I have often railed against street-level bureaucracies. While this is a local issue, it is indicative of the larger disquiet people are feeling. If people can’t trust their local government, how do you expect them to eagerly adopt a federal presence with no boots on the ground?
Jean Townsend lives out on John’s Island. The island and its neighbor to the south are replete with Townsends. Their voices have been muted.
Well, not Jean’s.
She sent me a series of e-mails that catalog the breath-taking incompetency of the various tax agencies.
Writes she, “For the last several years I have unsuccessfully attempted to have the property address on the acreage my sister, Ann S. Townsend, and I own on Johns Island, i.e. TMS# -279-00-00-296 corrected to show the property DOES NOT bound on Maybank Highway. It bounds on Main Road and Brownswood Roads. I sent numerous e-mail to the County Auditor, the County Treasurer, The Storm Water Tax People! I thought this had been taken care of, as I was assured by the Treasurer and the Auditor that it had. Indeed the records on the County Web Site show the correction has been made.”
Here’s an e-mail from last November:
From: LuSwinton@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 9:00 AM
To: Stormwater
Cc: CCondon; henrydarby@msn.com; cbostic@bosticlaw.com; Beverly Craven; Timothy E. Scott; curtisinabinettsr@webtv.net; pryorteddie@yahoo.com; Peggy Moseley; Andrew Smith; Charlie Lybrand; Mack Canterbury
Subject: Storm Water Taxes
I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to have the property identification for TMS# – 2790000296 corrected by contacting the Auditor’s and Assessor’s offices last year. I was assured this would be done but apparently it has not.
This property DOES NOT FRONT on Maybank Highway. It fronts on Brownswood and Main Roads. Please change your records and send me a corrected bill.
Furthermore, I object strongly to this mandated “fee” which is actually just another tax and is a duplication of what the State of S.C. has had in place for years.
Please also advise when the Municipalities are going to have to mandate these additional taxes? It does not seem fair in any regard, but by having your neighbors exempt from this tax makes it doubly bad.
I am quite aware of the fact that these are supposed to be “fees” but any way you look at it – it is simply another tax forced upon us, similar to the Solid Waste User Fee Tax.
Thank you.
Jean Townsend
From: PMoseley@charlestoncounty.org
To: LuSwinton@aol.com, Stormwater@charlestoncounty.org
CC: Colleen@colleencondon.com, henrydarby@msn.com, cbostic@bosticlaw.com, BCraven@charlestoncounty.org, TScott@charlestoncounty.org, curtisinabinettsr@webtv.net, pryorteddie@yahoo.com, ASmith@charlestoncounty.org, CLybrand@charlestoncounty.org, MCanterbury@charlestoncounty.org
Sent: 11/24/2008 3:22:09 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: RE: Storm Water Taxes
Hi Jean – The Assessor did change the address description for this parcel to Main Road (and show it fronts on Brownswood and Main Roads). This was done July 1, 2008. Peggy Moseley
Another e-mail, this one in December:
From: Stormwater
Sent: December 05, 2008 8:43 AM
To: ‘LuSwinton@aol.com’
Subject: RE: Storm Water Taxes
Dear Ms. Townsend:
The stormwater utility bill is valid. This utility fee is the funding source for the Charleston County’s Stormwater (OR Town of James Island, City of Folly Beach, City of Isle of Palms, Town of Sullivan’s Island, Town of Lincolnville) Management Program. This program is being administered by the Charleston County Public Works Stormwater Division for the unincorporated area of Charleston County, City of Isle of Palms, City of Folly Beach, Town of Lincolnville and Town of Sullivan’s Island. The program is to address water quality of our rivers, streams, creeks, marshes, wetlands, and ultimately the ocean. The Federal Clean Water Act compliance is a major component of the program. The primary goal is to have all water bodies fishable and swimable.
These fees will be used to address water quality through stormwater management. The funding pays for the administration and operations of this program. The program addresses a variety of issues such as education, mapping, permitting, enforcement, and housekeeping. Stormwater runoff is a major source of pollutants to our surrounding water. This program addresses water quality through stormwater management.
The data information is pulled from the Auditor’s Office. Unfortunately name changes cannot be made through our office. You can use the following link to complete the required form and submit it online.
Once again I apologize for the late response. If you have questions or comments please, feel free to contact us at 843-202-7639 or stormwater@charlestoncounty.org
And indeed, it seemed settled.
Well, it wasn’t:
On Monday, July 13th, Ms. Townsend wrote: “Today I received another tax bill from the Department of Revenue Collections. Once again their latest tax bill CONTINUEs TO REFER TO THE PROPERTY AS BEING ON MAYBANK HIGHWAY! And this tax bill, as I understand it, originates in the Charleston County Department of Revenue Collections (Tax Collector in other words). I understand this department is NOT a part of the Charleston County Treasurer’s office, nor the Charleston County Auditor’s OFfice, as they are elected officials and the Department of Revenue is under the auspices of County Council.
The tax bill also CONTINUES to be sent to MY SISTER, Ann S. Townsend, AT MY ADDRESS – i.e. 1769 Clark Hills Circle, Johns Island, SC 29455. My sister does not live at 1769 Clark Hills Circle.
Now property owners who have not paid these additional tax which were forced upon us under the guise of a “User Fee” are being threatened to pay or else face penalties on the DELINQUENT FEES (TAXES) that will continue to accrue at their normal rates to a maximum of 100% – and the County cannot even get the property description correct!
If someone would please explain to me what these taxes do to help the situation?? – I have not seen one bit of evidence of what our money goes for other than additional employees, offices, equipment! The trash I see in our ditches, creeks, rivers, beaches, continues to mount and the only people I have seen or heard of that do any of the clean up are citizens (like myself) who are damned well fed up with our beautiful county being ruined by more and more trash being dumped upon us. We help clean it up and get charged for it! Church Creek has been polluted since the early 70’s – no change – I would be willing to bet the amount of trash that could be collected from the once pristine waters of Church-Bohicket Creek could compete with any amount collected from our beaches.
Perhaps there is someone in the County Department of Revenue who can make the corrections on this latest tax bill? I won’t be holding my breath!
Jean Townsend
Ms. Townsend asks the same question I like to pose.
What on earth are you using that money for? How does your giving the government money make your life better? What does the individual get for the money?
More bureaucracy. Larger bureaucracy.
That’s on the local level. Now we want embrace this on a federal level.
Say no. Fight these people tooth and nail like Ms. Townsend is willing to do.
We are watching this slide away while we wring our hands or block it out (What lovely couple is winning a free wedding this week? Doesn’t she have a lovely tatoo?).
It’s time to stop this madness. Again, why is this unreasonable? Why is this at all right-wing?
You see the inanity and insanity above. This is a microcosm of the federal government. Are you really willing to let these people deal with healthcare and energy?
Dictate whether you live or die? Dictate how and when you heat your house?
It doesn’t matter if you are Democrat or Republican. I don’t think we signed up for this. I really don’t.
What is happenning is a wholesale usurpation of our rights and we and subsequent generations are asking for the privilage of paying for it.
The federal deficeit is $1 trillion and will be $2 trillion by fall. The major powers (World Bank, IMF, G8, China and India) are dropping the dollar like a stone. A new world currency is being introduced.
We no longer have the luxury of standing on the sidelines. Ten years ago, I would would have said it couldn’t get that bad. It got worse.
We are Americans, black, white, Hispanic, gay, straight, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, Christian, Jew, Zoraoasterian, married, seprated or divorced. We share the same respect for law and the values of the country although we disagree on how those values should come into play.
We have freedom of speech, we have freedom to worship and have a hell of a time establishing parameters. Good.
Are you really willing to risk your health care or your heating oil against your right to bitch about government? Do you really not see that if a government can be so boneheaded as the above local instance that bureaucratic pettiness can have a chilling effect on free speech in the next couple of years?
How is being this being right-wing ? Honestly. Please tell me.
