Staff writer Theron Willis contributed to this story.

When it comes to South Carolina you won’t find a dirtier word than taxes.
Have you ever heard a politician state taxes need to be increased?
If so,  you must have been having a nightmare.
However, falling revenue coupled with years of cutting taxes is about to come home to roost in South Carolina.
Of course your state legislature is working hard to balance their budget without raising taxes.
How are they going about doing that?
One way is to cut funding to local cities and towns through Aid to Local Government, a program that distributes state funds to municipalities across the state.
Spartanburg Assistant City Manager Chris Story noted the State General Assembly broke the formula that had been in place for years.  He said when they did that it shifted the burden to the local taxpayer.
Story added, “The formula kept a year-to-year fairness to the equation that allowed local government to predict and plan their budget.  Suspending that formula has led to uncertainty going forward.”
He added, “It used to be a straight-line equation where local municipalities got a straight percentage of the state general fund.”  Story explains, “If the state general fund grew in good years and shrunk in bad years, they just followed the formula.”
For fiscal year 2010 the General Assembly passed special legislation to break that formula and cut the Aid to Local Government Fund deeper.
Story states he understands the state legislature’s need to cut but “it creates some uncertainty” for local governments.
Story explained why local governments receive Aid to Local Government.  “Local governments help the state meet it’s obligations through mandates from state law,” he said.
While former President Ronald Reagan’s commandment to not speak ill of fellow Republicans is something that serves the GOP well, finger pointing may begin as the current recession continues to drag on and on and local municipalities are stretched to the breaking point.
In fact when you talk to local town and city officials you learn that local governments have tightened their belts so much there are no more belt holes left.

Local governments funding slashed
Many of the local municipal governments are weathering the storm of this recession because they were prudent with their budgets to begin with.

Cutting expenses to the bone
 In 2005 the city had 513 employees, today it is down to 425.  Story notes, “We now have forty fewer full time employees than they had eighteen months ago and we’re seventeen percent smaller than we were five years ago.”

Government mandates, insurance costs strangle locals
Many local government officials look at unfunded mandates as another burr under the saddle of local municipal governments.

 “No one wants to pay taxes but everyone wants service,” she said.

For the Complete Story, see this week’s Middle Tyger Times, page 7A.

Joe Donatelli is not your typical grandpa. Joe recently celebrated his eightieth birthday, but an even more impressive accomplishment is that a little over a year ago, Joe decided to go back to school, work hard, and ultimately earn a GED Certificate.
Joe worked until retirement in his hometown of Rochester, New York. He and his brothers shared the responsibility of managing a parking garage business. Joe and his wife owned a home there in Rochester for forty-three years. Together, they raised five children: a boy and four girls. They are now the proud grandparents of eleven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Joe and his wife, Angie, decided in 2002 that they would venture south, as Joe says, “For the weather, and lower taxes!” They moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina, and spent one year there. After familiarizing themselves with the Carolinas, Joe and Angie met with a local realtor who showed them the Upstate area, and they decided to settle in Moore.
After settling into their new home Joe found work for a little while driving cars for a local rental company, and he spent some time driving for an auto auction. When those opportunities came to an end, Joe decided he wanted to look for a part-time job. Unfortunately, when he tried to apply for work, the question was asked whether he had a high school diploma or GED Certificate. It seemed that each time Joe applied for a job, this one obstacle kept standing in his way. Ready and willing to work, Joe became frustrated.
Joe and Angie were having dinner at a local restaurant one evening, and by coincidence,
L.B. Watson, who was running for SC State Senate at the time, introduced himself and struck up a conversation. Joe told Mr. Watson about his plight in trying to find part-time work. Mr. Watson informed Joe about Middle Tyger Community Center in Lyman,  a “great” place where Joe could attend classes and take the test to attain his GED.
Joe went to Middle Tyger Community Center to inquire about the classes, and was welcomed in. He began taking classes in July 2008, and in March 2009 he tested and received the result that he had earned his GED Certificate. Joe will be one of the forty-six proud graduates who will have the opportunity to attend the MTCC Graduation Ceremony to be held at Lyman First Baptist Church on May 19 at 4:00 P.M.
When asked what was most challenging for him about attending school again, Joe replied, “Algebra!” But he explained that his favorite teachers, Ms. Jackie and Ms. Janet, were good and they helped him “a lot.” Joe also shared that he sometimes struggled with the homework, because it was “no fun,” but that it was all worth it, because he felt “elated” when he found out his test results. Joe said, “My family is very happy and proud, and I am proud of myself.”
Now that Joe has his GED Certificate, he is once again hoping to find a great part-time job. He is considering applying to work for the Census Bureau, or perhaps applying to work for the U.S. Postal Service. Whatever he decides, Joe can be confident that his job hunt will be easier now that he has his GED Certificate.
Asked if he had any advice to give those who may be considering signing up for Adult Education (GED) classes, Joe said, “Go better yourself. I encourage anyone, no matter the age. It was a challenge, but it was worth it.” Joe’s wife, Angie chimed in with a beaming smile, “I am very proud.”

While there were initially seven candidates vying for the House District 30 seat, Tuesday’s primaries cut the field down to three candidates.
Unofficial results from the election show that Tim Spencer won the Democratic primary, while Steve Moss finished at the top of the Republican primary. Moss, though, failed to win the majority of votes needed to earn the nomination, so a runoff election between him and second-place finisher Scott Ramsey will be held on Tuesday, March 24.
In the Democratic primary, where Spencer faced candidate Joe Mac Skinner, Spencer claimed his victory with 529 votes, a whopping 88.8 percent of the ballots cast.
Upon winning, Spencer reiterated that, if elected, he would have the same commitment to all of his constituents.
“I have an open door policy,” he said. “I don’t care if people are rich or poor, black or white, Republican or Democrat – I represent all the people.”
The Republican primary’s field was more crowded, with five candidates fighting for the representative position. Bobby Beattie, Bailey Humphries, Moss, Ramsey, and Libby Swad all squared off.
Moss captured the lead with 545 votes, which represent 29.6 percent of the votes cast, while Ramsey won 530, for 28.8 percent.
Beattie came in third place with 419 votes (22.7 percent), while Humphries placed fourth with 180 votes (9.7 percent). Swad, the lone female in the race, came in fifth with 168 votes (9.1 percent).
After winning the lead in the Republican primary, as the only the candidate not from Gaffney, Moss thanked the residents of Blacksburg’s four wards, who voted for him in overwhelming numbers.
“The key was getting my voters to the polls,” he said. “I appreciate the Blacksburg voters - they’re the ones who pushed me to the top.”
Though Suzanne Turner, Chairman of the Cherokee County Election Commission, thinks that having seven candidates in this election is the most to file for a local office, she said both primaries went well.
“We had no problems today,” she said. “We’ll be ready in two weeks for the run-off.” 
The winner of the Republican run-off election will run against Spencer in the general election on Tuesday, April 28.