury Fund," said Duvall. "Reform of our state's workers' comp system is a major issue this year for cities and towns."