ST. GEORGE -- Members of the Dorchester County Taxpayers Association joined other concerned groups statewide on May 18 to oppose Sen. Hugh Leatherman's bill to allow for alternative funding for schools.

A press conference was held in Columbia on Tuesday by the South Carolina Taxpayers Association, along with taxpayers associations from Dorchester, Greenville, Berkeley and Anderson counties, contending that the taxpayers' right to vote will be taken away by the Senate with passage of the Leatherman bill.

John Hill, vice chairman of the Dorchester County Taxpayers Association, said, "This is a giant step to take away the rights of we the people to vote on expenditures for school construction."

Hill contended that the Dorchester County District 2 School Board "decided on its own to deny (taxpayers) the right to vote for or against the building of more schools. They call it alternative funding, and unless the state legislature intervenes, there will be massive expenditures without public oversight."

"The $98.3 million bond referendum that voters turned down last March 25 has now been increased to near $300 million during the next five years under the alternative funding plan, including $100 million for the Poplar Grove development recently approved by Dorchester County Council," he said. "This money is only for the purpose of school construction and maintenance, and doesn't include the operational costs of teachers, books, administrators, equipment and hundreds of other necessary expenditures that will amount to several million more taxpayer dollars each and every year. Who's going to pay for all that?"

Johnette Connelly, Dorchester County auditor, said she has "great concerns about the usual ability of the school boards to only spend 8 percent of the assessed valued of the property at a time without a referendum."

Points made by the various taxpayers associations included that the bonds will be issued by UBS Warburg of Switzerland. Hill said these bonds would be almost like junk bonds and would have a greater fee and interest rate than normal AAA bonds.

The Greenville Plan, which is now in effect, has obligated future taxpayers to repayments for the next 27 years, it was noted.

"This massive power is now to be bestowed upon a corporation which controls real property, and no clear title can be given to the county until the entire debt is paid off. This extortion of taxpayers' rights will basically encumber all real property owned by individuals and corporations in Dorchester County for over 25 years," Hill said. "The Senate should peruse this with a magnifying glass and see this bill for what it is -- an insidious way to usurp the people's right to vote on matters concerning our schools."

Rep. Shirley Hinson noted that it was "unusual for this issue to not be debated and passed in the House before reaching the Senate."

"This issue is so complex that we need to get this before the people," Hill said. "It's like giving a child an unlimited credit card with no system of checks and balances to limit spending. It is passing along debt to our children and grandchildren."

He said every property owner "should contact their state senators and representatives and ask them not to let this bill pass.

"This is a real issue of socialism. Do not give up our rights and make us indebted for the next 25 years to pay off the higher interest rates and high-risk bonds to build new schools," Hill said. "We are not against new schools. However, we are for the voters being able to choose. This bill has the purpose of legitimizing this illegal maneuver by the school boards to circumvent the State Constitution without voting on an amendment to do so. We believe this bill will be defeated."

Sen. Leatherman could not be reached for comment.

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