Mitchell Kirby's Real Position on the Local Hospitality Tax

I invite you to read the following editorial

http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/opinion/editorials/article/voters_should_re_elect_fowler_for_treasurer_kirby_to_council/17495/

that the Morning News published in the paper and online on October 26, 2008. I then invite you to read the comments I attached below the editorial today (10/29/08). The comments I placed on the SCnow website can also be found below.

------start of comment on SCnow------

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The hospitality tax is actually a 2% prepared food tax. The tax has been advertised as a way to fund a new museum for the downtown revitalization of the city of Florence. This tax is touted as wonderful because there will be matching funds from the state, who is experiencing its own financial difficulties. Does this story sound familiar? One cent makes sense for roads! Well, guess what? That money is not rolling in.

Mr. Kirby told the Morning News that he was in favor of the new museum. I am sure Mr. Kirby has also told everyone - that can vote for him - he did NOT vote to give them this hospitality - a.k.a. prepared food - tax. Actually the fact is he did not vote for or against this ordinance.

Here are the facts. I invite you to check out each link for yourself.


1) May 1, 2008 County Council Meeting – First Reading/Introduction of Ordinance No. 01-2008/09. As is customary for first readings and introductions of ordinances, there was no discussion, no debate and no voting on this ordinance. Mitchell was present at this meeting.

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Minutes/2008/05012008minutes.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/FCVideo/Council/Council-5-01-08.wmv

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/05012008short_agenda.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/05012008_agenda.pdf

(Note: The full agenda link doesn’t work but this is the link that http://www.florenceco.org/ gives for it.)


2) May 15, 2008 County Council Meeting – Public Hearing/Second Reading of Ordinance No. 01-2008/09. First opportunity to vote. Mr. Kirby appeared to receive a cell phone call during the council meeting and left the chambers. He returned when discussion and voting was over for four separate ordinance votes including this one. He didn’t vote for or against it because he conveniently wasn’t in the chambers at the time of discussion and voting. He never unsealed his lips. The vote was unanimous, by those choosing to remain in the chambers.

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Minutes/2008/05152008minutes.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/FCVideo/Council/Council-5-15-08.wmv

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/05152008short_agenda.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/05152008agenda.pdf

(05-15-08 Full Agenda PDF - See PDF numbered pages 85-100 or attachment page numbers 77-92. The attachment page numbers can be found on the bottom right of the page itself. For example, attachment page 77 is actually the 85th page of the overall PDF.)

3) June 5, 2008 County Council Meeting – Third and final reading of Ordinance No. 01-2008/09. Mr. Kirby was noticeably absent as his constituency from Country Lane was there to address council about the condition of their road. The hospitality tax/ new museum tax passed unanimously. Gasoline was selling for almost $4.00 a gallon at the time.

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Minutes/2008/06052008minutes.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/FCVideo/Council/Council-6-05-08.wmv

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/06052008short_agenda.pdf

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/06052008agenda.pdf

(06-05-08 Full Agenda PDF - See PDF numbered pages 48-64 or attachment page numbers 42-58. The attachment page numbers can be found on the bottom right of the page itself. For example, attachment page 42 is actually the 48th page of the overall PDF. Also see PDF page 50 or attachment page 44. This is the first mention of specifically where the money will be spent.)

As a side note Ordinance No. 01-2008/09 has two divisions:
Division I: Annual Budget – 11 ½ pages of Ordinance
Division II: Local Hospitality tax – 3 ½ pages of Ordinance

I have noticed that nowhere in the Division II section of the ordinance itself does it specifically mention building a museum in Florence. The closest thing it says to that is the hospitality tax revenue would be “used for the dedicated purpose of improving services and facilities for tourists and the citizens of Florence County”. Also, there is no mention in the ordinance of any state or federally matched funds to help build anything - including a museum.

However, the June 5th full agenda does finally mention how the money will be spent for nine months, commencing 10/1/08. It mentions this in a separate summary sheet that is not part of the actual ordinance. See PDF page 50 or attachment page 44 of the 6/5/08 meeting full agenda. It appears that for the nine months starting 10/1/08 that the Florence Museum will receive $300,000 which is 43.7% of the total estimated revenues for nine months of $685,125 from the Local Hospitality tax. Annualized that would be about $400,000 a year going towards the new Florence museum. I invite you to read it for yourself.

http://www.florenceco.org/Council/Agendas/2008/06052008agenda.pdf

For sixteen years Mitchell Kirby has desired to have his cake and eat it too. So once again he is telling you he wanted a museum, but he did not want or vote for the tax. He wasn’t present to vote against it either.

During these economic hard times, asking the citizens of the county, and any visitors to the county to build a museum to revitalize downtown Florence is just plain wrong. Why not a referendum on the museum? Why not let the people decide? Oh, that’s right the voters of Florence District One will not even build their own children a school, so you know they would not have voted yes to build a museum. But all the council members will vote yes (and some will claim they voted yes if it helps them look good) and let someone else pay for a museum to revitalize downtown Florence.

I need your vote on November 4th. Elect Betty Dowling to Florence County Council District 4. Please find out more about me and visit my blog at: http://bettydowling.blogspot.com/ . I look forward to serving you!

Thanks,

Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council – District 4
Making Government Work for YOU!

------end of comment on SCnow------

Florence County Sample Voting Ballots for 11-04-08

Be prepared before you reach the voting booth on November 4th. Below you will find sample voting ballots for Florence County in PDF form.

First you may want to use this link - Voter Information Search - to determine which ballot you will use on the 4th.

Sample Official Ballot - Florence County
General Election
November 4, 2008

Florence County Sample Ballot 29
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 29:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 60
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
Florence County Council District 9 (Unopposed)
School Board District 1 Seat 5 (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3
Florence Mayor
Florence City Council - Two Seats to Fill
Local Question - City of Florence Referendum

Florence County Sample Ballot 31
County Council District 4 is on this ballot!
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 31:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 60
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
Florence County Council District 4 VOTE BETTY DOWLING!
School Board District 4 at Large - Three Seats to Fill
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3

Florence County Sample Ballot 52
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 52:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 63
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
School Board District 1 - Seat 7 (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3
Florence Mayor
Florence City Council - Two Seats to Fill
Local Question - City of Florence Referendum

Florence County Sample Ballot 54
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 54:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 63
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
School Board District 1 - Seat 7 (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3

Florence County Sample Ballot 61
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 61:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 61 (Unopposed)
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
Florence County Council District 2 (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3
Johnsonville City Council - Three Seats to Fill

Florence County Sample Ballot 63
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 63:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 32 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 61 (Unopposed)
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3
Local Question - City of Lake City Referendum

Florence County Sample Ballot 80
Below are the races you are voting for on Ballot # 80:
President & Vice President
US Senate
US House of Representatives District 6
State Senate District 31 (Unopposed)
State House of Representatives District 59 (Unopposed)
County Sheriff
County Clerk of Court (Unopposed)
County Coroner (Unopposed)
County Treasurer
Soil & Water District Commissioner (Unopposed)
Florence County Council District 2 (Unopposed)
Statewide Constitutional Amendments No. 1, 2 & 3
Pamplico Town Council - Three Seats to Fill

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Previous Post about Voter Registration and Precinct Information
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Get out and vote on November 4th! Vote Dowling for County Council!

Thanks,

Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council - District 4
Making Government Work for YOU!

Voter Registration and Precinct Information

Below are some helpful links for Florence County voters as the 2008 General Election on November 4th grows closer.

Google has created a neat thing for voters using their "Google Maps" interface. They call it 2008 US Voter Info (http://maps.google.com/vote). All you have to do is input your address and it will tell you the location of your voting precinct. It will also display a link that will automatically create directions to your precinct by car, public transit or by walking. The 2008 US Voter Info tool is also embedded in the bottom of each page in this blog.

Google also includes the following information once you input your address.

• Vote by Mail
  
  Some South Carolina voters may qualify to vote by mail.
  Get an absentee ballot (http://www.state.sc.us/scsec/absent.htm)
  Absentee ballot requests must be received by Friday, October 31
  
  
• Voter Registration
  State: South Carolina
  
  Are you registered to vote?
  (https://webprod.cio.sc.gov/SCSECVoterWeb/voterInformationSearch.do)
  
  This search will help you answer the following questions:
  Are you registered?
  Where is your voting precinct?
  What districts do you vote for?
  How many active voters in precinct?
  Etc...
  
  
  
  
Sample Info about my voting districts



How to register in South Carolina NOTE: Registration deadline was October 4th.
(http://www.scvotes.org/south_carolina_voter_registration_information)


South Carolina election website (http://www.scvotes.org/)
- Find Your Precinct (http://www.scvotes.org/find_your_precinct ) This link shows a complete list of all precincts in the South Carolina county you choose.


Local Voter Info (Florence County, SC)
Florence County Board of Voter Registration
Phone: (843) 665-3094
Email: elections@florenceco.org
South Carolina voter hotline: 1-803-734-9060

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I hope these links help.

Vote Dowling for County Council on November 4th!

Thanks,

Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council - District 4
Making Government Work for YOU!

Got Old Tires You Need to Dump?

The Florence County Dump/Landfill takes tires the first Monday of each month from 2pm to 4pm only.

Bring proof you have paid the $2.00 waste tax on every tire you want to dump.

Individuals should take a sales receipt showing the $2.00 charge paid to the tire retailer.

Retailers with a SC Resale License with the prefix 021(Florence County) who file a ST-390 Solid Waste Excise tax return with the state should bring a copy of their Solid Waste tax return showing they have paid the SCDOR the tax. They can dump as many as they have accounted for on the tax return. At the retailers first visit to the dump they will receive a permit for their business.

Future dumping will require the permit and copy of tax return or sales receipt showing $2.00 tax per tire paid.

All others will pay $99.99 a ton to dump tires.

A worn out passenger car tire weighs an average of roughly 20 lbs, so a ton of passenger car tires would be about 100 tires which works out to about $1.00 a tire to dispose of it outright.

Truck tires with a rim diameter of 17" inches or less can weigh in the neighborhood of about 35 lbs. Large semi-truck tires can weigh up to 110 lbs each.

Individuals are permitted to dump 4 tires at a time at the local county dumpsites.

Lets clean up the tires; they grow mosquitoes and harbor snakes!

Florence County Landfill 665-3022

Watch for more information coming soon. Thanks Linda for all the info.

Thank You,
Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council - District 4
Making Government Work for You!

Purpose of Betty Dowling Blog

Florence County Voters:

I started this blog because I know that the Internet is often used to research candidates for elections. In fact, it may be the first place most people go to research just about anything these days. I wanted Florence County District 4 constituents to have an easy way to find out more about me in the coming days before the election.

You may be asking, "What will you do with this blog if you win the election?"

I will post articles about what is going on the council. I will post articles letting folks know when I get a pothole filled or a ditch dug or any number of constituent requests and concerns. You will know what I am doing. By reading my blog you will be able to follow along with me on my journey as I serve YOU on the county council.

You will be able to post comments on my blog. I will put links to many different websites relating to local and federal government, which will give you a place to go in order to find help or information when you need it. The blog is setup with a link in which you can enter your email address to receive email notifications every time the blog is updated.

Through this website you will come to know who I am. You will know I am representing District 4 and ALL of Florence County in an honest, open and transparent manner.

I look forward to being YOUR public servant.

Thank You,
Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council - District 4
Making Government Work for YOU!

Letter to Florence County District 4 Voters
Meet Betty Dowling

Yard Debris Burning Notification Numbers

I had a citizen tell me they had been fined for burning leaves without prior notification to the forestry commission. If they fine you, they will not reduce the fine.

Do not let it be you!

If you burn, you must use precautions and the law requires notifying the SC Forestry Commission prior to burning.

Careless debris burning causes more than 40% of the wildfires in SC every year.

Yard Debris Burning Notification Numbers

Florence County-------1-800-986-5165
Darlington County-----1-800-986-3742
Sumter County--------1-800-517-9641
Clarendon County-----1-800- 986-3597
Report a Wildfire------1-800-777-3473 (That is 1-800-777-FIRE)

Florence County School District Four Board

As the last days of my service to the Florence County School District Four Board wind down to a few, I really must tell you, it has been my great joy to be involved in this most important work.

As President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

The children in our communities did not ask to be born, and they certainly did not ask to be born in Timmonsville. Please do not throw this generation away.

I know many of you may be able to afford private education for your children or maybe your children are grown up and out of school, but remember the public school system belongs to the people of the community. Tax dollars pay for it! Is there anything else you would pay so dearly for and not get involved with?

67% of YOUR property tax is school tax!

Choose YOUR school board members wisely. They can raise YOUR taxes.

Hold them accountable.

Attend a board meeting every now and then. You will be glad you did.

Thank you for allowing me to serve,

Betty Dowling

Timmonsville Area Mills charged:
Tax District	Description	Mills
Timmonsville 400	School Operating Tax	130.9
	School Bond Tax (Building)	61.8
	County Tax	76.9
	Florence-Darlington Tech	4.9
	Fire District Taxes	15.0
	Watershed	0
TOTAL		289.5

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead, American Anthropologist (1901-1978)

Got Problems with Mosquitos?

Last week I had many requests for help with Mosquito Control. I thought my Blog friends might need this information also.

Florence County Environmental Services: (843) 665-3053

The person answering the phone will add you to the list for a mosquito control inspection. They are working to combat our current wet conditions, which are creating a new generation of the little bloodsuckers. Meanwhile, empty any standing water from birdbaths, flowerpots, and any other breeding grounds you find around your house.

This also is the number to call to report littering problems and for animal control. It is my understanding the animals are carried to the humane society.

Links:
Florence County Environmental Services Department
--Mosquito Control
--Animal Control
--Littering
--Adopt-A-Highway

Kenney Boone for Sheriff Bar-B-Que Dinner

On Thursday night (10/2) Sheriff Kenney Boone had a great turn out for the Bar-B-Que Dinner, hosted by Laverne Holloman. What a party he puts on. Thanks Laverne! I had a wonderful time.

I saw many old friends and made some new ones. I look forward to a great turn out on Election Day.

Former Florence County Sheriff Billy Barnes introduced the Honoree, Sheriff Kenney Boone, who was supported by local Republican Representatives, Phillip Lowe, Kris Crawford, and South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster.

Timmonsville Rescue Squad Contributors

Timmonsville Rescue Squad Building

Mitchell Kirby has received robust praise for his contributions to the Timmonsville Rescue Squad.

I would like to praise the countless individuals, who without the benefit of public discretionary funds, have faithfully contributed toward the operations and facilities of Timmonsville Rescue Squad.

It has been these individuals through personal monetary donations and/or countless hours of volunteerism who have sustained the Squad. Timmonsville Rescue Squad has played a vital role in the health and wellness of our community.

I extend my sincere gratitude to all contributors - great and small.

Sincerely,

Betty Dowling
Candidate for Florence County Council - District 4
Making Government Work for YOU!

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Timmonsville Rescue Squad
maps.google.com

401 E Main St
Timmonsville, SC 29161
(843) 346-7640
Get directions

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Florence County EMS Service Area Map and Area Details:
http://www.florenceco.org/ems/fcemsservicearea.html

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CONGRATULATIONS TIMMONSVILLE RESCUE SQUAD!

2007 Symposium Award Recipients
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES SYSTEM OF THE YEAR (Category I – Small):

Timmonsville Rescue Squad
Presented to an Ambulance service that made less than 2000 calls during the previous year and which exemplifies outstanding professionalism and service to its community.

Source: http://www.scemsnetwork.org/Awards.htm