A political battle has erupted between state lawmakers and Charleston County officials over who will control millions of dollars for road improvements, with both sides accusing the other of trying to use the money to curry favor with voters.

If relations between the elected officials continue to sour, Charleston County residents could lose up to $1 million in annual state tax money that otherwise would have been spent paving and repaving local roads.

The dispute began simply, with a request to add a turning lane along Battery Island Drive on James Island.

Last October, state Rep. Wallace Scarborough, R-James Island, asked the County Transportation Committee to build the turning lane with gas tax money that it gets each year from the state. The committee, which spends about $3.6 million a year to improve roads, did not act.

Snubbed and frustrated that he wasn't told why, Scarborough began to look into the transportation committee, known as the CTC.

He found out that it could be illegal.

Before the CTC was formed in 1993, legislators both approved gas tax funding, once known as C-funds,spent on road projects in their districts.

Some legislators even acknowledged that they used the funds as so-called "walking around" money to fund pet projects for constituents.

After a judge ruled the system illegal in 1992, legislators turned over control of the gas tax money to a committee of nine people. Lawmakers appoint four members. County Council chooses two, and the cities of Mount Pleasant, Charleston and North Charleston each get one appointment. This was the CTC.

But Scarborough contends lawmakers cannot let other government bodies make appointments for them.

After being advised that the CTC is illegally constituted, and suspecting that James Island wasn't getting its fair share of money, Scarborough persuaded lawmakers to take over all the appointments.

Their unanimous vote to do that bewildered and troubled county officials, who wondered aloud last week if the lawmakers had any idea of what they had done.

The CTC had made the most of the state money, and projects funded were ranked not by votes but by public need, they said. When legislators spent the gas tax, about seven miles of roads were improved each year. Since the CTC took over, 63 miles of roads have been paved or repaved each year, according to CTC figures.

In part, this was because the county public works department administered the program at a much lower cost than the S.C. Department of Transportation had under state legislators.

"We don't just have a bunch of political appointees. We have citizens who understand roads," said Councilman Ed Fava, referring to the county's and cities' staff members who serve on the CTC.

"Without looking at the facts, to change the system is absolutely ridiculous," he said. Fava also called Scarborough's contention that James Island doesn't get its fair share "hogwash."

According to county records, James Island received the fifth most amount of money, after the county's unincorporated areas and its three largest cities.

If the delegation takes over the CTC, the county should seriously consider withdrawing its administrative support, Fava said. In effect, this could cost taxpayers $1 million in higher costs if the state ran the program.

"That's certainly a blackmail statement," Scarborough said. "This is state money. If they want to play tit for tat, there's lots of money to be punitive."

Scarborough said the delegation can appoint road experts, too, and the local government picks on the CTC can be just as politically motivated as any delegation appointee.

A primary concern is that other municipalities, not just James Island, don't have representation on the CTC, he said.

"County Council is upset because it appears that they have lost political power, they have lost a revenue stream, and they have lost the ability to give political favors," Scarborough said.

Arlie Porter covers Charleston County. Contact him at porter@postandcourier.com or 937-5548.