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South Carolina Builders Defeat Impact Fee Referendum

Encouraged by a coalition of builders and industry interests, voters in the Myrtle Beach area’s Horry County, SC, last month shot down an advisory referendum ballot question asking whether voters favored the imposition of development impact fees by the county.

Although South Carolina law already enables counties to impose impact fees without voter approval, Horry County Council members hoped that a favorable vote on Election Day would help it impose new impact fees without generating any local controversy and help local officials lobby state lawmakers for legislation that would allow counties to be less accountable when imposing the fees.

Joining forces as the coalition of Citizens for Horry County’s Future, the Horry-Georgetown Home Builders Association, along with the Home Builders Association of South Carolina, South Carolina Association of Realtors® and other local and state organizations led an effort to defeat the referendum.

“Voters needed to know impact fees could deal a blow to the local housing market, hurt the economy and translate into higher property values and taxes for all residents,” said Lawrence Langdale, president of the Horry-Georgetown Home Builders Association.

The coalition raised and spent more than $100,000 on a voter awareness campaign to alert the community of the consequences associated with imposing impact fees. The coalition was assisted by NAHB's Political Operations team, and received financial support from NAHB's State & Local Issues Fund.

In only a matter of weeks, the coalition mobilized more than 500 supporters, sent three informative mail pieces to voters that were followed up with phone calls, ran radio and print advertisements and implemented an active grassroots advocacy campaign.

One of the campaign's highlights came in late October when The Sun News, the area's largest newspaper, endorsed the coalition's efforts with a headline that read, “No on Horry Impact Fees.”

Less than two weeks later, voters made their opinion heard: impact fees were rejected by 58% of the electorate.

For more information on the referendum or the campaign to defeat it, e-mail Ashley Geyer in NAHB's State & Local Political Operations Department, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8126.

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