The added 6/6 text is in blue.

Impact fees are not new taxes on existing homeowners; they simply transfer costs that would otherwise be borne by them to those who require new or expanded public facilities. Pam Creech, the District 10 Horry County Council primary candidate with a clear homeowner perspective, emphasizes the word “minimum” when she names $1,000 as the minimum impact fee she considers reasonable. Larry Bratcher adamantly opposes impact fees. Kevin Hardee has not responded to repeated requests to take a stand on impact fees and other homeowner issues; he receives the overwhelming financial endorsement of those in the construction industry, Larry Bratcher by some Board of Realtor associates.

In District 6, Bob Grabowski believes a $500 minimum impact fee is reasonable; he is a member of the Home Builders Association and of the two is the only one who has received contributions from home construction companies.  On the other hand, as reported by the 6/6 Sun News,  Bob Grabowski says: "I support them [impact fees] as they are currently written [in the S.C. statute], because that's the best we have.  There is much room for improvement in the way it's written."  I could not agree more with that statement. Arthur Thompkins says: "I'm not in favor of impact fees until we know where its going and how much we need,"  but these determinations are required by statute so there is no foundation for his misgivings.  All in all, despite the fact that $500 is a paltry sum compared to the impact of most new development, specifically homes, on the public facilities needed to support development and newcomers, and Mr. Grabowski's association with the Home Builders Association, to now a foe of impact fees, he seems to be the more amenable of the two to reason in this regard.  I would choose to vote for Mr. Grabowski.

District 9 candidate and incumbent, Paul Prince, opposes impact fees.  His opponent, Keith Powell favors fair impact fees as long as they are only imposed on those who receive the benefits of the public facilities paid for by the impact fees – as the impact fee statute requires.

There is further background information on these candidates including extracts from some of their financial disclosure statements and detailed questionnaire responses on other GIAC web pages such as “Candidate Information: District 10, Horry County Council” that you can reach by clicking on the “Horry County Council Campaigns” main menu item and then clicking the “10” link you find on that page.

There is only one S.C. House District Primary, District 106 – the seat being relinquished by Tom Keegan.  All three primary candidates – Bill Blankenship, Allen Deaton, and Nelson Hardwick – support significant changes in the S.C. impact fee statute to better allow counties to impose fair and meaningful fees on new development; they all even support dropping the impact fee statute to allow individual counties to decide how to fairly institute impact fee ordinances.  They all support and will work for an annual property tax cap until a property changes hands.  Only Blankenship says he does not support home rule for counties.  Hardwick, the only candidate with business ties to the construction industry, has received overwhelming financial support from that industry in campaign contributions.

The GIAC “S.C. State House District 106 Campaign” page, that you can reach by clicking on the “S.C. House Campaigns” main menu item and then clicking the “106” link you find on that page, details the responses of all three candidates to a questionnaire on eleven issues and provides details on contribution data from the financial disclosures the candidates submitted to the State House Ethics Committee.

The “S.C. Senate District 34 Campaign” page provides background information on the two remaining primary candidates for that seat – Ray Cleary, Horry County dentist and community/business leader and David Maring, Certified Mediator for the South Carolina Circuit Court and Federal District Court/Retired Circuit Court Judge.  This is the seat being vacated by Arthur Ravenal, Jr. that runs along the coast from Mount Pleasant, through Georgetown, north into southern Horry County. Ricky Horne, a previous candidate with a tourist industry background, has withdrawn and favors Mr. Cleary.  Both remaining candidates are very worthwhile, although I will vote for Cleary and hope that he follows through with Mr. Maring's proposal to champion changing S.C. law to protect our homesteads from creditors beyond the ridiculously outmoded $5,000 currently in effect.

Your vote in the Republican primaries next Tuesday, June 10, may determine Horry County’s future.