State paid Bauer more for land than most received

State paid Bauer more for land than most received
Only one of 90 Irmo area property owners got more than lieutenant governor’s $130,000
By JEFF STENSLAND and AARON GOULD SHEININ
Staff Writers

The S.C. Department of Transportation paid Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer significantly more for his land than it paid other property owners who were forced to sell as part of plans to widen Lake Murray Boulevard, according to agency records.

In 2004, Bauer was paid $130,000 for a 0.10-acre parcel near Irmo, more than double what the agency initially offered.

The deal was the second highest amount the agency has paid for land for the road-widening project thus far. The agency has bought more than 90 land parcels for the project. Many of those purchases included more than twice as much land as Bauer sold.

Bauer held a news conference Friday to defend the deal. He also urged landowners to reject initial offers if the S.C. Department of Transportation comes calling to buy their land.

“Let’s be realistic. The government is going to try and buy your property for the lowest value they can,” said Bauer, who estimates the property he sold actually is worth $260,000.

Bauer, who works in real estate, bought a 0.25-acre parcel in 1996 for $52,000, The Associated Press reported. He rejected DOT’s offer of $62,762 before agreeing to sell for $130,000.

Oscar Rucker, head of the DOT’s right-of-way office, said the agency agreed to the higher amount because of fears it might have to pay even more if Bauer filed suit.

“I’m really in a no-win situation,” Rucker said. “What I’m trying to do is put myself in the place of that 12-member jury. It’s not that he’s the lieutenant governor, but he’s a very persuasive person and he carries himself well.”

It’s common for DOT to negotiate a settlement after an original purchase offer is rejected, Rucker said. However, Bauer’s deal — more than twice what DOT originally offered — stands out in the Lake Murray Boulevard project.

The owner of a 0.47-acre parcel near Bauer’s land, for example, settled for about $56,000 after initially rejecting an offer of $51,485. Another 0.12-acre parcel was sold for about $15,800 after its owner rejected an initial offer of $12,100.

DOT also paid slightly less —about $127,000 — for a piece of land that is four times larger than Bauer’s. The only DOT purchase exceeding the price paid to Bauer was $326,000 for a 0.25-acre parcel that included a convenience store.

Bauer said he made many improvements to the land and two small buildings on the property before its sale to DOT.

DOT commission chairman Tee Hooper declined to comment on the Bauer deal but said his agency typically makes fair offers to landowners.

“The DOT uses outside firms to assess the value of land,” Hooper said. “If someone feels like they’re not getting fair value, they can challenge it. But, in the majority of cases, they’re getting it.”

In his negotiations with DOT, Bauer was accompanied by DOT commissioner John “Moot” Truluck and state Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Williamsburg, who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee. The committee helps set DOT policy.

McGill, whose son works for Bauer, was invited because he understood the process. Truluck’s presence was a surprise, Bauer said. Repeated attempts during the week to reach Truluck were unsuccessful.

Senate Transportation Committee chairman Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, said the Bauer deal shows the state’s system of land purchases should be reformed.

“If the highway department is willing to move up the purchase price for one guy, they ought to realize they have to move it up for all the other owners right down the line.”

The land deal has been the subject of several news reports. Bauer, who faces re-election next year, blamed political opponents for planting the story.

Wesley Donhue, campaign manager for Bauer’s Republican primary opponent Mike Campbell denied any involvement.

“Instead of playing the blame game, the lieutenant governor should work harder to keep his face off the front page of the newspaper.”