Lancaster County, South Carolina

Some concerns have been expressed that I have unfairly targeted County employees in the dissemination of salary information since other officials whose salaries are public record have not been included.

Let be give a short response by saying “Yet.”

I am seeking the same information from other local governmental entities who have elected officials and/or employees who salaries are public record.

These governmental entities include -

• Lancaster County Natural Gas Authority
• Lancaster County School District
• Lancaster County Water & Sewer District
• City of Lancaster
• Town of Heath Springs
• Town of Kershaw

Lancaster County appeared first solely because it was the first entity I approached and was the first entity that responded.

The salary information is being made available so that citizens of Lancaster County can have a fair and unbiased report of how the officials who serve them are compensated.

A brief review of the salaries in comparison with comparable positions in comparable counties shows that Lancaster salaries are consistently below the salaries in those counties, and are significantly below comparable positions in the private sector.

The next Lancaster County Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 12th, 2009, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in an area adjacent to the Old Robert Mills Courthouse.

Tentatively, the TEA Party is to be held behind the Old Robert Mills Courthouse.

However, due to the construction and site preparation activity for the new Lancaster County Courthouse, the TEA Party activities may have to be relocated to the parking lot of the Lancaster County Administration Building, directly across Main Street from the Old Robert Mills Courthouse.

I have been told to expect the location to be finalized by Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009.

Rep. John Spratt will be hosting a Healthcare Reform Town Meeting on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009, at the Baxter Hood Center, 452 S. Anderson Rd, Rock Hill, S.C.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 P.M., and those wishing to speak will need to fill out a card.

A large crowd is expected, so early arrival is strongly recommended.

This is an opportunity for each of us to express our concerns over H.R. 3200, the so-called Healthcare Reform Bill (and yes, you can conclude from my comments that I oppose the bill).

As promised, below you will find the names, positions, and annual compensation of all elected county officials.

Barry Faile	Sheriff	$79,050.67
Jeff Hammond	Clerk Of Court	$67,836.01
Sandra Estridge	Probate Judge	$65,251.11
Mike Morris	Coroner	$52,200.04
Cheryl Morgan	Auditor*	$43,414.51
Richard Rowell	Treasurer*	$43,414.51
Rudy Carter	County Council – Chairman	$8,123.96
Larry Honeycutt	County Council – Vice Chairman	$7,146.36
Kathy Sistare	County Council – Secretary	$7,146.36
Dennis C. Cole	County Council	$6,587.10
Jack Estridge	County Council	$6,587.10
Robert McCullough	County Council	$6,587.10

*It has been pointed out to me that both the Auditor and the Treasurer receive a State supplement, and that the salary shown above reflects only the County component.  I am working to obtain the supplemental salary amounts for these two positions and will update the reported salaries as soon as that information is made available.

As promised, below you will find the names, positions, and annual compensation of all county employees whose annual compensation is public information pursuant to the provisions of the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (i.e., >= $50,000).

Steve Willis	Administrator	$103,658.12
Norman Anderson	Assessor	$74,328.48
Keith Tunnel	Economic Development Dir	$73,095.50
Darin Robinson	Public Works Director	$67,795.83
Chris Karres	Planning Director	$66,747.14
Veronica Thompson	Finance Director	$65,176.19
David Belk	Major	$65,000.00
Lanny Bernard	EMS Director	$64,738.08
Bill Anderson	Building Official	$64,318.26
Frank Overcash	Parks and Recreation Director	$62,412.96
Jacqueline Pope	Chief Magistrate	$61,471.22
Tom Holland	Attorney	$60,000.00
Lee Deese	Magistrate	$58,061.45
Van Richardson	Magistrate	$58,060.31
Jeff Catoe	Road Improvement Coodinator	$56,670.35
Donald Hyatt	Operations Manager	$54,981.14
Doug Smith	Deputy Assessor	$54,076.68
John Lane	Register of Deeds	$53,729.20
Morris Russell	Emergency Management / Fire Service	$53,393.71
Nick Parris	IT Director	$52,088.92
James Barton	Building Maintenance Director	$51,802.99
Lynn Adams	Deputy Building Inspector	$51,116.45
Debbie Horne	Jail Administrator	$51,023.51
Craig Bailey	Captain	$51,011.00
Lisa Robinson	Human Resource Director	$50,443.00
Kenneth Cauthen	Chief Zoning Officer	$50,396.50
Jeff Jackson	Captain	$50,000.00

Recently, there have various comments on The Lancaster News website relating to the annexation of property into the City of Lancaster, and it is clear that there is a degree of misconception in how the annexation process works.

In South Carolina, unlike North Carolina, a municipal corporation may annex property only with the consent of the property owner.

The property must be contiguous to the existing corporate limits. It is important to note that for the purposes of law, property separated from the corporate limits by a road, railroad, or water body is still considered to be contiguous to the municipal corporation.

A municipal corporation may encourage annexation of contiguous property by conditioning the provision of services, such a municipal water and sewer, on the annexation into the municipal corporation of the property to be served.

Steve Willis has kindly provided a link to a presentation on annexation requirements prepared by the Municipal Association of South Carolina -

http://www.masc.sc/SiteCollectionDocuments/Annexation-Incorporation/Annexation_PPT.pdf

Post your questions here.

Significant issues will be moved to a separate topic for emphasis.

I have established this blog to enable the residents of Lancaster County, South Carolina, to pose questions about local, state, and federal government, about economic development, and about other issues of interest to the community.

If I know the answer, I will give it to you. If I don't know the answer, I will find the right person to get you the answer.

Please be specific as to what you are looking for, so that I can get you a prompt and accurate answer.

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