LCI subcommittee hears S.227 concurrency bill; members schedule follow-ups

The Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry subcommittee on Wednesday held an initial hearing on S.227, a bill that would authorize permissive local ‘concurrency’ programs permitting counties and municipalities to require that public facilities and services necessary to support development be in place or funded on a proportionate-share basis as development occurs.

The measure, as described to the subcommittee, would let local governing authorities define level-of-service standards, adopt proportionate-share methodologies, accept excess-capacity contributions and enter written agreements with property owners to implement those requirements. Committee members said they will hold additional hearings to gather planners, local officials and other stakeholders before advancing the bill.

Nut graf: Proponents told the committee S.227 is a tool to help local governments manage rapid growth—by aligning the timing of development with the timing or funding of infrastructure such as roads, schools, water and emergency services—while opponents warned the bill could duplicate or weaken safeguards in South Carolina’s existing impact-fee framework.

Representative Wetmore, sponsor of a companion House bill, told the panel the measure is intended to relieve pressure on communities coping with fast growth. Representative Wetmore said, "I really see this as a safety valve that gives local governments both incentive and the tools to really have a robust capital plan and really identify the plan with…