Government

A bloc of Lancaster County Council members representing the county’s central districts voted Monday night to oust outspoken District 7 Indian Land planning commissioner Jerry Holt by preventing his appointment to a third term.
The move was the second attempt to eject Holt from the commission. It came just two weeks after the same council members blocked the appointment of Waylon Wilson, another outspoken Indian Land nominee to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Van Wyck residents will go to the polls Aug. 15 to decide if their community will incorporate, a defensive move against being gobbled up by the proposed Indian Land municipality.
News of the special election date came Friday, nearly a year and a half after Van Wyck began its effort in an attempt to preserve its rural way of life. The community has about 2,500 residents.

An analysis of Lancaster County voting in Tuesday’s congressional election shows that the most rural precincts and the fast-growing Panhandle went strongly for Republican Ralph Norman, and the greater Lancaster area swung hard for Democrat Archie Parnell.
Norman won the day overall in the county – 55 percent to 44 percent – helped by the expected huge turnout in Sun City Carolina Lakes, which had more than twice as much voter turnout as the whole county, at 41 percent.

KERSHAW – For the first time ever, the budget for the town of Kershaw will top $4 million next fiscal year.
The current budget, which runs through June 30, is $3.9 million.
As unanimously passed by town council Wednesday night, the 2017-18 budget raises the property tax millage rate to 82 mills from 77 mills in the current budget.