Dorchester Residents for Planned Growth

Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Receives First Reading

Although Dorchester County Council voted against this ordinance in March, public pressure in the form of emails and phone calls encouraged two members of council to change their vote in April. The ordinance was orginally created and sponsored by Councilman Jamie Feltner who due to parliamentary details could not reintroduce the ordinance. It was reintroduced by Councilman Willie Davis, who abstained on the first vote. Council Chairman Larry Hargett switched his original opposition vote to support the ordinance this time around. Mike Murphree and Chris Murphy continued to oppose it.

Council voted to give this ordinance 1st reading and will begin studying the best methods of implementing the ordinance in Dorchester County.

What is an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO)?

APFOs are designed to make sure new development doesn’t over burden existing infrastructure. For example, if a new development would cause a school to become over capacity, then the developer could either pay for the necessary improvements to the school or wait until the county made the improvements.

The same would apply to roads. If a new development would cause a public road to fail based on SC Department of Transportation standards, then the developer would have the option of paying for the necessary improvements to the road or waiting until the county or state made the improvements.

As evidenced by a recent study funded by Dorchester County (STUDY LINK), the cost to the county associated with new development will be $34,000 per house. Who should pay this? District 2 will be asking the current residents of Dorchester County to foot the bill.

This is the exact situation a carefully crafted, effective APFO can help prevent. It makes sense that developers and new residents bear the costs of new services which their presence will make necessary.

Unfortunately, much of the infrastructure in Dorchester County is already overburdened. It isn't fair to ask new residents to pay for existing problems, but it is County Council's job to figure out how to pass on the new costs to new residents.

The overall lack of planning in Dorchester County has created the many conundrums now facing residents. It is long past time to begin holding the county's elected officials to a higher standard when dealing with growth issues. An APFO is a good first step.

To read the APFO currently being considered by Dorchester County Council, click here.