Tis' the Season in Columbia to Decorate the State House Tree and Impeach the Governor ...

Oh the things we worry about in South Carolina ... As published on Yahoo! this morning.

While the legislature worries with such pressing issues as impeaching Gov. Sanford and the residents of South Carolina worry about jobs and unemployeement benefits, those walking by the State House in Columbia worry about the pressing issue of the Christmas Tree.



It wasn’t long after the state Christmas tree was in place in front of the Statehouse in Columbia Monday that Benita Jacobs was walking by as she talked on her cell phone.

“Well, the bottom of it, everything’s coming off, all the green limbs are coming off of it. And it looks kinda shabby looking. Looks like Charlie Brown,“ she said, referring to the cartoon in which Charlie Brown picks a small, pitiful tree with very few branches or needles.

LaTina Morris also complained, shaking her head in disbelief that the tree is so much shorter than in previous years. It’s also missing a lot of branches at the bottom in back and on the sides. “I can’t believe they’re putting that up,“ she said.

It’s not the first time there have been complaints or problems with the state Christmas tree. In 2003, the Columbia Garden Club had just taken over the responsibility of decorating the tree and members wanted it to really sparkle. When a company donated 40,000 CDs, the club used those to decorate the tree.

They did sparkle, catching the sunlight as they spun in the breeze. But the wind also sent some of the CDs flying off the tree and smashing on the sidewalk. So the club pulled them off and redecorated.

The next year, the club wanted to use a South Carolina-grown tree. It found a beautiful one in Horry County, but it was a different kind of tree than what’s normally used. The limbs on this tree grew up instead of out, so when workers cut off the bottom branches so it would fit in the ground, all the greenery around the bottom of the tree was gone. The tree looked butchered, with some calling what happened the “Columbia Chainsaw Massacre”.

So what happened this year? The club had been buying the state tree from North Carolina, but found a less expensive grower in Pennsylvania. There aren’t many places that grow trees large enough, so there aren’t many choices.

They found a suitable tree, but the grower bundled it for shipment the same way he does smaller trees, with netting that surrounds the tree. That broke off some of the branches, leaving the bare spots that passersby were complaining about.
This tree is also shorter than previous ones. The state tree is usually taller than the Confederate Soldier Monument that it stands in front of, but not this year. Jane Suggs, with the Columbia Garden Club, calls it a “recession tree”, since it is smaller and was less expensive.

After the 2004 incident, the Columbia Garden Club brought in smaller trees and placed them around the base of the larger tree. Since they were the same kind of tree, they blended in, filling in the gaps and making the tree look full and symmetrical. They’ll do the same this year.

It should be noted that the Columbia Garden Club and the South Carolina Garden Club pay for the state Christmas tree, not taxpayers. The Columbia Garden Club decorates it, with members volunteering their time and energy. The club also spent $6,000 on an electrical box for the tree’s lights and $1,500 for a new stand that’s built to keep the tree in place in hurricane-force winds.

BOEING SELECTS NORTH CHARLESTON

Governor Sanford Welcomes Boeing to South Carolina

COMPANY ANNOUNCES 2nd PRODUCTION LINE IN NORTH CHARLESTON

Columbia, S.C. - October 28, 2009 - Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on Boeing Company’s announcement of its plan to establish a second production line for the 787 Dreamliner adjacent to the company’s existing facilities in North Charleston.

"Boeing's decision to expand their presence in our state with an infusion of jobs and capital investment - the largest announcement in South Carolina history - represents not only enormously good news for our state’s economy, but also a telling dividend from our state's continued efforts to better our business climate. For us, that means lowering taxes, easing regulatory burdens in our state’s tort and workers’ compensation systems, and keeping South Carolina a right-to-work state," Gov. Sanford said. "I'd first and foremost applaud the hardworking Boeing employees already in the Lowcountry for both their day-to-day efforts and their confidence in Boeing’s management, and in the same way I'd thank Boeing - and in particular Chairman Jim McNerney - for returning that vote of confidence in our state.

"Just as the similarly monumental BMW investment catalyzed a now extensive automotive presence across South Carolina more than 15 years ago, we believe Boeing landing decisively in North Charleston will spur on an already growing aerospace hub in our state. Also just like BMW, Roche, or the Global Aeronautica investment that led to Boeing’s foothold in South Carolina only four years ago, this project required a team effort from dedicated leaders in both the private and public sectors. Accordingly, I'd single out a few heroes in this process:

"First, I’d offer our and the state’s appreciation to Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor and Senator Hugh Leatherman, who worked side-by-side on this matter, and whose work was complemented by Jack Ellenburg and Daniel Young. Legislative leadership was similarly vital - and decisive - in Boeing’s commitment to South Carolina, and accordingly, I’d especially credit Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell and Speaker Bobby Harrell, along with Senator Leatherman, for the legislative yeoman’s work they’ve done. I would also thank people at the local level like David Ginn, Steve Dykes and Heyward Horton. Lastly, but certainly not least, I’d give real credit to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham for his invaluable efforts along the way. With all that said, we look forward to welcoming the Boeing team to South Carolina."

-###-

--Benjamin D. Fox

Communications Director

Office of Gov. Mark Sanford

(803) 734.0076 - work

(803) 269.7959 - mobile

(803) 734.5167 - fax

POINT OF SALE STALLS

Sadly yet again an important bill to stimulate commerce in our state has stalled. Below I have posted an update from Cashion Drolet, VP of Goverment Affiars for the South Carolina Realtor organization.

Unfortunately, the Senate did not debate or vote on H.3272 prior to adjourning Thursday evening. They never got to it because of a filibuster on an unrelated bill that was one slot ahead of H.3272 on the Special Order calendar. This means that it will be January until the Senate can address point of sale assessment.

However, I beg you not to get discouraged. We must stay focused and united on this issue. The good news is that we retain our place on the Senate calendar, and will not have to start over from the beginning when the General Assembly convenes the 2010 legislative session.

Between now and then, SC REALTORS® will be working on the six Senators who have objections to H.3272. Senators Yancey McGill, Kent Williams, John Matthews, Phil Leventis, Brad Hutto, and Floyd Nicholson retain their objections to H.3272 on the Senate calendar going in to January. The biggest opponents to addressing point of sale remain county and municipal government. They worked very hard against us and will continue to do so. Therefore, we will also commence a statewide point of sale campaign to put the necessary pressure on Senators that this issue cannot be ignored, and SC REALTORS® will not relent!

The bill we support, H.3272, caps point of sale reassessment at 15% and uses that value as the baseline for the next countywide reassessment cycle. The legislation is sunset to five years and applies to transactions from January 1, 2009 forward.

Also I have posted what SCBIZ had to say on the issue in its Friday, May 22 report:

Point-of-sale reassessment bill stymied for this year

Friday, 22 May 2009
By Mike Fitts

mfitts@scbiznews.com

COLUMBIA -- A change to point-of-sale reassessment of real estate has apparently stalled for the year in the Legislature.

S.C. Realtors Association CEO Nick Kremydas said the bill, which has passed the House, got caught up in the Senate’s fights over unrelated matters and opposition, especially from Senate Democrats.

Kremydas said leadership in both parties has committed to debate the bill early next year, but he fears that South Carolina’s commercial real estate market will take a pounding in the coming months. “This legislation could have helped buffer that fall,” he said.

The bill would put off reassessments until the county’s regular five-year cycle. Real estate experts have complained that the immediate reassessments to sale price have brought a huge jolt, because the actual price has often been far higher than the most recent assessment on the books. Top executives in the real estate industry have complained that the changes created huge inequities and disincentives to buy.

Kremydas called the delay “very disappointing” for Realtors, who rallied at the Statehouse earlier this week to show support for the measure.

Advocates for local governments have opposed the bill. The Municipal Association of South Carolina argues that the measure hurts local tax revenues by artificially capping at 15% the amount that a home’s assessed value can increase, no matter the new sale price, and by shifting more of the cost of government onto owners of property that appreciates more slowly.

The 15% cap was put in place to protect current homeowners, not buyers, the association said in a statement.
Kremydas and municipal association deputy executive director Reba Campbell both said, however, that the layoff could provide time for differing sides on the issue to work out a compromise that would satisfy local government and real estate business concerns.

If you have questions on who you can contact at the state lever to ensure they are aware property tax reform is important to all property owners in South Carolina please do not hesitate to Owen at 843.224.5398 or e-mail him directly at Owen@OwenTyler.com. And should you have questions about real estate Owen is always available to help.