City Quick Connect Podcast from the Municipal Association of South Carolina

Municipal Association Executive Director Todd Glover and Chief Operating Officer Jake Broom preview the 2024 Annual Meeting, taking place in Greenville July 17 – 21, with sessions focused on artificial intelligence, economic development, mental health resources, placemaking, workforce talent development, civic academies and civility in local government, among others. Learn more: https://www.masc.s...

Casey Fields and Joannie Nickel discuss the results of the June 11 primary elections, and what those elections will mean for the makeup of the General Assembly during its 2025 – 2026 legislative session.

Casey Fields and Erica Wright discuss the General Assembly’s first return to the State House after the end of the regular session. The preview legislators’ final actions on the state budget, primary elections on June 11 and Wright’s upcoming meetings in Washington, D.C., to meet with federal agencies on grant funding opportunities.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss various bills that did not pass during the regular legislative session, and what may become of the issues in the next session. These include the zero-millage bill, the statewide hate crimes bill — although a growing number of municipalities are passing local hate crimes ordinances — medical cannabis, short-term rental regulation bans, the municipal elections...

Casey Fields, Scott Slatton and Erica Wright discuss how the language from the military tax increment financing bill came to be amended onto another bill that is still alive in conference committee, and describe the late-session debate on the bill to restructure the state’s health agencies.

Casey Fields, Scott Slatton and Joannie Nickel discuss the state budget ahead of it going to conference committee in June. They also discuss the property tax extension bill and the bill extending the SC Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act tax credit.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton talk about bills that did not pass during the final week of the regular legislative session, such as the bill that would consolidate state health agencies and the municipal elections bill.

Casey Fields discusses the events of the final day of the General Assembly’s regular legislative session, including what bills are enrolled for ratification and what bills will go to conference committee and remain active in June.

Scott Slatton and Casey Fields discuss the legislative action on the municipal election bill, currently amended to set the election date for all cities and towns as either the first Tuesday of April, or the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, of odd years. They also discuss the bill to allow micro-distilleries to sell liquor on Sundays and the bill to extend the tax credits of the SC...

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss budget provisos involving short-term rental regulation that the SC Senate had considered, the creation of a liquor liability study committee, as well as legislative action on the Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act tax credit extension and the affordable housing property tax exemption bill.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton talk about the upcoming Senate debate on the Senate Finance Committee version of the state budget, as well as new language being added onto the bill to extend the abandoned buildings revitalization tax credit and the military tax increment financing bill.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the state budget, with provisos relating to property tax changes after the delay of 2020 Census data, State Health Plan insurance premium increases, and the 12-month break-in-service rules for retired police officers returning to work as school resource officers. They also cover the ongoing debate on the SC Ten-Year E...

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss the status of the joint and several liability bill, the tort reform bill and liquor liability legislation; as well as testimony on the SC Ten-Year Energy Transformation Act. They also cover a follow-up bill to the recently passed permitless gun carry law.

Joannie Nickel and Erica Wright join the podcast to talk about the current state of the military tax increment financing bill, the 911 T-CPR bill, liquor liability legislation, the bill to increase the tort claims cap and the state budget. They also explain the Municipal Association’s new resource for local hate crimes ordinances.

Casey Fields and Joannie Nickel look at several pieces of legislation as the crossover deadline, which is the deadline for bills to pass out of their originating body, approaches on April 10. They cover the military tax increment financing bill, the property tax exemption bill, the Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act tax credit bill, the 911 T-CPR bill, energy reform bill and Nickel’s work on a...

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton review the House version of the state budget, including new and returning budget provisos. They also discuss the recently passed permitless carry bill and its follow-up legislation as well as testimony on the bill that would require signage for those with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits to discharge effluent into state waters.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton take a look at the passage of the permitless firearm carrying legislation, the discussion on the Judicial Merit Selection Commission, proposals on reducing the costs of liquor liability insurance, and the upcoming debate on the state budget.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss the House of Representatives version of the bill creating the Executive Office of Health and Policy, and the conference committee on the bill to allow permitless carrying of firearms. They also talk about the bill to extend the SC Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act tax credit, and the ongoing efforts to reduce liquor liability insurance costs.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton take a look at the House Ways and Means Committee’s version of the state budget. They also talk about the proposed extension of the SC Abandoned Buildings Revitalization Act tax credits until 2035, as well as the bill that would change the property tax exemption for nonprofit housing corporations, the bill that would allow first responders to file worker’s compensati...

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss the bills to create the Executive Office of Health and Policy, the permitless carry bill going to conference committee and the bill to allow referendums for Sunday liquor retails sales. They also cover the medical cannabis bill, liquor liability bills and the bill to allow affordable housing development projects in military tax increment financing districts.

Casey Fields and Scott Slatton discuss the medical cannabis bill going on special order, and also talk about the bill to allow the permitless carrying of a gun and the bill to allow referendums for Sunday liquor sales. They review Hometown Legislative Action Day, including the session on using accommodations tax funds for workforce housing.

Laura Dawson Ullrich, senior regional economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Charlotte Branch, discusses the current state of the economy and its outlook for the future.

Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib offers the report of the Municipal Association’s legislative committee, and the Association’s advocacy team talks through numerous key issues currently debated at the State House. Hear from Scott Slatton, director of advocacy and communications, as well as legislative and public policy advocates Joannie Nickel and Erica Wright.

Conway Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy, president of the Municipal Association of SC, talks about inclusion at the local level and the need to consider all kinds of residents when making decisions, as well as the importance of a statewide hate crimes bill.

Todd Glover, executive director of the Municipal Association of SC, highlights the importance of municipalities to the South Carolina economy, the need to regulate short-term rentals at the local level, the value of annexation, and the need for civility in local government.