Oconee County Council approves tax-incentive package for Project Mayflower

Oconee County Council voted 5–0 on Dec. 6, 2024, to approve Ordinance 2024-24, authorizing a fee-in-lieu of ad valorem taxes agreement and a special source revenue credit with Project Mayflower and related actions under Title 12, Chapter 44 of the South Carolina Code. The ordinance also authorizes the execution of grant agreements, a purchase-and-sale agreement for certain real estate, and designates the project property as part of a multi-county industrial park.

Council opened a public hearing on the ordinance and then closed it after noting that no citizens signed up to speak and no written comments were submitted. The motion to approve the ordinance on third and final reading was made by Council member Julian Davis III and seconded by John Elliott; the measure passed unanimously by the five-member Council.

The ordinance package cited in the caption allows the county to enter into a fee-in-lieu arrangement and to offer a special source revenue credit to the project company, tools commonly used to support large economic development projects and infrastructure financing. No specific tax-exempt amounts or schedule were provided in the meeting minutes; details of the final agreements are expected to be executed consistent with the ordinance language.

The Council took no public testimony related to the project during this meeting and provided no additional substantive discussion on the record. The County Clerk's minutes and the recorded video of the meeting are available through the county website for any further procedural or evidentiary detail.