City Quick Connect Podcast from the Municipal Association of South Carolina

South Carolina municipalities use one of three forms of government: the council form, mayor-council form and council-manager form. Municipal Association General Counsel Eric Shytle and Associate General Counsel Sara Weathers discuss the division of administrative powers in each of the forms, and common questions about how they work. Learn more in the updated Forms and Powers of Municipal Governmen...

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the statewide primaries that occurred June 9, including the office of governor, where the race for the Republican nominee went to a runoff; as well as other constitutional officers. They also discuss primary races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the SC House.

Municipal Association Executive Director Todd Glover and Deputy Executive Director Jake Broom preview the 2026 Annual Meeting, taking place in Greenville on July 15 – 19. Sessions will cover community and economic development, data centers, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, legislative advocacy, as well as forms of government and meeting management. Learn more: www.masc.sc/2026-municipal-ass...

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the SC House and Senate being called back by the governor to debate congressional redistricting, what it could mean for voting processes in the upcoming primary elections, and how district maps could impact cities and towns.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom cover the end of the regular 2025 – 2026 legislative session, including activity on the adjournment resolution, congressional redistricting, the bill addressing a property tax loophole and the conference committee report on the SC Department of Transportation modernization bill.

At nearly the end of the legislative session, Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss potential congressional redistricting, the monuments and memorials bill, the local government investment bill and the business personal property tax exemption bill.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss last-minute legislative activity in the final two weeks of the 2025 – 2026 legislative session, as well as the General Assembly’s adjournment resolution.

Director of Advocacy Casey Fields and Legislative and Public Policy Advocate Erica Wright cover the discussions at the State House on potential voluntary road devolution, in which local governments would take responsibility for certain roads from the state.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom take a look at the upcoming debate on the two versions of the SCDOT modernization bills, as well as the testimony on the bill that would prohibit land with agricultural structures from being annexed without the agreement of the owner.

Director of Advocacy Casey Fields and Legislative and Public Policy Advocacy Daina Riley Phillips discuss the differences between the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the state budget and the House version, including the funding amounts for a road buyback program, bridge modernization and beach renourishment grants.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the status of numerous bills of interest to cities and towns headed into the last six weeks of the legislative session, as well as the first debate among Republican Party candidates for governor.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss movement on the SC Department of Transportation modernization bill and the bill on local enforcement of immigration laws. They also cover recent campaign activity among the state’s gubernatorial candidates.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss legislative action on the bill that would regulate hemp-derived products, as well as debate on data center regulation bills.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the state budget debate and the carrying over of the bill that would require Installment Purchase Revenue Bonds to count toward the constitutional debt limit of cities and counties. They also cover the progress of the concurrency bill that would give local governments the ability to condition land development approval on the availability of public facilities.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss legislative action on the boat tax reduction bill, a SC Department of Transportation modernization bill and two bills concerning data centers. They also preview upcoming General Assembly work on the state budget.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the newly introduced bill that would eliminate Installment Purchase Revenue Bonds as a finance option for cities and towns, as well as how IPRBs work for municipal projects that benefit residents and businesses.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the House Ways and Means Committee version of the state budget, the bills to cut property taxes, the bills that would regulate data centers, and a bill that would require some cities to enter into agreements to enforce federal immigration laws.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the history of South Carolina’s Act 388, as well as the law’s effect on tax millage increases and how it impacts the current discussions on property taxes at the State House.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss a bill that would cut taxes for small businesses, as well as the two versions of the SCDOT modernization bill.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss the collaborative advocacy efforts of municipal officials, including its impact on the bill that would preempt local regulation of exterior siding and the Senate version of the SCDOT bill.

Casey Fields and Jake Broom discuss amendments to property tax bill and the Senate version of the SCDOT modernization bill. They also recap the 2026 Hometown Legislative Action Day.

At the beginning of the second half of the 2025 – 26 legislative session, Municipal Association of SC Director of Advocacy Casey Fields and Deputy Executive Director Jake Broom discuss potential changes to the homestead property tax exemption, and the SC House DOT Modernization Ad Hoc Committee’s work to possibly change road ownership and funding.

Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina’s 4th congressional district joins the podcast to discuss his time as a state senator and how it differs from Congress, the issues involved in legislating at the federal level, how lawmakers work out compromise deals and how they address federal government shutdowns. The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the guest(s) and do not...

Todd Glover and Erica Wright, who also participate in the SC/DC podcast, join Casey Fields and Jake Broom to discuss what actions they would all like to see happen at the South Carolina State House and the U.S. Congress in 2026 to help cities and towns. They also discuss the Municipal Association’s 2026 Hometown Legislative Action Day, happening January 20 in Columbia.

Cybersecurity is a critical operational issue for municipalities of every size. Loss Control Manager Bethany Pendley talks about numerous key security measures that city leaders should be thinking about, cybersecurity risks for police departments, and what a cyber incident response plan should include.