County moves ahead on $300 million solar project
At the Dec. 4 meeting of Darlington County Council, chair Bobby Hudson (left) presented retired Emergency Management director Woodrow “Mac” McDonald with a plaque commemorating his 25 years of service to the county.
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Darlington County Council convened their regular monthly meeting on Monday, December 4, and forwarded two ordinances related to a potential $300 million investment in solar energy.
Council held a public hearing and second reading for Ordinance 17-17, which would offer FILOT (Fee In Lieu Of Tax) agreements with an unnamed company involved in a solar energy development plan code named “Project Dates.” The ordinance extract states that “many solar projects are looking at South Carolina,” and the “conversion of agricultural property to solar property can produce significant increases in property tax revenue.” The extract also states that the unnamed company has represented that incentives are critical to their locating in Darlington County.
The company has assured Darlington County that a series of expenditures totaling over $300 million will be invested in 17 different solar power facilities before December 31 of 2022. Tax map searches for properties named in Project Dates show several small parcels and several large parcels scattered across multiple locations throughout the county.
Related to this, Council also passed second reading for Ordinance 17-18, enlarging the boundaries of the Darlington-Florence Industrial Park to include property owned or operated by Project Dates.
Council approved final reading for Ordinance 17-16, altering the boundaries of the Darlington/Lee County Joint Industrial Park to include property owned by Fiber Industries to allow the county to grant Special Source Revenue Credits it promised to Fiber Industries in August of 2017. The ordinance also allows the allocation of 1-percent revenues to Lee County as a park partner.
Ordinance 17-12, allowing Darlington County department heads to reside outside the county, came up for final reading but was carried over, with Council member Bobby Kilgo citing the need for more consideration and review before the residency requirement is repealed.
County administrator Charles Stewart informed Council that a report on the recent public listening sessions regarding the fate of the county courthouse will be presented at County Council’s regular meeting in February by facilitator Charles Weathers of the Weathers Group, which conducted the sessions.
