Current Status Introducing Body:Senate Bill Number:173 Primary Sponsor:McConnell Committee Number:11 Type of Legislation:GB Subject:County councils, alternate methods of election Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Judiciary Computer Document Number:OLDVS/LIBX/2320 Introduced Date:Jan 08, 1991 Last History Body:Senate Last History Date:Jan 08, 1991 Last History Type:Introduced and read first time, referred to Committee Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:McConnell Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN
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173 Senate Jan 08, 1991 Introduced and read first 11
time, referred to Committee
173 Senate Sep 17, 1990 Prefiled, referred to 11
Committee
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TO AMEND SECTION 4-9-10, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE AUTHORIZATION TO CONDUCT REFERENDUMS TO DETERMINE A CHANGE IN THE FORM OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT, NUMBER OF COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS, OR METHODS OF ELECTION, SO AS TO AUTHORIZE REFERENDUMS TO ESTABLISH ALTERNATE METHODS OF ELECTION WITHIN CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND TO PROVIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR COUNTIES WHICH ELECT MEMBERS OF THEIR GOVERNING BODY AT LARGE FROM THE COUNTY, BUT REQUIRE MEMBERS TO BE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICTS, AND WHICH COUNTIES COMPRISE PART OF OR COMPRISE A STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. For purposes of this act, the General Assembly finds that Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas have a high concentration of urban or suburban communities and reflect continued urban and suburban development with fundamentally antiquated, previously-drawn residency districts for county council elections based on population and geopolitical concerns.
SECTION 2. Section 4-9-10 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"(f) In addition to the referendums authorized to change the form of government and number and composition of county councils in subsection (c), the referendums may be held to change the methods of election of county councils. The alternate methods of election which may be established by the referendums are limited to:
(1) at large from the county;
(2) from defined single-member election districts;
(3) any other method in effect in the county when the referendum is held, and this method is also an alternate method for that county after another method is selected after July 1, 1986, but must not be changed sooner than two years after the original referendum is held.
(g) All counties which elect members of their governing body at large from the county, but require members to be residents of districts, and which counties comprise part of or comprise a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area in accordance with the latest official United States census, shall apportion the residency requirement districts as to population and must be reapportioned as to population by the county council within a reasonable time before the next general election which follows the adoption by the State of each federal decennial census. The population variance between defined residency districts may not exceed ten percent."
SECTION 3. If any part of this act is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this act remains in effect.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.