Property Police coming to South Carolina

In a surprise move at today’s meeting, Lexington’s County Council changed their public agenda and voted to kill their local Property Police ordinance.

A similar ordinance landed a Mt. Pleasant woman in jail for six days after being cited for having a messy yard.

Now, Senators Massey, Ford, and Cleary want to bring the Property Police to the entire state with S235, the Property Police bill.

For the past month, property rights defenders in Lexington County have been hard at work alerting their fellow residents to this new ordinance that Lexington County Council was on the verge of passing.

This ordinance, dubbed the Property Police ordinance, would have:

• instructed residents when to cut their grass;
• mandated that all pools be kept clear year round, and
• restricted what kind of storage you could have on your private property.

What’s the penalty for a messy yard in Lexington County?

You’d pay up to $500 per day, plus $592 in court fees.  And, if you can’t pay the fine and fees, up to 30 days in jail.

Needless to say, most Lexington County residents were outraged that County Council thought they could turn the county into one big Home Owner’s Association.

After a month of phone calls and contacts, Lexington County Council threw in the towel and voted to kill the ordinance 7 – 1.

But guess what?

There is a bill in the Statehouse that will allow every county in the state to have their own Property Police!

Yep, that’s right; S235 will allow every county to be turned into one big Home Owner’s Association.

That’s what Senator Massey, Senator Cleary, and Senator Ford are proposing.

Contact them today!

Let them know that we don’t need Property Police in this state.

Tell them to withdraw their support for S235.

Be polite, but be firm!

Shane Massey

ShaneMassey@scsenate.gov

803-480-0419

 

Ray Cleary

RayCleary@scsenate.gov

(803) 212-6100

 

Robert Ford

RobertFord@scsenate.gov

(803) 212-6124

Also, please sign our petition against this bill at www.NoPropertyPolice.org.

Ask your friends and neighbors to sign it, too!

If passed, S235 will allow each county to pass a Property Police ordinance.

Also, if you live in Lexington County, Senator Massey will be holding three town hall meetings in Lexington over the next several days.

I’ll be attending the one at Pleasant Hill Elementary to ask him if he has changed his mind.  I invite you to join me there or to go to one of the other locations and ask him to withdraw his support for the Property Police.

Senator Massey’s town hall meetings:

Thursday, March 1

6:00 – 7:30

Pleasant Hill Elementary School

Cafeteria

664 Rawl Road

Lexington, SC

 

Tuesday, March 6

6:00 – 7:30

Gilbert High School

Theatre

840 Main Street

Gilbert, SC

 

Monday, March 12

6:00 – 7:30

Lexington High School

Cafeteria

2463 Augusta Highway

Lexington, SC

 

So, be sure to contact Senators Massey, Cleary, and Ford today at the e-mail addresses or phone numbers above.

And, if you live in Lexington County, attend one of Shane Massey’s town hall meetings and help convince him to withdraw his support for S235, the state Property Police bill.

And don’t forget, please sign our on-line petition against this bill at www.NoPropertyPolice.org and ask your friends and neighbors to do so also!

Sincerely,

Talbert Black Jr.

P.S. State Senators Massey, Ford, and Cleary have introduced a bill that will allow every county to have a “Property Police” ordinance similar to the one that landed this Mt. Pleasant woman in jail for six days after being cited for having a messy yard.

Please help me convince these Senators to withdraw their support.  Contact them today at the phone number and e-mail addresses provided above.  Tell them to withdraw their support for the state Property Police bill, S235.