7/10/2007
Assessment Ratios on Aircraft
County	Lowered Ratio on Aircraft?	More registered aircraft as a result of lowered ratio?	Respondent
Abbeville	4%	No	Scott Moulder, CAO
Aiken	6%	Too soon: The assessment rate was lowered effective July 1, 2007, so we don't know yet what effect it will have on registration.	Joan Donnelly, Deputy CAO
Allendale
Anderson	4%	No.  We lowered the assessment ration on August 1, 2006.  We actually have 4 less than we did before the assessment reduction.	Gina Humphreys, Finance Div. Dir.
Bamberg
Barnwell	4%	No.  Barnwell County lowered the assessment ratio on December 2, 2004.  There has not been an appreciable amount of registration of additional aircraft since that time.  There have been a couple sold, with them registering in the county.  Bottom line, we lost revenue due to reducing the assessment ratio.	Debbie Fickling, Admin. Asst.
Beaufort
Berkeley	6%	No	Janet Brown Jurosko, County Auditor
Calhoun	No - 10.5%		Lee Prickett, CAO
Charleston
Cherokee	No - 10.5%		Doris Pearson, Clerk to Council
Chester	4%	No.  The result did not increase the capacity at our airport because it is at 100% and has been at 100%.  The main reason we changed the ratio was because owners would have moved their aircraft to another airport that was assessed at 4%.	Carolyn Clayton-Snipes, Clerk to Council
Chesterfield
Clarendon	No - 10.5%		Bill Houser, CAO
Colleton	4%	Yes	Doug Burns, CAO
Darlington	No - 10.5%		Phyllis Griffitts, CAO
Dillon
Dorchester	No - 10.5%		Jason Ward, CAO
Edgefield	No - 10.5%		Bill Gilchrist, County Auditor
Fairfield
Florence	4%	No	Kevin Yokim, Finance Dir.
Georgetown	4%
Greenville	No - 10.5%		John Hansley, Finance Dir.
Greenwood
Hampton	No - 10.5%		Sabrena Graham, CAO
Horry
Jasper	No - 10.5%		Ronnie Malphrus, Deputy CAO
Kershaw	4%	Too soon: Assessment was lowered in January and it is really too soon to know what effect it will have on registered aircraft.  We were promised a new jet if we lowered the assessment.  I understand now that the individual met with some council members and wants additional tax advantages that we can't provide or he will register the jet in Miss.  We did pick up Life Net air ambulance service and they said they would register at least one helicopter in KC.  They could use another state for registration if they wanted to.	Bobby Boland, CAO
Lancaster	4%	Too soon: Lancaster County just reduced the assessment ratio to 4% in May so have not had time to tell if it will result in more aircraft being registered here.  We did have two owners (local residents) who had been keeping their planes in Rock Hill and moved them back here once we lowered the ratio.	Steve Willis, CAO
Laurens	4%	Too soon: Laurens County lowered the assessment rate by ordinance approximately three weeks ago. We have not had time to determine whether the move will result in the registration of more aircraft. However, it is something that we will watch in the coming months.	Ernie Segars, CAO
Lee
Lexington	No - 10.5%		Katherine Hubbard, CAO
Marion
Marlboro	No - 10.5%		Cecil Kimrey, CAO
McCormick
Newberry	4%	No.  In the one year that has elapsed since changing the assessment ratio to 4%, the number of aircraft registered in Newberry County has remained constant at 14.	Wayne Adams, CAO
Oconee	6%	No.  We have not really seen a significant difference in the amount of aircraft registered in Oconee.	Christy W. Tompkins, Chief Deputy Auditor
Orangeburg	No - 10.5%
Pickens
Richland	No - 10.5%		Tony McDonald, Deputy CAO
Saluda
Spartanburg
Sumter	4%	Too soon:  We had third reading on June 12, 2007.	Bill Noonan, CAO
Union	No - 10.5%		Donnie Betenbaugh, CAO
Williamsburg
York	4%	No.  We reduced the assessment ratio beginning in tax year 2004.  We have not seen a significant increase in the number of aircraft registered as a result.	Amy C. Boheler, County Auditor
30 Respondents (65%)	NO:  14 cos (47%) YES:  16 cos (53%) (13 cos @ 4%; 3 cos @ 6%)	NO:   9 cos (56%) TOO SOON TO TELL: 5 cos (31%) YES:   1 co (6%) NO RESPONSE: 1 co (6%)