Taxpayers speak out

Forum gives local, area residents
chance to present ideas for reform

August 24, 2005

By VIC MACDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

State Sen. Tommy Moore, right, talks to Jim Irwin, chairman of the Abbeville County Taxpayers Association, before a public forum on property tax reform.

EDGEFIELD — High property taxes and assessments mean South Carolinians never really own their property. They merely “rent” their land and homes from the government, some say.
However, without the “steady stream” of property tax revenues, how can local governments meet the demands of residents for basic services?
These arguments squared off Tuesday during a public forum at Strom Thurmond High School, with state senators playing the role of referee, guaranteeing a “fair fight.”
A subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary and Finance committees heard residents from the Lakelands and other areas present ideas on potential property tax reform measures to be presented to the General Assembly as early as November. The hearing was presided over by Sens. Glenn McConnell and Hugh Leatherman, of Charleston and Florence, respectively.
From the outset, senators had an idea of what they wanted to hear: solutions, not complaints.
“This is not a study committee to study,” McConnell told the crowd of about 100 people. “This is a committee to solve the problem.”
“We don’t want to hear your taxes are too high. We know that already or you wouldn’t be here,” Leatherman said. Still, it was inevitable that some complaints would be aired.
“In 2002, reassessment brought an additional $1,665,000 to the (Abbeville) schools. This is equivalent to 28.7 mills. The very next year, there was a mistake in calculating the millage exacted for the schools and thereby they received 9 mills too much,” said Jim Irwin, chairman of the Abbeville County Taxpayers Association. “And to our surprise thet did not refund one penny to the county, but have continued to ask for more.”
Irwin said the state-mandated Maintenance of Local Effort, requiring equal school funding locally from year to year plus an inflationary increase, allows for the continuing upward spiral in property taxes for public schools.
McCormick County Councilman John Philcox agreed. He said county officials defeated a move to allow the school district to have unlimited fiscal autonomy – the right of the school board to decide millage hikes without county council review – and the county government continues to monitor school spending increases.
He advocated an end to Maintenance of Local Efforts because, he said, small school districts can live within their means and don’t always need automatic millage increases.
Philcox also suggested a 2 cent increase in the state sales tax to offset local property taxes, the elimination of some sales tax exemptions, a modification of the state’s $300 limit on sales tax for vehicle purchases and a channeling of money raised by the lottery to public education once higher education funding needs are met.
Former state Rep. Harry Stille said some General Assembly “solutions” to past funding challenges have resulted in local governments getting shifted the burden once carried by the state of funding services. He said local property taxes have had to come up with $41.7 million per year for the reduction in the car tax from 10.5 percent to 6 percent enacted by the legislature in 2001.
When this reduction fully takes effect in 2007, Stille said it will cost local taxpayers $250 million a year.
“The legislature should not enact laws which shift the tax burden to the local taxpayers,” he said. The legislature should fund any and all tax proposals they require with state revenue. If they do not have the money, don’t do it.
“If the past five years is any indication of taxpayer trust in our legislature,” Stille said, “how can we be assured this statewide property tax proposal will be anything we want or need.”
That was a welcome remark to Greenwood City Manager Steve Brown, who attended the forum but did not address the subcommittee.
“A lot of people told what the problem is, not a lot of solutions,” he said. “I was interested in what Dr. Stille had to say – don’t let the cure be worse than the problem. They need to look at all the factors involved. Local government is portrayed as wanting people to pay property taxes.”
Brown said the subcommittee also should look at pockets of the state suffering from high unemployment, such as Greenwood. “Other regions of the state are doing well,” he said. “The key is to cut taxes at the state level, rather than what it has been – a shift rather than a cut.”
Property tax did have its allies at the forum. “The current system (of tax millage and mandated reassessment every five years) works for us,” said Mayor Mark Jones of North Augusta, which hasn’t raised taxes in 13 years.
“Government doesn’t always have to spend more money.”
Whatever the General Assembly does to reduce local property taxes it can’t come soon enough for retirees, Donna Boozer of Greenwood said. She expressed concern about escalating taxes on rental property she and her husband own in Uptown Greenwood.
“We are working part time to keep up, but that’s playing out,” she said. “I always felt we were ‘renting’ our property and it’s a sad, sad situation. We know people who have lost their property (for nonpayment of taxes).
“You work all your life for something then you can’t pay your taxes. Seniors are trying to live on Social Security and you can’t do it. If you’ve got a choice to pay taxes or medicine or food, you have to let the taxes go.”

Elbert Arnold

MANHATTAN, N.Y. — Elbert Arnold, 64, died Monday, Aug. 22, 2005 in Manhattan.
Born in Greenwood County, S.C., he was a son of the late Charlie and Hazeleen Mansel Arnold.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Freeman Arnold of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a daughter, Helena Arnold of Brooklyn; four foster sons, David Bethea, Nathaniel Bethea, Reedy Bethea and Kevin Bethea Sr., all of Brooklyn; five sisters, Ruby M. Arnold of Hodges, S.C., Susie J. Louden, Hazeleen Gilliam and Rosa Marie Anderson, all of Greenwood, Linda A. Ebo of Atlanta; nine brothers, Ellis Arnold and David Arnold, both of Greenville, S.C., Ellis Arnold, Parker Arnold and Izel Arnold, all of Cokesbury, S.C., Abner Arnold, Jimmy Louis Arnold and Carl Michael Arnold, all of Greenwood, Charles Richard Arnold of Abbeville, S.C.; a grandson; a foster grandson of the home, Kevin Bethea Jr.; a friend of the home, Julia Bethea.
The family is at the home of a sister Ruby Mae Arnold, 104-C Gregg Court, Hodges.
Services will be announced by Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home, Greenwood.

James David DeVore

James David DeVore, 47, of 702 Deadfall Road W., died Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of John Franklin and Bertha Janet Dodgen DeVore. He retired from the City of Greenwood and was a member of Gassaway United Methodist Church in Saluda.
Survivors include his parents of the home; a sister, Jane DeVore Maxwell of Greenwood; and two brothers, John DeVore of Greenwood and Billy DeVore of Saluda.
Services are 11 a.m. Thursday at Blyth Funeral Home, conducted by the Revs. Tina Thomas, George Thomas and Jeff Lethco. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 500 Taylor St.-Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Barbara A. Tompkins

Barbara Anderson Tompkins, 68, of 3 Gordon St., widow of Harvey Vance Tompkins, died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005 at her home.
Born in Abbeville County, she was a daughter of the late Hunter and Eloise Ellis Anderson. She was a member of Mount Zion Presbyterian Church, the Order of the Eastern Star of Due West and worked at Due West Retirement Center.
Survivors include two sons, Michael Vance Tompkins of Due West and Derick Evan Tompkins of Atlanta; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Mount Lebanon A.M.E. Church, conducted by the Rev. Larry Nelson. The body will be placed in the church at 12. Burial is in Mount Zion Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
No wake is planned.
The family is at the home.
Holloway’s Funeral Home of Belton is in charge.

Lander taking aim at soccer playoffs

August 24, 2005

From staff reports

The Erskine College keeper grabs the leg of Lander’s Chiddy Mgbor during last year’s game. Mgbor was third in points for the Bearcats last season.

The Lander University men’s soccer team has its sights set high for the 2005 campaign.
By returning most of the goal scoring and both starting goalkeepers from last season, the Bearcats are primed to make a run at their first NCAA Division II playoff appearance in four years and first Peach Belt Conference title since 1996.
Despite earning a first-place vote, Lander was selected fourth in the PBC preseason poll behind first-place Clayton State, USC Upstate and UNC Pembroke.
“I think a realistic goal for this program year in and year out is to be able to compete for a Peach Belt championship,” said Van Taylor, who has tallied a 275-112-15 in his previous 20 seasons at Lander.
“We are going to be very competitive. It’s just a matter of how quickly we gel, and our ability to stay healthy and get organized defensively.”
Defense is the key for the Bearcats taking a big step toward a PBC title.
The team has all of the offense it needs to make a title run. Of the 53 goals scored last season, which was third among PBC teams, the Bearcats return nine players that accounted for 51 of those scores, including 19 from leading goal-scorer and two-time All-PBC forward Luke Ibbetson.
Lander also has the senior goalkeeper tandem of Ryan Peck and Garrett Daum.
Peck played in 11 of the team’s 16 regular-season contests, earning a 4-2-2 record and a 2.12 goals allowed average.
Daum got in seven games and had an 0.8 goals allowed average, with three shutouts in his 4-1 record.
“I think goalkeeping will be competitive again,” Taylor said. “I don’t think anybody really emerged last year as a starter. They both did very, very well.”
But what Peck and Daum have directly in front of them this season will be primarily a new squad of defenders.
Gone because of eligibility are Giancarlo Giaccobone, Nick Devlin and Gary Winchester, who combined for 25 starts in 2004.
But the team is also without Martyn Bell — who made 15 starts as a freshman — because of an injury. Taylor said Bell would red-shirt this season and is expected to play in 2006.
Seniors Brent Cimino and juniors Colin Kent and Zach Ducey, who also plays in the midfield, combined for each played in at least 14 games a year ago.
Also competing for starting spots are senior Mike Hildebrandt, juniors Ife Nnadi and Ryan Thorman and freshmen Jesse Price and Greenwood High School standout Tyler Davis.
“We’ve got to get organized defensively so we don’t get into a shootout where we’re scoring a lot of goals, but are giving up goals,” Taylor said. “We are going to be capable of creating and scoring a lot of goals, but we need to find that balance where we aren’t just going forward, but are also defending.”
But if the offense should have to carry some of the early workload, it is solid enough to do so.
Ibbetson’s 19 goals put him second in the conference and his 43 total points were also No. 2, helping him earn an All-American selection.
And the junior from York, England accomplished those outstanding numbers despite missing the Bearcats’ final three contests because of an injury.
Taylor said that Ibbetson has recovered from the injury and is geared up for the new season.
“Luke had a good winter of rehab and good conditioning over the summer, so he’s ready to go,” the coach said.
But Ibbetson isn’t the only playmaker Taylor has back. Seniors Chiddy Mgbor and Carlos Lozano are back for their final season for the Bearcats. They both scored eight goals last season, with Lozano contributing seven assists and Mgbor six.
Fellow-senior Jack Thompson also had six assists to go along with four goals.
Thompson and Lozano will be joined in the midfield by sophomores Drew Courtney and Antti Suoniemi, who played in 15 and 14 games, respectively, last season.
Juniors Corey Vickers and James Clarke, sophomores Mark Weston and Daniel Guerrini and freshman Chris Napoli round out the midfielders.
The Bearcats open the season on the road, playing at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Andrews.
After a Sunday contest at Mt. Olive College, Lander plays its first home game Aug. 31 against area rival and Taylor’s alma mater Erskine.
The Bearcats begin PBC play Sept. 24 at conference-newcomer North Georgia. The team’s first home conference match is Oct. 8 against Clayton State.

Double standards apply when freedom the issue

August 24, 2005

Sometimes, it seems, we have some strange notions about freedom of speech in this country. For many of us in South Carolina it’s puzzling, too.
Some radical Muslim clerics living in this country exploit our constitutional freedoms to promote hate and violence against Americans. One even has been living here since his visa expired. Nevertheless, there are some Americans who argue that he is protected under our Constitution, no matter how hateful his rhetoric.
When he urges terrorists to kill Americans, though, that, at least for most of us, is totally out of bounds.
Compare it with the usual example of when freedom of speech does not apply.

USING THE STANDARD comparison, could this same cleric go into a crowded theater and shout ‘fire!’ when there is no fire? Of course he couldn’t. That would be breaking the law.
So, then, how can he go out in public and shout ‘kill Americans’ and be protected by the Constitution? Then, too, why should he be extended protection when he has violated his permission to be here?
It’s amazing, although not all that surprising, that many bleeding heart liberals and other leftists argue that he’s protected by the First Amendment.
On the other hand, how many of them would argue for the same freedom for a Confederate flag proponent who publicly campaigns for that flag to be returned to the dome of the State House?

WHAT IF SOMEONE GOT on a soapbox and proposed attacking blacks or homosexuals or a member of another minority?
He couldn’t get away with it, right! That would be a hate crime, right! The person would be put under the jail, right?
Whether anyone agrees or not with one of those things or the other is not the point. The point is, double standards are all around us, everyday. It’s yet one more example where everything depends on whose ox is being gored ….. and why.
None of those things should be condoned. That goes without saying, of course.
Try another example. What if this editorial encouraged South Carolinians to go out and kill other South Carolinians? Would it be protected by the First Amendment?
Absolutely not! Nor should it!
What’s the difference?