"Pearl of the Pee Dee" wasn't a catchy phrase that meant nothing. There was a time when Darlington County was progressive and growing. There needs to be a concerted focus on bringing new industry and creating jobs. If we want strong local economies and thriving municipalities, then people need jobs close to home. Every neighboring county is celebrating new companies breaking ground or existing companies expanding. Do we want our tagline to shift from "The Pearl of the Pee Dee" to "Darlington County, The Bedroom Community to Florence County"? Well, we aren't poised to become the bedroom community because we lack accessible, affordable housing for residents we currently have, so we can't market ourselves for such to bring in more people. I want local jobs for the people that already call Darlington County home. I don't want people moving to adjacent counties or towns for jobs, entertainment, etc. Our local economy cannot sustain itself if all people do is spend the night in Darlington County. If we had companies coming to town, we would have good jobs with livable wages for our citizens. We would not be experiencing a population decline and we could support local merchants for a viable, quality community base. New jobs spur the need for additional housing and that feeds our tax base which can help keep taxes from increasing. It is well past time for progress that benefits the taxpayers! Prospecting doesn’t mean sitting and waiting for it to come to us - it means we get suitable sites ready for a company to break ground and make ourselves marketable! Part of the problem is it should be a team effort that includes council but it’s unfortunately a very segregated operation with no results.
The model is not working and it's time for change.
Combine efforts with municipalities throughout the county (Darlington, Hartsville, Lamar, Society Hill City/Town Councils) to preserve and restore properties owned by each that are historical in nature, in ill-repair or in danger of complete loss.
UPDATE - exploring grant opportunities to support efforts of property owners as well as zoning for owners to take advantage of tax credits.
Make a statement @ I-20, Hwy 151, Hwy 15/401, etc!
Invite travelers to take a detour to see a quaint southern district and make it worth the trip! Entrances at our county line is our FRONT DOOR!
"Roll out the welcome mat" to mark the corridors at EVERY entrance of the county line.
To offer assistance with a county wide spay/neuter program to address the issue of overcrowding which results a lot of times in euthanasia.
UPDATE - $8,000 donation to Outreach Spay/Neuter Program to sustain procedures through December 2023. And, Darlington County Humane Society to include a Line Item in their budget to help sustain the Spay/Neuter Program @ $1,000 per month.
TETHERING - TASK FORCE formed and a new tethering ordinance has passed 2nd Reading with the 3rd and Final vote scheduled for November 2024. I'm confident it will pass this time.
Get back to the original plan for the Prison Farm to reduce/eliminate the cost of running it through government funds.
UPDATE - using Prison Farm for clean-up efforts and litter control throughout the county.