County to hear presentation on Courthouse listening sessions
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
At their February 5 meeting, Darlington County Council will hear a presentation on the results of several listening sessions related to the County Courthouse, which were held across the county in December.
Facilitators Charles Weathers and Betty Parker from the Weathers Group of Columbia conducted the sessions, and Weathers is set to present the findings of these sessions in his report to Council. During these meetings, residents got the chance to voice their opinions on whether the County Courthouse should be rehabilitated, replaced with a new facility, or left as-is.
Facilitators also polled guests on the pros and cons of each option, and what their feelings were about the county’s potential financing methods. County Administrator Charles Stewart said that the county has two viable options for financing a new building (potential price tag of up to $40 million) or making repairs to the current courthouse (potential costs upwards of $8 million).
“The two most obvious means are property taxes, or a one-cent local option sales tax in addition to what’s already in place,” said Stewart, adding that he was open to suggestions for other revenue means that could finance a capital project of this scale.
He explained that securing bonds to pay for the project would require either the levy of an additional penny sales tax county-wide, bringing our total sales tax to 9-cents on the dollar, or raising property tax millage, which would place the burden solely on property owners.
Stewart added that if Council wishes to raise property tax millage or pursue an additional penny sales tax, these options would require approval by public referendum in the 2018 general election, and voters would decide the matter at the polls. Should Council decide to repair the current building, Stewart said the county might opt to borrow against its debt limit (which is 8 percent of the county’s assessed value), and that would give them a maximum of $12 or $13 million to work with.
On observation, citizens in attendance seemed in favor of building a new facility, and largely resisted the idea of leaving the 53 year-old courthouse as-is (citing issues like security, cramped offices, aged HVAC systems, water leaks, and mold). Several also voiced opposition to the idea of making property owners bear the burden of construction costs alone.
Darlington County Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m., February 5, at the Courthouse Annex located at 1625 Harry Byrd Hwy in Darlington. This meeting is open to the public.
