The council has agreed to form an independent committee to look over all aspects of county government and recommend possible changes.

The volunteer committee, the idea of outgoing Council Chairman Tim Scott, is expected to start work later this month.

Council members have been asked to come up with one appointment each, and Scott said two more members will be chosen at-large to ensure that the group reflects the diversity of the county's demographics and businesses.

"Our need to find resources and trim costs is becoming more and more important if we are going to continue our eight-year record of holding the line on the budget," Scott said. "I think this will make our budgeting process a lot easier if we put them to work quickly."

The council has not raised property taxes since the mid-1990s but is expected to face pressure to do so next year because the state Supreme Court threw out the result of the half-cent sales tax referendum and because the county might have to refund more than $9 million to property taxpayers who sued over the 2001 reassessment.

Sanford's group, known as the Governor's Commission on Management, Accountability and Performance (MAP commission), issued its report in the fall.

Its recommendations, if approved by state lawmakers and others, would save the state about $300 million a year, the authors said. Their more controversial advice includes making three constitutionally elected offices -- secretary of state, education superintendent and adjutant general -- appointed ones.

College of Charleston business professor and MAP commission member Mark Hartley told council members that theirs would be the MAP commission's first local spin-off.

Hartley said also that the exercisecould be useful "with the walls that you're up against here."

Others agreed. "I welcome any help we can get, as painful as the recommendations may be," Councilman Charles Wallace said.

Councilman Ed Fava suggested the review might help the county lobby for changes in state mandates. For instance, counties must provide office space for some state agencies, such as health departments and branches for the state Department of Social Services. "Those are things we are told we must do," he said.

The committee also could explore possible changes to the different ways that the county treats its municipalities. The county provides services, such as planning and building inspections, within some municipalities but not others.

"There could be some recommendations made that would be politically unpopular if we get a good committee," Fava said. "I look forward to this review. I think it will be good."

Click here to return to story:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/010404/loc_04countymp.shtml