AIKEN – An idea by some Aiken County Council members to hire a lobbying firm to represent the area in Washington, D.C., isn't gaining financial support from other communities.
The idea, presented at a recent Aiken County budget work session by councilman Chuck Smith, was to include $100,000 in Aiken County’s upcoming fiscal year budget, set to start next month, for a firm that would help find federal money for the area, particularly involving Savannah River Site.
It was mentioned at the meeting that it could be a cost- sharing venture with surrounding governments, including such area counties as Barnwell and Columbia. However, officials with both say it could be a hard sell.
“Money’s too tight,” said Joe Smith, chair of the Barnwell County Commission, adding that his county isn’t in a strong enough financial position to allocate funds for the cause. He said Barnwell County is currently working on its next fiscal year budget amid a loss of about $1.2 million in revenue.
Meanwhile, Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross said that although he would be open-minded to such a proposal, “that would be a real deterrent to us right now because we have cut our budget from last year. We’re in good shape financially, and I doubt very seriously in the final analysis that we would be willing to contribute a fair share of that or a good portion.”
He said Columbia County’s biggest concern currently is with funding from Atlanta moreso than Washington, adding he feels Rep. Paul Broun, R-Athens, has been doing a good job for Columbia County on the federal level.
Noting how Washington is where the money is, Mr. Smith said the area should get “more proactive” in finding revenue, adding “I just think we need somebody up there working on our behalf.”
Ryan Murphy, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, whose district includes part of Aiken County, said Mr. Wilson thinks he’s had and will continue to have a good working relationship with Aiken County but that he would leave the lobbyist matter to their discretion.
“It’s a local issue. It’s something that they’re going to need to make a decision on,” Mr. Murphy said.
The issue will likely come back up for discussion at Aiken County Council’s next budget work session Tuesday night after a 6 p.m. public hearing on the county’s next fiscal year budget proposal.
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