Area lawmakers take to the mic at town hall meeting

The Business Listening Town Hall on the morning of May 2 at New Realm Brewery, composed of five area lawmakers and a well-attended public audience, was exactly as advertised. 

 

Lawmakers spoke. Citizens listened.

 

Each lawmaker took to the microphone to give the beer-free crowd a rundown of what they’ve been up to – and here are some of the highlights:

 

Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb lauded the county for its low millage rate and its work on managing the budget but admittedly said, “The most complaints I get are about roads.” 

 

Cribb said the county is continuing to work on improving roads, both in-house at the county level and with incoming developers, but reminded the audience to be patient as the process can take years and years.

 

“When it comes to roads, we are trying to get federal money, and state money, and local money,” he said. “And even when you get all that money, you are dealing with the Army Corps of Engineers, this bat, and this woodpecker, and this wetland, and this utility relocation – it is unbelievably difficult.”

 

State Rep. Mark Smith noted a report that said South Carolina is the fastest-growing state in the country. With the influx of new people moving into the Palmetto State, Smith said it’s not lost on lawmakers what needs to be immediately addressed.

 

“For far too long, we banged our chests and talked about how conservative we were in Columbia,” he said. “But we were not investing in infrastructure, repairs, maintenance, and expansion at the rate we needed to for years. The solution and the fix won’t happen overnight, but we are trying to allocate as much of your tax dollars as we can toward roads, bridges, and infrastructure repairs, and maintenance.”

 

As this is the final week of the South Carolina legislative session, State Sen. Brian Adams said the senate had been working to pass a house bill that would reduce liquor liability costs for bars and restaurants.

 

As it stands now, establishments that serve liquor are required to own a $1 million liquor liability insurance policy – which bar owners say is a financial burden.

 

“Businesses, like this place we are meeting in, are being affected by high insurance rates. And it’s not because they have any issues here, it’s because there’s certain bad actors that continue to serve (alcohol inappropriately) or continue to do wrong,” Adams said.

 

Berkeley County Councilman Jarrod Brooks and Charleston City Councilman Mike Seekings also spoke at the town hall and answered audience questions.