At Monday night’s Saluda County Council meeting Saluda County GOP Chairwoman, Amy Potts, presented a proposal unanimously approved by the Republican Party’s Executive Committee to strengthen transparency and protect taxpayers when county-owned property is sold.
One of the Republican Party’s main missions is to promote good governance at every level of government. In Saluda County, that means supporting open and accountable decision-making and responsible stewardship of public assets.
The packet presented to Council included research on how other South Carolina counties handle the sale of public property, a supporting Republican Party resolution, a sample ordinance, and a letter asking Council to consider the proposal.
The Saluda County GOP recommends that, before Council gives final approval to sell county-owned real property, the County obtain an independent written determination of the property’s fair market value. Under the sample ordinance, that determination could come through a licensed appraisal, comparative market analysis, broker price opinion, or another recognized independent valuation method.
The proposal would also make the valuation available to the public before the final hearing and require Council to document that the consideration received is fair and reasonable.
Importantly, the proposal would not prevent the County from selling property below its appraised or estimated market value when there is a legitimate public purpose or economic-development justification. Council would retain that authority—but the reason for doing so would be clearly stated in the public record.
“This proposal does not tie Council’s hands,” Potts said. “It does help ensure that, before a final vote, Council has sound information about the value of a public asset.”
The Saluda County GOP is not asking Council to adopt the sample ordinance word-for-word. Instead, the Party is encouraging Council and the County Attorney to develop practical local language that promotes accountability, protects taxpayers, and preserves the County’s ability to pursue legitimate economic-development opportunities.
This is also an example of what an active local political party can do beyond elections.
Republicans who want to have a voice in how government operates should consider becoming involved with the Saluda County Republican Party.
Since April 2025, when the current term began, the Party has passed resolutions addressing local, state, and national issues and has worked with local officials on matters affecting Saluda County. The County’s new policy allowing citizens to sign up on the same day to speak before County Council was initiated last year by a Saluda County GOP resolution. It was subsequently adopted by Council.
The goal is simple: government should be accountable to the people who pay for it. When public property is sold, taxpayers should have confidence that Council knows what that property is worth, understands the reasons for the sale, and is making its decision openly and responsibly.
