IN SPORTS: Sumter faces Lexington in Legion playoff series B1 PANORAMA Downtown still rocking Joe Sanford Band next up in SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 C1 WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017 $1.00 Fourth Friday series SCDOR settlement with FTC a shock to counties BY JIM HILLEY sesses large companies.” companies to provide rural The amount of money in-
[email protected] Editor’s note: For a late- Much as homeowners can telephone service in unincor- volved is significant, Claren- breaking development on this appeal their property’s assess- porated areas was ignored by don County Administrator Several South Carolina story read Adrienne Sarvis’ ment to the county, compa- the department when assess- David Epperson said Monday counties may be on the hook County Council report at the nies can appeal to depart- ing FTC’s property. at a Clarendon County Coun- to repay significant amounts bottom of this page. ment, he said. In January, a settlement cil meeting. of money to Farmers Tele- FTC, which includes Farm- was reached in the company’s “We and the other counties phone Cooperative and its af- as a basis for collecting ers Telephone Inc., Farmers favor, but according to local may have to give up some ser- filiates because of a settle- taxes. Telephone LLC and Farmers county administrators, the vices,” he said. ment with South Carolina De- “The county doesn’t do Telephone Diversified LLC, counties were not notified “Not only Clarendon Coun- partment of Revenue. those assessments,” Lee appealed its property assess- until the last week in June, ty, but also Sumter County, The department assesses County Administrator Alan ment with the department, Watkins said.