Opinion ID: 1301216
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: County's Power and Authority

Text: The SCSPA contends that County does not have the power and authority to develop and operate a terminal on the Savannah River. We disagree. County's Resolution provides: [T]here is hereby established a public marine terminal for and of Jasper County on the Terminal Property to be named the South Atlantic International Terminal ... [T]here is hereby appointed ... South Atlantic International Terminal, LLC as Port Developer/Manager to provide assistance to the County in the form of turnkey development and management services .... County's Ordinance provides: To adopt a Loan Agreement between the County and South Atlantic International Terminal, LLC and to authorize the borrowing of money as provided therein. The Resolution and Ordinance both find that: a public marine terminal will serve the best interests of the citizens of Jasper County to (i) provide transportation facilities, (ii) remedy a shortage of marine cargo loading, unloading, and transshipment capacity in Jasper County, the State of South Carolina and the Lowcountry region, (iii) foster development of commerce in Jasper County, (iv) meet Jasper County's unrealized potential as a regional transportation nexus, and (v) reduce local unemployment. Article VIII of the South Carolina Constitution mandates `home rule' for local governments and requires all laws concerning local government [to] be liberally construed in their favor. S.C. Const. art. VIII, § 17; see also Quality Towing Inc. v. City of Myrtle Beach, 340 S.C. 29, 37, 530 S.E.2d 369, 373 (2000). County contends that under S.C.Code Ann. § 4-9-25 (Supp.2004), [11] its Resolution, Ordinance, and proposed terminal are valid because the terminal will promote the general welfare of the county and enhance the county's economy. Section 4-9-25, especially when read in conjunction with Article VIII's mandatory liberal construction, authorizes County to pass a resolution and enact an ordinance promoting the general welfare of County's residents by building and maintaining a public marine terminal on the Savannah River. See Hospitality Ass'n of South Carolina, 320 S.C. at 219, 464 S.E.2d at 113, (§ 5-7-30, analogous to § 4-9-25, authorized the Town of Hilton Head to enact an ordinance promoting the health, safety, and welfare of its residents by raising funds to improve, maintain, and nourish the Town's beaches).