Friday, June 15, 2007
Counties – Question 9
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About The Course and this Blog
- Robert Botsch, USCA Political Science
- I am the one on the right! I have been a professor of political science at USCA since 1978. We will use this blog for class discussion and for posting written assignments that I may make. When you post you may do so using the anonymous profile, but please sign your name to all your posts! Posts are shown REVERSE chronological order. The most recent post is at the top. So READ FROM THE BOTTOM UP in the topics shown in the BLOG ARCHIVE above.
3 comments:
Altering the borders will also alter the Local Government Law gives counties the same powers as municipal courts. SC Constitution only allows for 46 counties. Trying to alter the counties and incorporate cities may leave some in limbo. Elected officials will be a problem. Who will govern those cities in limbo? Will they have to have a separate sheriff, tax collector, etc. One major problem with altering the borders will only agitate an already sensitive issue amongst parents and that is school zoning. All of these are issues that will need to be addressed. They will directly affect those living in the South Carolina area. It could lead to more taxes, which is something that everybody hates. It is something that is rare because it is probably so cumbersome to restructure the city/county.
Erica Wilson Armour
Counties are for many, their only general purpose local government. They tend to rely on the changes or advancements made therein. Oftentimes it is hard for people who live in suburban areas of larger cities, because some services are supplemented due to their city’s incapability. This is one challenge that could affect quality of life because a lot of times the services that are supplemented are emergency medical services, planning and zoning and economic development. These are the things that a city needs to run efficiently. Another challenge is growth management. It is increasingly challenging county governments. Growth is happening all over South Carolina, and if we can’t manage it effectively then it is harder for citizens and local businesses.
Courtney came closest to explaining the challenges I see in the chapter when she makes the point about counties having to coordinate their services with municipal governments that are scattered across the suburban landscape. Two houses in one seemingly uniform neighborhood may be served by two separate governments -- that is the situation we face in South Carolina.
Another challege is attracting well trained and professional people to county governments who can deal with all the complexity and pressures. I remember a comment by Gary Smith, who took this class about 28 years ago and later was Aiken County Asst Administrator (now he is in the legislature). He said that an Aiken County Council meeting was like a meeting of the United Nations, with some members representing very rural areas that were totally different than those representing urban and those representing suburban areas.
The suburban/rural dichotomy is the other challenge. We have counties that are in very poor areas of the state and have few resources to deal with the problems they face -- things like development and planning. While others in suburban areas have many times more resources so that they can hire much more qualified people.
Bob B
Post a Comment