Indian Land Action Council

Weekly Updates Will Resume

2007-09-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Beginning in September 2007, we'll begin cranking up our blog and updating it once per week with information that is germaine to the Indian Community and the Action Council. We look forward to re-engaging our community.

Will Indian Land Become a Town?

2006-10-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

From Carolina Gateway

Indian Land residents will have the chance to talk about incorporating the community into a city at a meeting this week. The Indian Land Action Council is sponsoring the meeting to discuss the pros and cons of incorporation at 7 p.m. Monday at Indian Land Middle School gym, 4137 Doby¹s Bridge Road. Guest speakers will be:
€ Howard Duvall, director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina
€ Miriam Hair, deputy director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina
€ Mandy Powers-Norrell, city attorney for Lancaster
€ Joe Shaw, Lancaster mayor
€ Buz Stebbins, Tega Cay resident involved in that city¹s incorporation process
€ Ann Taylor, Heath Springs mayor
€ Steve Willis, Lancaster City administrator

"The Indian Land Action Council isn't actually advocating incorporation, just wanting to get the information out there, both pros and cons," said Mack McDonald, a member of the Indian Land Action Council's committee that's researching incorporation. Other members are Don McCorkle and Ray Eudy. "It will take a while before anything happens because we have to wait for the 2010 census," McDonald said. He's heard estimates that Indian Land will have 25,000 residents by 2015. Former County Administrator Chap Hurst said last month that Indian Land would have the population density to incorporate in 18 months. Advantages of incorporation would be enhanced fire protection and more control over planning and zoning by Panhandle residents, McDonald said. If Indian Land were incorporated, it's likely that its mayor and council members would be volunteers for the first 10 to 12 years, he said. One of the disadvantages to incorporation would be higher taxes, because a city tax would probably be added to county taxes. "As bad as everyone fussed about reassessment, it's bad timing to start talking about adding a city tax on top of that," McDonald said. "Nobody wants to pay higher taxes."

For details about the meeting, call County Councilman Bryan Vaughn at 802-6651.

Candidates to Stump at Forum Monday

2006-09-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Jenny Hartley
jhartley@thelancasternews.com

Indian Land voters will have a chance to find out how local candidates stand on the issues facing the area Monday night at Meet the Candidates 2006 Political Forum.

Carolina Gateway, the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce Indian Land Council and the Indian Land Action Council are sponsoring the candidates forum at 7 p.m. Monday in the Indian Land Elementary/Middle School gym, 4237 Doby's Bridge Road. Brian Trimnal will moderate the forum. Candidates slated to appear are:

S.C. House District candidates Alston DeVenny (Democrat) and Mick Mulvaney
(Republican)
Lancaster County School District 1 candidates Brian Carnes, Don McCorkle and Thomas Bell. Candidate Donna McClennen has travel plans, but is trying to change those so she can attend the forum.
Lancaster County Probate Judge Democratic incumbent Sandra Estridge and Republican opponent Maxy Hammond
6th Circuit Court solicitor candidate Doug Barfield, who's unopposed

Also invited were:
5th Congressional District Democratic incumbent John Spratt and Republican challenger Ralph Norman
Candidates running for state races that will appear on Indian Land ballots.

Each candidate will be given five minutes to introduce themselves and speak on the issues they feel are most important. A question and answer session will follow, using questions submitted by Carolina Gateway readers and forum attendees. Candidates will be given a time limit to answer each question. Residents are asked to submit questions for the candidates to Carolina Gateway by faxing them to (803) 285-5079, or e-mailing them to Carolina Gateway at cgnews@thelancasternews.com. Be sure to specify that they are for the Indian Land forum.

Joe Dellinger with Paul's Hot Dogs will be cooking hot dogs in the parking lot outside the ILEMS gym at 6 p.m. before the forum. For $5, attendees will get a hot dog, drink and chips. Proceeds will go to the Del Webb Library at Indian Land, to be built on the commercial component of Sun City Carolina Lakes.

Di-Dee's Diner will provide coffee and dessert for a reception in the ILEMS cafeteria after the forum so those attending may meet and greet the candidates.

A voter registration drive will also be held in conjunction with the event, beginning at 6 p.m., with representatives from the Lancaster County Voter Registration Office. They will have an electronic voting machine with sample ballots available for voters to learn how to use the machine. The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 7 election is Oct. 7.

"We hope everyone will come out to meet the candidates, register to vote and support the library fund-raising effort, too," said Carolina Gateway Editor Jane Alford.

Action Council Cancelled This Evening

2006-09-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Indian Land Action Council meeting, originally scheduled for this evening, Sept. 14, has been cancelled.

Please plan to attend the political forum on Monday night, Sept. 18 at the Elementary/Middle School Gymnasium. Parking is available in front of the school, as well as outside the gymnasium door.

County Council Representative Bryan Vaughn is putting together a list of upcoming Action Council meeting dates, times and venues for the rest of 2006. Please watch this blog and the Gateway newspaper for information.

Action Council Meeting Postponed

2006-09-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Indian Land Action Council has postponed it's scheduled meeting for Monday night due to several conflicts to include a county council meeting and a PTA meeting at our elementary school. The meeting will be rescheduled for Thursday. Details will be upcoming.

Political Forum Set for September 18

2006-09-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

By Jenny Hartley
jhartley@thelancasternews.com

Three local sponsors are coming together to give voters a chance to find out how local political candidates weigh in on the issues facing the area. Carolina Gateway, the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce Indian Land Council and the Indian Land Action Council are sponsoring a Meet the Candidates 2006 Political Forum at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 in the Indian Land Elementary/Middle School gym, 4237 Doby¹s Bridge Road. "We feel it's important that Indian Land voters have a chance to meet the candidates and get answers to their questions right here in their own community," Carolina Gateway Editor Jane Alford said.

Candidates invited to appear are:

5th Congressional District
Democratic incumbent John Spratt
Republican challenger Ralph Norman

S.C. House District
Alston DeVenny (Democrat)
Mick Mulvaney(Republican)

Lancaster County School District 1
Brian Carnes
Donna McClennen
Don McCorkle
Thomas Bell

Lancaster County Probate Judge
Democratic incumbent Sandy Estridge
Republican opponent Maxy Hammond

6th Circuit Court solicitor
Doug Barfield, unopposed

All candidates running for state races that will appear on Indian Land ballots will also be invited.

Residents are asked to submit questions to ask the candidates at the forum to Carolina Gateway by faxing them to (803) 285-5079, or e-mailing them to Carolina Gateway Editor Jane Alford at jalford@thelancasternews.com or cgnews@thelancasternews.com. Be sure to specify that they are for the Indian Land forum. Candidates will be given a time limit to answer each question.

A reception will be held in the Indian Land Elementary/ Middle School cafeteria after the forum so those attending may meet and greet the candidates.

A hot-dog fund-raiser for the Del Webb Library at Indian Land will be held in the parking lot outside the ILEMS gym at 6 p.m. before the forum begins. The library will be built in the commercial component of Sun City Carolina Lakes.

A voter registration drive will be held in conjunction with the event beginning at 6 p.m., with representatives from the Lancaster County Voter Registration Office. An electronic voting machine will be available for voters to learn how to use. The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 7 election is Oct. 7. Indian Land Action Council is backing a push to register area voters. The Panhandle now has about 6,000 registered voters and the council hopes to have 10,000 by 2008.

"We hope everyone will come out to meet the candidates, register to vote and support the library fund-raising effort, too," Alford said.

Goal 1: Register As Many Pan Handle Residents As Possible

2006-08-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Action Council will sponsor and support a voter registration drive in the upcoming weeks in an effort to register as many residents as possible for upcoming elections and petition drives. The goal of the council is to have the highest percentage of registered voters in the county. The power of Indian Land will be shown at the ballot box.

We currently have nearly 6,000 registered voters from north of Highway 5. Our goal is 10,000 by 2008.

Fort Mill Times Editorial Backs Incorporation

2006-08-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

While some media outlets have ridden the proverbial fence on the reassessment issue. Credit must be given to the Fort Mill Times for taking a stand on what the residents of Indian Land should do in regards to governance.

Check out the Fort Mill Times editorial: www.fortmilltimes.com/opinions/

Northern Lancaster County Will Exercise It's Clout At The Polls

2006-08-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

The three voting precincts that make up the area known as the Pan Handle are the fastest growing in Lancaster County. The three precincts currently have close to 6,ooo voters registered.

With every passing day new voter after new voter from the Pan Handle is registering. At the current pace there will be more than 7,ooo registered voters in our area by mid 2007.

The Indian Land Action Council will make it a priority to get heavily involved in registering new voters and encouraging a heavy turnout in all primary and general elections in the future.

The ballot box is the most influential tool our community possesses and all county wide as well as state seats will soon run straight down Hwy 521.

Community Meeting on Incorporation Planned

2006-08-06T06:37:00.000-07:00

In September, Indian Land residents will have the opportunity to hear the pro's and con's of incorporation. A representative from the municipal association will travel to Indian Land to present a community forum on the issue. The event is being organized and sponsored by the Indian Land Action Council.

Look for more upcoming details in regards to date, time, and location.

School Starts Tuesday

2006-08-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

School begins on Tuesday for all grades k-12. Please be mindful of the increased traffic flow and children awaiting school buses.

Buses will be running on Monday to transport 6th and 9th grade student to orientation.

Looking for writers for the ILAC blogs

2006-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Back a few months ago, Bryan asked me to set up blogs for each of the ILAC committees. If you have any interest in running one of these blogs or contributing to them, let me know. They include:

The Education committee has an active blog:
http://iledusubcom.blogspot.com/

as does the Library:
http://indianlandlibrary.blogspot.com/

But these have no owners:
Incorporation: http://ilacincsubcom.blogspot.com/
Misc. Gov. Affairs: http://ilacmiscgovsubcom.blogspot.com/
Planning: http://ilacplanningsubcom.blogspot.com/
Roads: http://ilacroadssubcom.blogspot.com/
and
Services: http://ilacservicessubcom.blogspot.com/

Running one of these blogs is easy, you just need some patience and some free time.

Contact me at if you are interested in learning more.

-Jorah

Urgent!!!!! Reassessment Up For Final Vote On Monday

2006-07-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

Monday the 31st of July will be your last chance to speak against reassessment. Please inform your friends, neighbors, and email list of the county council meeting. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m.

There will be a public hearing as well as a citizen comments section. This meeting is important and our community has one last opportunity to express it's displeasure with this reassessment push.

Express your concerns on this night.

New Track at High School Taking Shape

2006-07-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

A new track at the football stadium of Indian Land High is taking shape. The track has been asphalted and is in the process of curing. A rubber surface should be applied in a couple of weeks with a completion date of mid August.

A great addition to the school and community.

Town Hall Meeting On Reassessment

2006-07-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

I will make myself available to discuss property tax reassessment and explain what is being proposed by council and how it will affect you. The details of the meeting are as follows.

Location: The covered shelter at the park on Collins Road. Collins Road is the road directly across from the (B.P.) station beside Indian Land High. The park is only 2/10's of a mile down Collins on the left.

Date: June 27

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Internet Petition Against Reassessment Reaches 200 Signature Mark

2006-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

More than 200 people have signed the i-petition against property tax reassessment. Have you voiced your opinion.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/Reassessment/

Lancaster News Online Poll Running Almost 3 to 1 Against Reassessment

2006-07-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Lancaster News online survey shows an almost 3 to 1 margin against property tax reassessment. Check out the poll in the right hand margin of the home page.

www.thelancasternews.com

Residents Blast Council For Reassessment Move

2006-07-21T08:23:00.001-07:00

Check out the letters for from the opinion page of the Lancaster News.

www.thelancasternews.com/opinion/

Community Meeting On Reassessment To Be Held

2006-07-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

I am planning a town hall style meeting for next week on property tax reassessment. I will post the location, date, and time by Monday. I expect the meetingto be held Thursday the 27th.

Please follow the blog for more info.

Sunday News Coverage of Reassessment

2006-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Check out the Lancaster News Coverage on reasessment at:

www.thelancasternews.com

also there is a poll in the right hand column as you scroll down in reference to the communities desire for reassessment. Check it out and cast your opinion as well.

What You Can Expect From Reassessment

2006-07-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Property owners in Indian Land could see 25% to 50% increases in the value of their property. An example of this would be a $200,000 home jumping to $250,000. Resulting in a higher tax liability for county and school taxes. The average homeowners could see substantial tax increases in the hundreds of dollars.

Commercial property would be hit especially hard, and could see almost a doubling of liability.

Action Council Notes: July 10 Meeting

2006-07-11T04:05:00.000-07:00

ILAC met Monday night, July 10 at the Elementary/Middle School Media Center. Bryan Vaughn was not in attendance, as the County Council had a meeting at the same time.

Mick Mulvaney of the Planning Committee, encouraged members to attend the Indian Land Chamber Breakfast that will be held on July 25 at 8 a.m. at the Blackwell Trimnal Law firm. The library committee has already planned to send a couple of representatives to talk to chamber members about the fall festival, "Fall into Fun," to be held October 14 at Sun City. The planning committee wants to mention what they are working on with regards to Indian Land "city planning."

We also put out a call for volunteers to form a small committee to come up with a "city logo" and slogan for merchandise to be sold at the festival. Current consensus seems to indicate the logo will be something with an arrowhead with IL in the center. We should develop a slogan, too. Perhaps something calling up the past and the future? Like "Preserving the past, anticipating the future?" Or perhaps something about how we are growing and changing..."A Place to Grow."
Karen Smith and Ed Cook have both agreed to work on this. We could use 3 or 4 more members. This small group will present their ideas to ILAC for final approval.

Watch this blog also for news about the proposed resurrection of property tax reassessments. Bryan will post an update here as soon as he is able.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, August 15. Rescheduled due to another County Council meeting change next month.

More News Coming By Thursday

2006-07-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Look for several new updates by Thursday. The holiday combined with vacation has slowed stories from being posted. I'll be printing some new info by the end of the week so please check back with us.

Happy Fourth

2006-07-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

July 4th is less than twenty four hours away. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Please remember to drive safe and buckle up.

Bryan

Changes in the blog's appearance

2006-06-13T03:11:00.000-07:00

I had word at last night's ILAC meeting that some folks were having trouble reading the blog because the background (which looked like parchment on my monitor) was so dark on their machines that they couldn't see the text. I'm going to investigate this further and try to find a template design that works for everyone. For now, I've changed the template to a plain-vanilla design, but should have the "new look" online by this weekend.

-Jorah Lavin
Windsor Trace