Furman’s Nelsen weighs in on county’s opt-out ordinance proposal

A new proposal is being floated by a councilman in Greenville County that would allow residents to opt out of paying taxes for certain county services, namely, library, museum, affordable housing, public transportation and land preservation. FOX Carolina turned to Furman University’s Brent Nelsen to weigh in on the proposed ordinance. Nelsen, the Jane Fishburne Hipp Professor of Politics and International Affairs, said, “It’s unusual. It has been talked about in the past, not so much at the county level.”

Citing similar proposals such as during the Vietnam War, he said he didn’t believe this county-level one will gain much traction. “Generally, we elect those people to make the decisions, and we accept the majority’s opinion,” he said, adding that such an ordinance would also introduce steep administrative costs.