Matthew Durham

Chairman, Oconee County Council

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Your reassessment notice is not your tax bill.

Here’s what Council did tonight and what it means for your taxes.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Today, Attorney General Alan Wilson said that “protecting public safety cannot come at the expense of the privacy and constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens” and that South Carolinians “deserve to know exactly how their data is being used.”

Also today, Sheriff Crenshaw forwarded me an Attorney General’s opinion dated Friday concerning Oconee County’s Protection from Mass Surveillance ordinance. The opinion takes the position that Flock cameras are constitutional.

The contrast is difficult to ignore. In the opinion, the Attorney General takes the position that the use of Flock cameras is constitutional. Yet today, he is seeking answers from Flock while publicly warning that public safety cannot come at the expense of citizens’ constitutional rights and privacy. Those are many of the same concerns that led us to act in the first place.

At the end of the day, an Attorney General opinion is just that, an opinion. It is not a lawful order.

There are significant questions the opinion does not address.

Just last week, a federal court held that a warrantless search of approximately 30 days of historical ALPR location data constituted a Fourth Amendment search. The court described the system as “indiscriminate mass surveillance” and suppressed the evidence. That ruling is not binding in South Carolina, but it is directly relevant to the constitutional question and is not addressed in the opinion.

The opinion also specifically acknowledges that Sheriff Crenshaw asked whether County Council has the legal right to review the unredacted Flock audit logs and data showing how the system has actually been used in Oconee County, records Sheriff Crenshaw has not provided in response to County Council’s request and has said would cost approximately $80,000 to produce. The opinion never answers that question.

That is difficult to reconcile with today’s call for transparency from Flock. If South Carolinians deserve to know exactly how their data is being used, then whether their elected County Council can review the audit logs showing how that system has actually been used locally is a significant question that deserves an answer.

Although the opinion issued by his office does not fully align with Attorney General Wilson’s public statement today, I agree with what he said: “protecting public safety cannot come at the expense of the privacy and constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.” That is exactly why Oconee County has been asking these questions.

In full transparency, below is the response I sent to Sheriff Crenshaw. I also copied Attorney General Wilson so he could see exactly what concerns remain unresolved.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Your reassessment notice is NOT your tax bill.

I’m seeing a lot of people posting that their property taxes went up after receiving their reassessment notice. What you received shows the new assessed value of your property. It is not your 2026 property tax bill.

The last countywide reassessment was based on 2020 property values and was delayed one year before being implemented in 2022. This reassessment uses 2025 values, so it is the first reassessment to capture the significant increase in property values we’ve seen since 2020.

State law requires rollback millage when reassessment is implemented. In other words, reassessment itself cannot simply be used as a tax increase because property values went up. County Council is rolling back the county millage accordingly, and we are not voting for a tax increase.

Revenue neutral does not mean every individual property owner will pay exactly the same amount as they did the prior year. Some will pay more and some will pay less depending on how their property value changed compared with the county as a whole.

For example, we ran the calculations on the homes of all five County Council members. On the county government portion of the tax bill, three Council members are projected to pay less and two are projected to pay more. I’m one of the two whose county taxes are projected to increase. My county portion goes up about $7 because my home increased in value more than the countywide average.

Now the part that is a tax increase.

The elected School District Board of Trustees voted to take on additional school debt, which increases the amount that must be collected for debt service. That is a tax increase. On my property, it’s about $30. County Council does not determine how much school debt the School District takes on or have discretion over the millage required to pay that debt.

If you live inside a municipality, your city or town taxes are another separate part of your bill. Seneca and West Union councils both passed municipal property-tax increases this year.

There is also some good news for seniors receiving the Homestead Exemption. For tax year 2026, the exemption increased from $50,000 to $75,000, meaning an additional $25,000 of qualifying home value is exempt from property taxes.

County Council has approved a balanced budget and made financial changes that have maintained Oconee County's strong financial position and credit rating. We have done that without voting for an increase in the county property-tax rate.

So when you see a significant increase in the value on your reassessment notice, don’t assume that is the amount your taxes increased. It isn’t your tax bill.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

A federal court in Oklahoma has now ruled that a warrantless 30-day Flock search violated the Fourth Amendment, calling it “a type of indiscriminate mass surveillance” and suppressing the evidence.

A similar Flock case is now pending before the Fourth Circuit, the federal appellate court that covers South Carolina.

South Carolina sheriffs and county councils: don’t wait for a court to tell you that you’ve crossed the constitutional line.

Honor your oath now. Defend the rights of the people you serve.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

A look at Oconee County’s action on mass-surveillance technology and Flock cameras, featured today on Newsmax.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

West Union approved the development and completed the annexation.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

The future of West Union is on the line tomorrow night.

West Union has called a special meeting for Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. to vote on the two remaining annexation parcels and the development site plan.

I work until 6:00 and will not be able to attend. If you are able to attend, this is a meeting worth watching in person.

These decisions will permanently change West Union. A development of this size will dramatically dilute the political voice of current town residents while bringing significant new costs and service obligations.

Mayor Oliver is counting on additional revenue from growth. I believe the numbers tell a different story: residential development will not generate enough revenue to cover the additional governmental services it requires.

West Union Town Hall — 5:00 p.m.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

County Administrator Stewart Jones and I started bagging Flock cameras yesterday.

Tuesday night, Oconee County Council drew a line and showed that local government is the first line of defense for individual liberty.

To the other 45 county councils across South Carolina: You took the same oath to defend the Constitution that we did.

Don’t wait on the General Assembly. Don’t wait on a court to tell you that tracking the movements of your citizens without individualized suspicion crosses the line.

You have the same authority Oconee County is exercising.

Defend Liberty where you are.
@yal_clemson @LibertyAction25 @fitsnews

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Congratulations to Trevin Hampton, Oconee County Fire Services Firefighter of the Year!

I enjoyed attending today’s Blue Ridge Electric and Crime Stoppers of Oconee County Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon and recognizing those who serve and protect our community every day.

Thank you to Trevin and all of today’s award recipients for your service!

@blueridgecoop

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

South Carolina has a proud heritage of leading in the defense of liberty. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we’ve lost some of that willingness to lead.

But not in Oconee County.

On Tuesday, we’ll lead.

Effectiveness is not the standard. The Constitution is.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Three years ago, I traveled to New York City on behalf of Oconee County for meetings with S&P and Moody’s for our bond rating. One of our meetings was held in the new World Trade Center.

From the conference room where we made our presentation, I could look down and see the 9/11 Memorial and the footprint of one of the Twin Towers.

I realized while looking down on what became known as “ground zero” that on the morning of September 11, 2001, there were people in those towers doing exactly what we were doing that day. They had come to work. They had meetings to attend and presentations to make. Maybe someone in those buildings had also traveled from a small, rural county just like ours to conduct business.

None of them walked through those doors that morning believing it would be the last time.

They had gotten up that morning, gotten dressed, said goodbye to their families, and gone to work like so many of us do. Ordinary people, living ordinary lives, with no idea what was coming.

Of all the images from that day, the one that has never left me is the sight of people jumping from the towers.

For years, I thought about the horror of that image. But sitting there, looking down at that footprint, I thought about those people differently. I thought about their families, their hopes, their plans, and the many things left unfinished.

Sitting there, looking down at that footprint, made September 11 real to me in a way it had never been before.

Twenty-five years later, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives taken that day, the families who never got their loved ones back, the first responders who ran toward danger, and a nation that was forever changed.

Never forget.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Two and a half years ago, in the middle of the 2024 County Council elections, two candidates for Oconee County Council filed a lawsuit against the county’s investment in infrastructure and sewer service to the I-85 corridor.

Among the plaintiffs were India “Lancaster” Mann and Gwen McPhail, who were actively running for County Council at the time, along with their supporters.

I said then and I’ll say it now: this was a politically motivated lawsuit designed to cause chaos in the hopes of propelling them to victory in the election, let alone derailing a generational infrastructure investment.

Whatever their failed political motivations were, the consequences for Oconee County families were very real.

The litigation dragged on for nearly two and a half years. It tied up money intended for infrastructure and economic development, cost Oconee County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and resulted in lost economic opportunity while this project sat in court.

Today, the South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in Oconee County’s favor.

The Circuit Court had already ruled that the County’s ordinance was constitutional and legal. The plaintiffs then appealed to the Supreme Court. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit was also time-barred under South Carolina’s statute of limitations. Because that issue disposed of the case, the Supreme Court did not separately decide the constitutional question, which the Circuit Court had already ruled on.

Now that this litigation has finally reached this point, I intend to ask County Council to direct our attorneys to evaluate and pursue recovery of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded legal expenses from the plaintiffs who brought this lawsuit.

The taxpayers paid to defend it. I believe we owe it to them to pursue every lawful avenue to get their money back.

There’s a reason this council has aggressively pursued economic opportunity: jobs.

32,000 Oconee County residents are employed. However, more than 18,000 of them, 58%, commute out of Oconee County for their jobs.

At the same time, while Oconee is the 5th wealthiest county in terms of property value, our own school district has reported a student poverty index of roughly 70%.

Seventy percent of Oconee children live in poverty, while more than half of our working residents leave the county to find a job.

That disparity is exactly why jobs matter. We cannot measure Oconee’s economic health by the value of the homes around Lake Keowee while ignoring the families struggling to make ends meet and the thousands of working people who cross the county line every morning to find opportunity.

That is why this infrastructure investment matters.

For nearly 45 years, Oconee County has worked toward bringing sewer infrastructure to the I-85 corridor. We finally have an opportunity to compete for the advanced manufacturing and industrial investment that has transformed other communities along I-85, from Atlanta to Charlotte.

It is about creating good-paying jobs, not building houses.

It is about giving an Oconee County kid the opportunity to graduate from high school, go to tech or college, get a good job here, buy a home here, raise a family here, and build a life here.

It is about giving a mother or father the opportunity to work closer to their children instead of crossing the county line every morning just to earn a living.

And it is about bringing commercial and industrial investment into Oconee County that strengthens our tax base and helps fund our schools and essential services without continually placing that burden on homeowners.

This politically motivated lawsuit delayed that work, but it did not end it.

My promise, as long as you allow me to continue to serve, is to fight for an Oconee County where our children don’t have to leave home to find a future.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

If you’ve been following West Union’s shoestring annexation and the proposed 400-home gated 55+ development three miles outside of town, Tuesday night is an important meeting.

West Union Town Council meets Tuesday at 5:15 PM. The developers are expected to return with a site plan, and Council is expected to consider the remaining two parcels for annexation.

If you’re concerned about what’s happening, I encourage you to show up and make your voice heard.

Tuesday, September 8
5:15 PM
West Union Town Hall

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Seneca shut down its 911 dispatch center, saved nearly $600,000, and shifted the cost to Oconee County taxpayers.

Here’s what happened and why County Council took action:

https://t.co/I67XVzs71R

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Effectiveness is not the standard. The Constitution is.

If effectiveness were the only standard, there would be almost no limit to government surveillance.

Government is restrained for a reason. Liberty requires it.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

County Council met in special session this afternoon at 2pm, and we took three unanimous votes regarding the West Union annexation.

First, we directed the County Attorney to file a Notice of Intention to Contest the annexation with the Town of West Union and the Oconee County Clerk of Court. State law puts a clock on this, and we are not going to let that clock run out while these questions remain unanswered.

We also directed the County Attorney to notify the Town of West Union to cease and desist from issuing any permits for the annexed property in question.

Second, we directed the County Attorney to request an expedited opinion from the South Carolina Attorney General on whether this annexation complies with state law. We are also asking the Attorney General to consider whether the State should take action.

Third, we directed the Clerk to Council to file a FOIA request with the Town of West Union for the complete records involving the 2024 railroad annexation, the August 11 annexation, and communications between town officials and the developer going back to January 2023.

Here’s why.

Fewer than 400 people live in West Union. The town just annexed 268 acres for a development of roughly 400 homes.

The only thing connecting that property back to West Union is a railroad corridor roughly three miles long that the town annexed in 2024.

South Carolina law specifically says a railroad track does not make two properties contiguous.

I’m not declaring the annexation illegal, and I’m not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. I’m saying there are serious questions about how this was done, and today County Council unanimously agreed to start seeking answers.

Council also took up the Flock camera contracts, but that deserves a post of its own.

Second reading of our ordinance banning mass surveillance in Oconee County is September 1. Third and final reading, along with the public hearing, will be September 15.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

Fewer than 400 people live in West Union. The town just voted to annex 268 acres for 400 homes.

The only thing connecting that property to the town is three miles of railroad the town annexed in 2024.

State law says a railroad track doesn’t make two properties contiguous.

I’m not saying this is illegal. I’m saying it deserves legal scrutiny, and I intend to get it.

Special meeting of County Council, tomorrow, August 26, at 2 p.m.

[Matthew Durham @MattdurhamOC]

A new $35 million healthcare facility is coming to Oconee County on Sheep Farm Road.

ClearSky Health is investing $35 million to build a new 36-bed medical rehabilitation hospital in Seneca, bringing roughly 100 new healthcare jobs to Oconee County.

Thank you to Jamie Gilbert and the Oconee Economic Alliance for the work that brought this investment here.

I’m excited about this because it matters beyond the jobs. It creates access right here at home for families who need rehabilitation care after a stroke, serious injury, or other major medical event, keeping them close to the people who love them.