Sumter County board raises petition filing fee to $50, citing compliance costs and rising filings

The Sumter County Value Adjustment Board on Feb. 12 voted to raise the petition filing fee from $35 to $50, a change board members said was intended to offset rising administrative and compliance costs.

During the "other business" portion of the agenda, staff described the county’s efforts to address audit findings and to invest in software and compliance systems. A staff member reported: “So this year, we had a total of 59 that was completely accepted. We have 1 that was, considered a duplicate and then we have 4 that were not accepted due to late.” The staff member said growth in county population and filings motivated considering the fee increase.

Board members discussed prior fee steps — noting the county previously moved from $10 to $35 — and compared local practice to neighboring counties, where fees commonly reach $50. Commissioner Jeff Bogue moved to increase the fee from $35 to $50; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The chair declared the motion passed and announced the filing fee had been raised to $50.

Staff also addressed the county audit, saying the auditor had asked for more time and staff expected another "4 to 6 weeks" for a response. For the record, staff said citizen member Ashley Raven did not vote at the Feb. 12 meeting; the transcript records that Raven had recused herself from voting.

The board’s action is effective immediately as an administrative change; the meeting record does not list a roll‑call tally of individual votes, only the voice vote outcome.

Quotes from the meeting: • Clerk/staff: “So this year, we had a total of 59 that was completely accepted. We have 1 that was, considered a duplicate and then we have 4 that were not accepted due to late.” • Clerk/staff on audit timeline: "When I reached out to him about 2 weeks ago, he told me to give him another 4 to 6 weeks."