South Carolina is growing very quickly, and that growth comes with emerging friction among residents already here and those that are arriving.
The state grew by 1.7% in FY 2023, the fastest percentage growth in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, reaching 5.37 million residents by mid-2023. For the regions where this growth is concentrated, cities are experiencing unprecedented pressure to regulate and guide land usage.
As cities and towns address their growth by annexing areas where new development demands municipal services, municipal officials should be sure to coordinate as much as possible with the other affected entities in the area: county governments, school districts, public service districts and others. The same growth that affects the municipality affects all other levels of government as well, and municipalities collaborating with their neighbors can help reduce the potential for conflicts around local planning and zoning.
Coordination as part of the priority investment element
South Carolina’s Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act requires that municipalities who choose to adopt planning and zoning regulations must establish a local planning commission and adopt a comprehensive plan every 10 years. This comprehensive plan must include 10 specific elements described in the law, including the priority investment element.
The priority investment element promotes collaboration among different levels of government. As stated in SC Code Section 6-29-510(B), it “analyzes the likely federal, state and local funds available for public infrastructure and facilities” over the next decade. The law states that the comprehensive plan should then make recommendations for how funding should be spent during this time for such infrastructure as water, sewer, roads and schools. The plan’s recommendations must be made in coordination with numerous other entities:
- Counties
- School districts
- Public and private utilities
- Transportation agencies
- Any other public entities that are affected by or have planning authority over the project
Best practices
Some cities have formalized collaboration with their county counterparts by creating joint planning bodies. Sumter is home to a Sumter City-County Planning Commission and a Sumter City-County Board of Zoning Appeals, with members appointed by both Sumter city council and Sumter county council. Similarly, Greenwood has the City/County Joint Planning Commission, a Greenwood City/County Joint Board of Zoning Appeals, and a Greenwood Board of Architectural Review established entirely by the city. The Comprehensive Planning Guide for Local Governments, available online, details this and other such formalized coordination efforts.
In some communities, municipal elected officials and staff may be hesitant about any perception that they have yielded authority to the county government, or granted veto power over potential developments to county representatives. When facing these concerns, cities should still seek opportunities for regular, proactive engagement with the county on potential annexations.
For example, the Town of Summerville established a technical review committee that invites representatives of utility providers, its school district and the two counties where the town is mostly located to participate in reviewing larger developments. Staff shares committee meeting agendas with these external stakeholders so they will be aware of potential developments that may seek annexation.
The City of Columbia sends email notices of pending annexations to county staff and other interested organizations. Because of the ever-evolving nature of proposed developments, staff keeps their communications high-level, providing basic property information, including maps, current and proposed uses and zoning, and the reason for annexation. They also provide the timeline for the planning commission’s review of the proposed annexation.
As municipal and county governments throughout the state share their concerns over annexation with one another, the Municipal Association is compiling best practices to share with cities and towns. Municipalities that have implemented pre-annexation coordination efforts with their counties should share these with Municipal Association Research and Legislative Analyst Mary Catherine Lawton at mlawton@masc.sc or 803.933.1244.