The bill named the "Community Unification Act" is being lobbied by the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
The MASC is touting the bill as a way to remove some red tape when it comes to gentrification projects. They've been touring the state to get ready for the upcoming legislative session and stopped in Conway this week to discuss the bill. The Sun News has more details here..
In addition to giving municipalities the ability to annex at will, it allows them to increase sales and property taxes for capital improvement projects. According to the MASC website, these are their legislative priorities:
Enclave Annexation - Update the state’s annexation laws to allow more flexibility in annexing property completely surrounded by a city or town to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.
Municipal Capital Projects Sales Tax - Allow municipal residents to vote to impose a capital project sales tax for funding specific projects when the county has opted not to pursue this option.
Millage issues - Allow cities flexibility to raise millage in one year by up to the previous three years of increases allowed by law but not previously imposed by council. This will discourage the “use it or lose it” increase current law encourages.
Enhanced codes enforcement tools - Increase tools and opportunities for cities and towns to eliminate blight and encourage economic development.
What do you think about this bill? Is it a way to help clean up our cities? A shortcut to increase taxes while also increasing the tax base? Both?
