BETHUNE, S.C. — Some residents in the Town of Bethune are becoming frustrated as they are running into roadblocks regarding inspections and permits for homes and businesses.
Several viewers reached out to News19 about the issue so we spoke with one who is being impacted.
"We have a rental home over here that we have been trying to get power on since August 10th, and we can't get the permit for the meter base inspection, and we still don't have anyone contracted through the town to do inspections," Savannah McAlister said.
This led us to ask City and county officials about what was happening.
Bethune Mayor Susan Holley said it is a problem the town is facing.
"The current problem we have in the town of Bethune lies within the permitting and inspections right now, an issue was presented to authorize a permit for an electrical inspection in an accessory building ... when we consulted with the county, Kershaw County, we realized there was never an actual intergovernmental agreement that allowed county officials to issue permits in the Town of Bethune or to authorize permitting inspections."
Which led us to a county official, Danny Templar the Kershaw County Administrator who spoke about the Ordinance the County had with the Town of Bethune that was agreed on back in early 2021.
"The agreement was just planning for as though, say a residential development came in up there and we would help them with that, in no area of the agreement did it say that we would do the building inspections within the unincorporated limits of Bethune, they did not adopt any form of the international building codes so we had no ability to enforce any of the codes," Templar said.
So, when will the problem be solved?
Mayor Holley says they are working on getting things resolved.
"We have withdrawn from the only intergovernmental agreement that's on record currently with Kershaw County, now what we have accomplished the first reading of our ordinance, that will implement all the building codes, we have taken the route of contracting with an independent firm this firm will help with planning and zoning matters, they will issue inspections and enforce code inspections."
Mayor Holley adds all problems should be resolved by Mid-October.