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Kershaw County Council keeps 2018 millage rate unchanged after public hearing; resident urges clearer tax bills
Summary
Kershaw County Council held a public hearing and approved on third reading an ordinance setting the millage rate for the 2018–19 fiscal year at the same rate as 2017. A resident told the council she wants clearer tax-bill line items and credits spelled out, and council closed the hearing before voting unanimously to adopt the ordinance.
Kershaw County Council held a public hearing and on third reading adopted an ordinance setting the county millage rate for the fiscal year beginning in 2018 at the same rate as 2017.
A resident, Donna Cushman, spoke during the public-comments portion and again during the millage hearing, praising the council for holding the millage steady but asking for clearer property-tax bills. "There's more on the form than just the millage. There's the fees," Cushman said, and she said credits such as the 1 percent sales-tax credit and the over‑65 tax reduction were not shown on the current bill form. "I want to know the differences," she said, and urged the county to be "more transparent in what you're billing is for and to put out and let us know how much the waste management is gonna be."
Why it matters: The millage ordinance is the formal local action that sets tax rates; changes in how charges and credits are presented on tax bills affect taxpayers' ability to compare year-to-year costs and to understand which line items drive increases.
Council opened the millage public hearing after the public-comments period and then closed the hearing with no further comments. On third reading the council approved the ordinance setting the millage for Kershaw County for 2018–19; the vote was unanimous.
Council members also discussed a separate administrative amendment earlier in the meeting to remove one item under new business; that procedural amendment was approved after a motion by Councilman Jimmy Jones and second by a colleague and was carried by unanimous voice/hand vote. The minutes of the meeting were later approved with Councilman Jones recorded as abstaining from that vote.
The council did not adopt changes to the tax-bill format during the meeting. County staff told Cushman that questions about billing format and fee line items can be discussed with the county clerk and with planning and zoning for unrelated permitting items referenced by Cushman.
Council members thanked staff for work on the budget and praised the lack of a millage increase after deliberation. The ordinance had previously been the subject of a required legal notice and earlier public comment; tonight's third-reading approval followed that process and formal public hearing.
