Decries Act 388
By Stan Welch
The Anderson County Council meeting Tuesday night could best be described as deja vu all over again, in the words of Yogi Berra.
Greg Skipper, of the Calvary Home for Children, informed the Council that South Carolina has more than four thousand children in need of foster homes, with two hundred fifty five in Anderson County alone. The agenda then became repetitious as first Councilman Frances Crowder and then Councilwoman Gracie Floyd repeated their budget concerns; concerns last heard two weeks ago at the last Council meeting.
Councilman Crowder, who is not seeking reelection this year, revisited the decisions made by the General Assembly eight years ago, when they passed Act 388 and also reduced vehicle taxes; a combination of actions that Crowder said had cost Anderson County approximately $8 million a year in reduced aid to subdivisions funding from the state. He went on to revisit the state mandates that also increase the fiscal pressure on the county, and listed various options the county can employ, if the political will can be mustered.
Those options include a tax increase, a local option sales tax, and a road fee to address the need for additional funds for infrastructure. He continued to decry the increasing costs of benefits that must be provided to the county’s hundreds of employees.
When Crowder was finished, Floyd could hardly wait to revisit the issue of how much the county has spent in its legal battles with former administrator Joey Preston.
The Council did manage to pass two ordinances.
One will establish weight limits for large trucks on Cheddar, Breazeale, and Hopewell roads. Those limits went into effect immediately, but signage informing traffic of the new limits will take approximately two weeks to install.
The Council also recognized the Powdersville League of Athletic Youth and its board of directors. Councilman Ken Waters introduced that resolution.
Councilwoman Cindy Wilson and Councilman Mitchell Cole co sponsored a resolution recognizing the Belton-Honea Path baseball team for their accomplishments in winning the 2016 AAA High School Championship.
