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Web posted Monday, May 3,
2004
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Herbkersman: Private buildings, public uses
By Bill Herbkersman
Special to the Carolina Morning News
From the House
We are heading
down the home stretch for this session with some
interesting legislation coming up from committee.
One of the more interesting measures, in my view
(especially since I wrote it), is the
Private-Public Partnership Act of 2004. This
common-sense bill will go on the floor soon for
consideration by the full House. If passed, it
will enable private builders to construct public
buildings to lease to governmental
entities.
It has been my experience as a
developer that many times private concerns can be
more efficient in the costing and construction of
purpose-built structures. We know our architects,
engineers and sub-contractors and can employ them
in ways that potentially save the taxpayers a lot
of money while providing better
facilities.
This is pretty much the idea
behind the construction of the new post office in
Bluffton Village. The developer built the building
to Postal Service specifications, then leased it
to them.
If we had this arrangement
available for the school district, buildings that
are obsolete or near the end of their useful lives
could be renovated by the owners or razed and
rebuilt. The school district would not own assets
that were actually liabilities.
Both
Virginia and Florida have had success with this
manner of organizing their building projects.
South Carolina, especially now, needs some new
tools in the box.
Our state has long been a
popular site for making movies, especially
Beaufort County. Recently, this important adjunct
to our local economy has wandered off to areas
that offer tax breaks, often very modest, that
seem to make the difference between a film being
made here or in North Carolina or even in Canada.
House Bill 4968, the South Carolina Motion Picture
Incentive Act, seeks to return more of these films
(and film dollars) to our beautiful state. If a
film company spends at least a quarter-million
dollars on filming or production of one or more
motion pictures in South Carolina within a
12-consecutive-month period, they receive sales
and use tax exemptions. They also get a tax rebate
for their employment of residents of South
Carolina.
In addition, 13 percent of all
previously unallocated film admissions taxes must
be returned to the South Carolina Film Commission.
We can invest a small amount of funding on an
ongoing basis and realize, to my thinking, a
substantial return in revenue and good jobs for
our talented local movie folks. This one is a
no-brainer.
It was a very big couple of
weeks for visitors to your Statehouse. We had a
big portion of the idea trust from the Greater
Island Committee from Hilton Head Island and
Bluffton. There was my good friend Ken George,
Gen. Art Brown, Roland Faricy, Planning
Commissioner and all-around smart guy Alan Herd,
as well as the Honorable Harvey Ewing.
We
also hosted, from Bluffton YMCA, Rusty Wood with
Tommy Parham, Ron Decker, April Beck and all the
fine folks from the Beaufort chapter of the
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
By
now, you know the drill: Come to see us if you
can. If not, please write, call or e-mail us on
those things where you think we need to hear what
you have to say. I'm here for you. That's why it's
called the House of Representatives.
Bill
Herbkersman represents District 118 in the South
Carolina House of Representatives. He can be
reached through his Web site at
www.herbkersman.com or by telephone at 757-7900.
He is assigned to the agriculture, natural
resources and environmental affairs
committees.
Other state lawmakers
are:
Sen. Scott Richardson,
R
District 46
52 North Calibogue
Cay
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
29928
610 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia,
SC 29202-0142
(803)
212-6040
SR1@scsenate.org
Committee
assignments: banking and insurance, general,
judiciary, rules and
transportation.
Sen. Clementa C.
Pinckney, D
District 45
P.O. Box
300
Ridgeland, S.C. 29936
613
Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, S.C.
29202
(803)
212-6056
CCP@scsenate.org
Committee
assignments: agriculture and natural resources,
corrections and penology, finance, medical affairs
and transportation.
Rep. R. Thayer
Rivers Jr., D
District 122
P.O.
Box 104
Ridgeland, S.C. 29936
532D
Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, S.C.
29211
(803) 734-3073
Committee
assignment: judiciary.
Rep. JoAnne
Gilham, R
District 123
21 Dune
Lane
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
29928
326C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia,
S.C. 29211-1867
(803)
734-2977
JG@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignment: education and public works and
rules.
Rep. Catherine Ceips,
R
District 124
1207 Bay
St.
Beaufort, S.C. 29902
326A Blatt
Bldg.
Columbia, S.C. 29211
(803)
734-3261
ceipsc@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignments: medical, military, public and
municipal affairs.
Rep. Walter P. Lloyd,
D
District 121
102 Rearden
Lane
Walterboro, S.C. 29488
(home)
549-5026
(fax) 549-1281
(office)
549-7586
434C Blatt Bldg.
Columbia,
S.C. 29211
(803)
549-5026
WPL@scstatehouse.net
Committee
assignments: education and public
works.
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