County council member urges voters to vote no on school bond issue
By Robert L. Kilgo, Jr., Darlington County Council Member
I have been practicing law in Darlington for over forty years. The practice has included civil litigation, probating estates, real estate transactions, and criminal defense. These require the use of the Darlington County Courthouse.
The present courthouse was opened in 1965. At that time, the Darlington Magistrate, Sheriff, Coroner, Superintendent of Education, Historical Commission, and the South Carolina Probation and Parole Office were in the building. They have all moved out of it over the years to other locations. Other county offices in the building have all expaned and moved into these vacated spaces. Since it was built, a new court was created, Family Court; it requires a courtroom, waiting rooms, and offices for two judges and their staff.
As an attorney, I look at the present facility as totally inadequate and unsafe for the court system. The criminal courts in South Carolina now require separate secure facilities in the building for the judges and another separate facility for prisoners. The public would also need access to the courts. This also is true for the Family Court. Many times the arguments in Family Court spill out into the public hallways, which are not secure. The present Probate Courtroom is so small it can’t house all the parties, and is also not secure. The Clerk of Court’s office is in the basement and is very overcrowded. All in all, the courthouse does not meet the needs of the citizens of Darlington County.
The Darlington County Council began looking at the status of the courthouse approximately eight years ago. A study was done on space requirements. Later, property was purchased on North Main Street to build a new judicial center. It has been cleared and the council had hoped to present to the voters in 2018 a proposal for funding it through a penny sale tax. That year was chosen because the Darlington County School Board penny sales tax would end that year.
Unfortunately, the Darlington County School District has decided it needs more money to build more schools for a declining school population, and is asking you on November 8th for a new bond issue. If it is passed, the Darlington County Council will not be able to build a new courthouse. I, as an attorney, councilman, and citizen of Darlington County, find this unacceptable. Please vote NO on the school bond issue.
