Local and state municipalities now have a chance to join forces to handle legislative issues in South Carolina.
Representatives from many of the area’s municipalities met at Lawton Park on Tuesday at the Municipal Association of South Carolina’s (MASC) Roadshow, which brought officials from local cities and towns to discuss issues facing municipalities and to begin a grass roots campaign to strengthen alliances.
Members from the municipalities of Harts-ville, Society Hill, Darlington and McBee joined members from Pamplico, Bishopville, Manning, Cheraw and others cities and towns.
The main goal of the MASC is to confront the state legislature as a united front, according to Executive Director Miriam Hair.
Since lobbying is a large part of the legislation process, Hair said the MASC is attempting to compile contact information from each of the members to initiate a grass roots program. The program will allow the MASC and its members a large network of flexible resources, said Casey Fields, manager for municipal advocacy.
Hair also told members that finding ways to establish public partnerships is key to the progress of municipalities and the state. “If we do not develop public partnerships,” Hair said, “we will not be able to get legislation beneficial to all of us. Everything we do in our towns affects our state.”
Fields said the MASC offers municipalities help before they go to state legislators regarding issues. She said the organization has members who work at the state house and monitor legislative business. Fields also said the MASC offers programs to provide towns and cities a way to join together and fight for legislation as a large entity rather than one municipality.
The MASC also helps connect municipalities with local state representatives and senators.
One of those programs is the Hometown, S.C. initiative. “Home-town, S.C. is a long-range and sustainable initiative of the Municipal Associ-ation of SC that will build relationships to raise hometown voices to a new level of influence,” the MASC states in its program literature.
One issue discussed by the MASC was annexation, which is of particular interest to the City of Hartsville, and Act 388, which puts a cap on the rate at which municipalities can tax residents.
The luncheon meeting allowed members of municipalities to network and discuss issues facing cities and towns statewide.
The MASC was formed in 1939 and represents and serves the state’s 270 incorporated municipalities. The association is dedicated to the principle of its founding members: to offer the services, programs and products that will give municipal officials the knowledge, experience and tools for enabling the most efficient and effective operation of their municipalities.
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