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Committee presses county on who pays for TST and how protected-land figures were calculated
Summary
Committee members asked for clarification about the county's claim that roughly half of TST dollars come from non-residents and about a cited figure that 49% of Charleston County is 'protected'; Eric Davis said the 49% figure relies on State Conservation Bank inventory and includes large federal lands, and recent mapping suggests 45–49%.
During question-and-answer, a committee member asked whether the county’s claim that "0.5 of every TST dollar comes from non Charleston County residents" accounted for local property-tax credits and other offsets. The attendee asked the county to clarify what the statement meant and whether visitor and commuter spending alone produced that share. "I understand," the presenter replied, and said staff would take the question back for clarification.
Eric Davis, identified in the meeting as representing Greenbelt, clarified the 49% protected-acreage figure commonly cited in county materials. "49% comes from the State Conservation Bank," Davis said and added that the inventory counts large federally protected areas such as the Francis Marion National Forest and National Wildlife Refuges. Davis noted that newer mapping by other groups places the protected acreage in a roughly 45–49% range and that Greenbelt itself holds a portion (tens of thousands of acres) of the protected total.
