Court Opinion

ID: 9852272
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:27:33.07703+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:24.907664
License: Public Domain

PLEICONES, Justice:
I concur in the majority’s decision to uphold the circuit court’s construction of the statutes and to uphold their constitutionality. Further, I share the concerns expressed regarding the policy implications of these statutes. I write separately, however, because I do not agree with the majority that a county is required to distribute any of the fee in lieu to the school district, nor that the allocation decision is subject to an abuse of discretion standard.
I can find no requirement in S.C.Code Ann. § 4-1-170 (Supp.2000), nor in any other of the relevant statutes that the county apply any particular formula in distributing the fee in lieu. In my view, the statutes permit the county to allocate 0% to a taxing entity in the county, including the affected school district, and therein lies the most troubling policy concern. As the majority recognizes, the remedy lies with the Legislature and not with this Court.
*637I therefore respectfully dissent from that part of the majority opinion which may be read to require an allocation to a school district, subject to an abuse of discretion standard. I concur in the remainder of the decision.