Thursday, July 3, 2025
The SC General Assembly is moving quickly to another do-nothing year with respect to legislation that may actually be positive for the state.
Ethics reform went down in February because the Senate would not allow independent oversight of its members.
Legislation to raise money for road repairs is on the Senate’s contested calendar making it highly unlikely it will be up for a vote in the few weeks remaining in this legislative year.
It looks like the S.C. General Assembly may actually be serious about passing legislation to rein in at least the worst excesses of HOAs across the state.
For a number of years, Sen. Darrell Jackson (D-Richland) has been a voice in the wilderness calling for stricter rules governing the actions of HOAs.
However, rising complaints from citizens along the coast and in the upstate have finally made lawmakers sit up and take notice.
Homeowner’s associations (HOA) and the ability of residents affected by them to get treated fairly has become an increasing matter of debate in both Horry County and around the state in recent years.
As more retirees moved to the county over the last 10 years, they often chose private sub-divisions or condominiums to live in that are governed by some type of HOA.
Homeowner Associations are governed by a chain of documents and laws such as:
The Articles of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State provide the legal basis of the association in the form of an Incorporated Non-Profit Corporation.
Third and final reading of an ordinance approving the sale of $850,000 in bonds for the Hidden Woods Special Tax District should sail through county council tonight.
Third reading approval is included on the consent agenda of council, meaning it will not be discussed and will receive approval as part of the overall consent agenda unless a council member pulls it off for individual consideration.
The property owners in the Hidden Woods tax district received a shock when their property tax bills arrived in the mail. This was the first year that the special tax for road improvements was included and many homeowners saw their property taxes more than double. This extra assessment is scheduled to run 15 years.
The residents of Hidden Woods sub-division in Horry County got a shock in October when property tax bills, with their new special tax district assessments included, arrived in the mail.
This is just another example of the many problems with homeowner associations or, in the case of Hidden Woods a property owner’s association.
In this case, the Hidden Woods POA led an initiative over the past several years to get roads in the private community up to county standards so they could be included in the county road system.
Speak Up…