Timmonsville Water Problem in Hands of Voters June 25th

Would you drink, bathe or wash clothes in this water?
Timmonsville residents have been living with this
water problem for some time now.

Timmonsville has a serious water problem.

How we arrived at this problem will be discussed at another time. For now, Timmonsville owes roughly $6 million to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a Rural Development Loan taken to improve the water system in 2006. The town is unable to repay this loan.

It is estimated there are needed improvements to the water system costing between $10 and $12 million to bring it up to standard. The town has no way to obtain the funding for these upgrades. Something must be done.

The city of Florence has the credit standing to structure a 30-year loan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and take over the Timmonsville debt. They have the man power to operate and maintain a water system. The citizens deserve a well run water system.

The Timmonsville water system services roughly 1,000 customers all of whom do not live within the 2.6 square mile town limit. The entire customer base is paying around $966,000 a year into the current water system. The Florence water system brings in $30 million annually from the nearly 31,000 customers it serves.

The acquisition of the Timmonsville water system would increase the Florence customer base by only 3%. The city of Florence expects to be able to expand the profitability of the Timmonsville water system by $300,000 annually once the needed improvements are made.

Florence officials also say the rates will remain the same for Timmonsville customers for 2 years and that the rates cannot increase at a percentage any different than the rest of Florence water customers who live outside Florence’s city limits.

Both Florence City Council and Timmonsville Town council have approved the ordinances that would move control of Timmonsville’s water and waste water systems to the City of Florence. The next step is a referendum vote from Timmonsville’s residents (within the town limits) scheduled for Tuesday, June 25.

The citizens who are water customers living outside the Timmonsville town limits have NO vote, so they are depending on the residents of the town to do the right thing and VOTE "YES" on the referendum. If you live inside the town limits you must be registered to vote by May 25th to participate in the referendum question.

NOTE: You will also be voting under the new SC Voter ID Law.

You will be asked to show one of the following Photo IDs at your polling place:

1) The "NEW" S.C. Voter Registration Card with Photo
2) Valid S.C. Driver's License
3) ID Card issued by S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles
4) Federal Military ID
5) U.S. Passport

Your Photo ID address must match your voter registration address. You may go by the Florence County Voter Registration office and get your new Photo ID Voter Registration card.

Florence County Board of Voter Registration

219 Third Loop Road

Florence, SC 29505

Phone (843) 665-3094

Fax (843) 292-1613

David K. Alford, Director 

dalford@florenceco.org

Leave a comment below to sound off on Timmonsville's water problem.

The citizens outside the Timmonsville town limits have NO vote concerning the towns water problem. So if you live in the town limits PLEASE get out and vote "YES" on the referendum on June 25th.