|
Archive 11-16-05 Council removes TIF
Aiken County Council in a 6-0-3 vote decided to remove the Tax Increment Financing Ordinance regarding Trolley Run Station and Sage Creek off the table, Tuesday night at the USC Aiken Business and Education Gymnasium, with Council members Chuck Smith, Kathy Rawls and LaWana McKenzie abstaining during the process.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
11-16-05
There are questions in regard to identifying the source and as to whether or not the money earmarked as a result of the special appropriation from the state legislature, $240,000 from the House of Representatives and an additional $100,000 from the State Senate, is to be used to purchase 37 vehicles for the Aiken County Sheriff's Department.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
11-11-05
It might be called the disaster relief fund for Graniteville, but $340,000 in this year's state budget isn't being spent in the town.
Most of the money is going to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office for new patrol cars, a fact that's not going over well with the people who were first on the scene of the Jan. 6 disaster.
Published in the
August Chronicle
11-06-05
Aiken County Board of Education members will get a much-anticipated financial analysis of a controversial Tax Increment Funding (TIF) plan Tuesday.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-26-05
Tuesday afternoon's meeting of the Whiskey Road and Powderhouse Road connector road study committee addressed the draft alternative alignment evaluation and selection methodology submitted by the consulting firm of Day Willburn Associates, Inc.
School Board to hold TIF analysis meeting
The Aiken County Board of Education will hold a public meeting about a controversial Tax Increment Financing (TIF) proposal once board members receive a independent analysis of the plan.
The November 15th Aiken County Council meeting will be moved to the USC Aiken Business and Education Gymnasium at 7 p.m., to accommodate a larger audience based on the community's response to the public hearing for the proposed ordinance for the Tax Increment Financing Plan for Trolley Run Station and Sage Creek.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-19-05
People who couldn't get seats at a hearing on a proposed $36.3 million bond deal for a private residential development in Aiken watch from outside, with some making their feelings known with a sign. About 300 people attended the hearing.
Published in the
August Chronicle
Aiken County Council voted 7-2 Tuesday night to accept the Aiken County School Board's recommendation for a 30 day extension before acting on a proposed Tax Increment Financing ordinance for the Sage Creek and Trolley Run Station development. Councilmen Eddie Butler and Gary Bunker voted against the extension.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-17-05
As it ponders the good and bad of a $36.3 million bond deal with private developers tonight, Aiken County Council is faced with the promise of new development that could cost more than advertised.
The rate at which the county can issue bonds and borrow money is based on its credit rating. If the county agrees to help finance the FineDeering project and the development fails, it could become more expensive for the county to borrow money, bond analysts say.
Published in the
August Chronicle
10-16-05
State Rep. Robert (Skipper) Perry of Aiken said he misjudged the impact of a tax increment financing law that he and other South Carolina legislators added to the books in June - a law that has stirred a storm of debate in Aiken County.
"I made a mistake, and I'll admit it," Perry said of voting to pass Act 109, which cleared the way for the Aiken County Council to now consider issuing $36.3 million in TIF bonds to help fund two massive housing developments.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-14-05
Aiken County Board of Education members will ask the Aiken Council for a 30-day extension before deciding whether to accept or opt out of a $36 million Tax Incremental Financing plan that the County Council is considering as a component of a major private development.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
TIF to have second reading Tuesday
Aiken County Council will hold a public hearing and second reading Tuesday of an ordinance regarding the proposed plan that would use Tax Increment Financing for the Sage Creek and Trolley Run Station developments.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-09-05
In August, the county council voted to create a "tax increment financing"
district, or TIF, and issue $36.3 million in bonds to help pay for water, sewer, roads and other utilities.
Proponents of the pending deal describe it as a groundbreaking partnership between government and the private sector that will spark needed growth.
But others say the county council's action, and a change in state law that made it possible, raises questions about FineDeering's lobbying of leaders.
Published in the
August Chronicle
10-07-05
A new federal report says South Carolina's job growth ranked 50th in the nation during the second quarter.
Posted by the
Associated Press
10-07-05
Opponents of a tax increment financing plan under consideration by County Council to help fund two massive housing developments took their case to the fledgling Aiken County Taxpayers Association Thursday night.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-05-05
On the surface, Aiken's proposed Tax Increment Financing plan to use public money to finance infrastructure for a private development might seem to benefit the public, but in reality it could ultimately prove dangerous to competition and even to the rights of property owners.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-02-05
For many the word tax can take on so many different meanings, and such is the case with the tax increment financing that's being considered for a redevelopment plan for the Trolley Run Station and Sage Creek redevelopment project area.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
10-02-05
Maybe no other East Coast city is fringed with as much public or privately conserved land as Charleston. At more than 700,000 acres, the expanse is far more than a "greenbelt." Alongside wide open waterways it gives the place that rare feel of a city in a sea-landscape rather than a cityscape.
The private-public, hand-in-hand weave that kept it together is all but unique to the Lowcountry. It might be the distinctive feature of the place in the future.
Yet, as the sea-landscape draws more people, their numbers put more pressure on developing it. The pace has been turbo-driven by the recent sale of huge timberland tracts for development.
Published in the
Charleston Post and Courier
09-21-05
The new millage rate for the current fiscal year was established by Aiken County Council Tuesday evening. The tax hike was inevitable based on the county's growth and an increase in the demand for services. The new millage rate was set at 70.5 mills, a four mill increase over the previous year. Taxes will go up 6.015 percent. One mill is equal to $406,000. A special meeting was held prior to the regular council meeting to solicit public comments, prior to establishing the rate for the current fiscal year.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
09-19-05
The public hearing and second reading for the proposed Tax Increment Finance Plan for the Trolley Run Station and Sage Creek developments has been postponed.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
09-15-05
Just a few years ago, the Georgetown County Economic Development Commission held an annual conference where several speakers cautioned that growth is coming to the coast.
It's arrived.
First posted by
The Georgetown Times
09-15-05
"Steady as she goes," appears to be the message Aiken voters sent to their city council in Tuesday's GOP primary. The two at-large seats won by the top two vote-getters, incumbent Jane Vaughters and newcomer Don Wells, aren't being challenged by Democrats in a general election.
Published in the
August Chronicle
09-07-05
Thursday afternoon's meeting of the Whiskey/Powderhouse Connector Road Ad Hoc Committee will focus on the full committees' ratification and approval of the subcommittees' recommendations.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
08-26-05
Aiken County Council is considering an ordinance to provide developers of two new subdivisions with more than $36 million for infrastructure costs.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
08-25-05
Charlotte-based Crescent Resources said Monday it filed a rezoning request and development agreement with Berkeley County that, if approved, would allow 6,150 single-family homes, 3,300 multifamily units, 1,480 townhouses and a "village district" with 2,350 residences and commercial space for retailers and other businesses.
Published in the
Charleston Post and Courier
8-25-05
Aiken County Council is considering an ordinance to provide developers of two new subdivisions with more than $36 million for infrastructure costs.
Council has already passed on first reading the ordinance to allow tax increment financing that would pave the way for the issuance of TIF bonds.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
06-20-05
They're putting the finishing strokes on the forthcoming fiscal year's budget. The Aiken County Council will be holding another budget work session tonight, and through painstaking diligence, they should have most of the pieces in place for Tuesday night's third reading.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
06-18-05
Commuters should prepare for a couple traffic challenges over the next few months on Aiken's Southside.
Work will start next week on one multi-phase project along Whiskey Road from Pine Log Road to Arby's. Then in August a beautification project is expected to begin on the Eastgate Drive roundabout.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
06-17-05
Traffic-easing alternatives for roadways accessing Aiken's Southside commercial district were presented for the first time Thursday night.
About 30 interested residents and officials listened to City-hired consultants run through five possible routes for new connector roads running north/south and east/west between Pine Log, Whiskey and Powderhouse roads.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
06-14-05
The Aiken City Council applied the stamp of approval to all items on its agenda Monday night, with just a lone dissenting vote on a single issue.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
06-09-05
"Old Aiken must retain its character and remain one of those rare places in which people genuinely feel that they belong" so says the overview of the Old Aiken Master Plan passed by City Council on April 25th.
First Posted at
Aiken.net
City Council members and term expirations
Three of four Aiken City Council members whose seats are open for election in November have said they will seek re-election.
Cunning won't seek re-election
Pat Cunning, a six-year member of the Aiken City Council serving at large, says he will not seek re-election in the fall and will leave his executive vice president position at Regions Bank on his 30-year service anniversary in August.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
05-27-05
The grand designs of a new development group could finally pull the pendulum of progress toward northern Aiken after years of unstoppable dominance on the city's Southside.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
05-11-05
The Aiken commercial development train keeps roaring down a southbound track.
The Aiken Planning Commission saw drawings Tuesday of how the 40 acre Whiskey Station shopping center to be built near Whiskey and Powderhouse roads might look when fully developed. The property is directly south of the Elmwood Park subdivision.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
05-05-05
The City of Aiken Planning Commission will get a first look on Tuesday at a new document created by a consultant "to set forth what we'd like to see for new or refurbished downtown buildings," according to City Manager Roger LeDuc.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
05-04-05
Visionary thinking often sees dreams through to fruition, but implementing some form of strategic planning makes things fall into place. The Aiken County Council had a full agenda Tuesday evening.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
04-28-05
The two most important focuses for the community's future are land use planning and zoning of developable land and natural areas according to the 200 or so residents who attended the Together Aiken County Vision Fair last Saturday.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
04-21-05
The current "neighborhood business" zoning limits a building's size to 15,000 square feet. Despite this, the Augusta commissioners approved a 67,000 square foot hospital facility. The initial zoning was ignored.
Published in the
August Chronicle
04-21-05
From beautiful hardwoods along the South Fork of the Edisto River to rolling hills with pines and fields, the Reynolds Preserve provides 433 acres of prime wildlife habitat in an area slowly being developed with residential and equestrian properties.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
04-18-05
The urban segment of the Augusta Canal has untapped economic potential that could rival the city's riverwalk, a professional planner said Monday during the inaugural meeting of a new Canal Redevelopment Task Force.
Published in the
August Chronicle
Responsible growth and economic development were among the issues of concern at the Smart Growth Aiken Annual Meeting Sunday at the Aiken County Historical Museum.
"You have helped change the political landscape in Aiken County and you've done that in an effort to change the physical landscape of the county," said Aiken County Council member Scott Singer, after congratulating the audience on their commitment to Aiken County development.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
Aiken leaders consider new business tax system
Under a new tax code city leaders are considering, hotels and health care businesses would be among those subject to lower business license fees, while mega-retailers would pay more.
Published in the
August Chronicle
Smart Growth Aiken meeting a success
Smart Growth Aiken had its annual meeting on Sunday afternoon, April 17, 2005, at the Aiken County Historical Museum. The theme of the meeting was a review of county planning and "County Planning Implication for Aiken"
A report from Jim Wetzel, secretary
Smart Growth group plans future for Aiken
Responsible growth and economic development were among the issues of concern at the Smart Growth Aiken Annual Meeting Sunday at the Aiken County Historical Museum.
"You have helped change the political landscape in Aiken County and you've done that in an effort to change the physical landscape of the county," said Aiken County Council member Scott Singer, after congratulating the audience on their commitment to Aiken County development.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
04-16-05
The Best Friend Express is about to start making friends across the river.
The Aiken-area public transit service extends its route to the Augusta Public Transit System transfer station on Broad Street. The change takes effect on May 2, and the Lower Savannah Council of Governments is working with the Augusta Public Transit System to set the schedule for Broad Street transfers now.
Posted by
The Aiken Standard
04-10-05
Whiskey Road serves as the main artery though the City's largest commercial district and access to points beyond. The sheer number of vehicles traveling the route combined with the excessive amount of curb cuts give Whiskey Road drivers big city traffic headaches every day. The City of Aiken recently took step one to remedy Whiskey Road's congestion by hiring Day Wilburn Associates to study the problem and identify possible solutions. The expectation is for suitable east-west and north-south routes to be found for new roads within the Whiskey Road-Pine Log Road-Powderhouse Road "triangle" to relieve some of the traffic now traveling over Whiskey Road.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
03-29-05
On a recent January morning, Rose Lee Hayes-Fox stepped out into her front yard to let her dogs play. She was greeted by a gray commercial tour bus carrying sightseers ogling her Colleton Avenue home.
During Monday's meeting, Council members were considering an ordinance that would restrict commercial tour buses to certain routes and times they could travel through town. By the end of the meeting, they voted to table the ordinance and craft guidelines that residents could agree on.
Published in the
August Chronicle
03-24-05
The state infrastructure bank agreed Thursday to award up to $95 million for completion of the Palmetto Parkway with no obligation of repayment.
Officials say construction of the Interstate 520 extension will begin by the end of the year.
Posted by
The Aiken Standard
03-09-05
The nearly 2,000 ideas contributed to Together Aiken County by area residents last month were sifted into goals and strategies Tuesday night, moving the strategic planning process one step closer to implementation.
published in the
Aiken Standard
03-04-05
The Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) policy committee gave official approval to several local projects during its regular meeting Thursday. Reviewing projects in Aiken, the panel approved $229,680 for improvements to Whiskey Road at the intersection with Dougherty Road.
Published in the
Aiken Standard
03-04-05
The Augusta Regional Transportation Study (ARTS) policy committee gave official approval to several local projects during its regular meeting Thursday.
Posted by
The Aiken Standard
03-01-05
A bill that goes before the House Labor, Commerce and Industry would force local governments to pay "outrageous" levels of compensation to billboard owners if signs were removed. The costs could be as high as $300,000 to $400,000 per billboard. The (Columbia) State newspaper recommends that control over signs should be a local matter and that Legislature has no business interfering..
Posted by
The Aiken Standard
02-23-05
Published in the
Charleston Post and Courier
02-22-05
Posted courtesy of
WIStv.com
02-12-05
Published in the
August Chronicle
Clyburn tries again to pass Gullah preservation bill
Published in the
Charleston Post and Courier
02-11-05
published in the
Aiken Standard
02-10-05
Published in the
Charleston Post and Courier
02-08-05
published in the
Augusta Chronicle
02-06-05
published in the
Aiken Standard
02-06-05
Published in the
Aiken Standard
02-05-05
Published in the
August Chronicle
02-03-05
Slow down in Horse District
Published in the
August Chronicle
02-03-05
Published in the
August Chronicle
01-04-05
published in the
Aiken Standard
01-01-05
Published in the
Aiken Standard
|
|
© 2001-2005 Smart Growth Aiken
Skart Designs |