Towns to vote on incorporation

Voters in Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville will have a historic decision to make Tuesday: Should the three towns merge into one incorporated municipality?

More than 7,000 registered voters live within the 23.7 square miles proposed for incorporation.

Charles Hilton, the chairman of the Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville Inc. Study Committee, said he expects strong voter turnout.

Efforts to incorporate have been ongoing for more than two years, since the Graniteville train wreck devastated the area's economy.

Mr. Hilton said because the towns aren't incorporated, residents have missed out on money that could have helped in the area's recovery, such as funds from state-shared revenue and the local option sales tax.

"If we had been incorporated, the last time the local option sales tax was passed, that's probably three-quarters of a million dollars that would have been coming into this area," he said. "And state-shared revenue -- that's $1.5 million that would be coming into a very small area that has really seen some hard times in the last few years with the loss of jobs we have experienced."

Mr. Hilton says that with incorporation, the area would be controlled by people who live there, rather than the Aiken County Council.

If the referendum passes, there would be an election for a mayor and council.

Mr. Hilton admits the downside to incorporation is taxes.

"But with a 5-mill tax, you're looking at $20 to $40 (a year)," he said. "To me, the future of this area is worth that kind of investment."

A native of Graniteville, Mr. Hilton said he has witnessed the area's decline for the past 20 to 30 years.

"It's quite apparent that no one else is going to take care of this area," he said. "It's up to us to take a stand and try to turn it around and make the area better than what it's been in the past."

Residents will also be asked Tuesday to choose a name for the incorporated town. The choices are: Horse Creek, Gregg Township, GVW Tri-City and Gregg Valley. William Gregg built the first cotton mill in Graniteville.

State Sen. Greg Ryberg, a Republican whose district includes Aiken County, has questioned the role of a nonprofit agency in the ballot initiative.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Revenue said it was reviewing whether the Lower Savannah Council of Governments acted properly by working on behalf of supporters of incorporation. Mr. Ryberg also asked the department to consider the council's refusal to reveal a complete list of donors to the incorporation effort.

The council has said its work on behalf of the anonymous, pro-incorporation donors is standard activity. The council works with local governments in Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.

Morris News Service reports were used in this story.

Reach Michelle Guffey at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or michelle.guffey@augustachronicle.com.