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Darlington Deserves Better Action Plan with Letter Templates

Don't wait. Get the full 10-Page Action Plan and two researched templates to hold the County and State accountable today.

Since there seems to be an issue with the Action Plan link I’ve decided to post the Letter Templates here for you to copy and paste into your own Word document. 

Letter template to send to the County Council about the FILOT Tax Deal 

Your name

Your Street Address

Your City, State, Zip

Your Email Address, optional

Date: Today’s Date

Council Member’s Name

Council Member’s Mailing Address

Council Member’s City, State, Zip Code
Council Member’s Email address - optional

Subject: Request for Review: County Budget Strain and Darlington Raceway FILOT Agreements

Dear Mr./Ms. Council Member Last Name,

I am writing as a concerned Darlington County resident and constituent to bring attention to the imbalance between the significant regional economic activity generated by the Darlington Raceway and the minimal property tax benefit received by the City and County.

While we are proud to host two major annual NASCAR events, the current financial arrangement, largely governed by Fee In Lieu of Tax (FILOT) agreements, severely limits the tax revenue the County receives from this major property. This restricted revenue ultimately strains our local municipal services.

The City of Darlington bears the brunt of the immediate operational costs for these events, including substantial expenditures for police overtime, traffic management and post-race cleanup, without adequate tax dollars from the raceway itself to cover those necessary services. In effect, the local general fund is subsidizing a multi-million dollar event.

I urge the County Council to prioritize a comprehensive review of the current and future FILOT agreements pertaining to the Darlington Raceway property.

My request is to:

1. Evaluate Future Terms: Ensure any upcoming or potential extension of the FILOT agreement mandates a more equitable distribution of property tax dollars directly to the City and County to offset operational costs.

2. Acknowledge Public Service Costs: Formally recognize the full cost of municipal support provided by the City of Darlington during race weekends and work with the City to ensure that support is fully reimbursed from available tax revenues.

Our Council has the power to adjust these local financial structures to ensure the economic benefit of the races truly lifts our community, rather than draining essential local resources.

Thank you for considering this critical budget issue.

Sincerely,

Your Full Name

Your Home Address

Your Email Address

CC: The City Manager’s Name

City Manager, City of Darlington, SC

P.O. Box 57

Darlington SC 29540

and

The Honorable Curtis Boyd, Mayor 

City of Darlington, SC

P.O. Box 57

Darlington SC 29540

Darlington County Council Members and Staff 2025

You'll need to confirm which district you live in to target your specific representative, but addressing the Council as a whole is also effective.

District	Council Member	Mailing Address	Phone number	Email Address
1	Mrs. Angie Stone Godbold	119 Brittain Rd, Darlington, SC 29532	843-758-0472	agodbold@darcosc.net
2	Mr. Dannie Douglas, Jr.	3333 N. Governor Williams Hwy., Darlington, SC 29540	843-639-9252	ddouglas@darcosc.net
3	Ms. Joyce W. Thomas	113 Reid St, PO Box 746, Darlington, SC 29540	843-393-0998	jthomas@darcosc.net
4	Mr. Bobby Hudson, Chairman	101 Tyler Lane, PO Box 545, Lamar, SC 29069	843-326-5634	bhudson@darcosc.net
5	Mr. Marvin Le Flowers	1920 Harry Byrd Hwy, Darlington, SC 29532	843-616-2939	mflowers@darcosc.net
6	Mr. Albert Davis, III	PO Box 964, Hartsville, SC 29551	843-858-1480	aldavis@darcosc.net
7	Mr. M. Kirk Askins	PO Box 927, Hartsville, SC 29551	843-858-3939	kaskins@darcosc.net
8	Mr. David Coker	912A W. Carolina Ave, Hartsville, SC 29550	843-332-7172	dcoker@darcosc.net
County Admin	Mr. Marion Charles Stewart, III	1 Public Square, Room 210, Darlington, SC 29532	843-944-8268	cstewart@darcosc.net
Clerk to Council	Mrs. J. JaNet Bishop	1 Public Square, Room 210, Darlington, SC 29532	843-944-8270	jbishop@darcosc.net

Letter Template to send to your State Legislator about state tax money

Your Name

Your Street Address

Your City, State, Zip

Your Email, optional

Date: Today’s Date

Legislature’s Name

Legislature’s Mailing Address

Legislature’s City, State, Zip Code
Legislature’s Email address - optional

Subject: Urgent Fiscal Review: Rebalancing Benefits of Darlington Raceway Events

Dear Mr. Legislature’s Last Name,

I am writing as a resident of Darlington, SC, to request a formal review of the fiscal agreements surrounding the two major annual NASCAR events hosted by the Darlington Raceway.

While we are proud of the $112 million regional economic impact, the current financial structure creates an unsustainable trade-off for the City of Darlington. Due to tax agreements like the Fee In Lieu of Taxes (FILOT) and significant spending leakage to nearby cities (Florence, Myrtle Beach), the City captures only a small fraction of the generated revenue. This limited local return fails to offset the direct, substantial costs the city incurs for public safety, traffic control, and infrastructure maintenance during the two race weekends.

We urge you to advocate for policy changes that ensure a fairer distribution of economic benefit to the host community. Specifically, we request action on:

1. FILOT Review: Examine current or future FILOT agreements to increase the direct property tax revenue share allocated to the City of Darlington.
2. A-Tax Reallocation: Support legislation or budgetary changes that direct a larger percentage of the State Accommodation Tax (A-Tax) generated by these events back to the City of Darlington to cover essential municipal services.

Hosting two events a year should be a net benefit for the city, not a financial burden. We look forward to your support in rebalancing this critical local issue.

Sincerely,

Your Full Name

Your Home Address

Your Email Address

CC: Lenessa E. Hawkins

City Manager, City of Darlington, SC

P.O. Box 57

Darlington SC 29540

and

The Honorable Curtis Boyd, Mayor 

City of Darlington, SC

P.O. Box 57

Darlington SC 29540

Current South Carolina Legislators for Darlington

Darlington County is split into different districts, but here are the key State Representatives and Senators who cover parts of the area and would be the most important people to contact:

Office	Representative	Party	District	Mailing Address
SC House	Robert Q. Williams	Democrat	District 62	328C Blatt Building, Columbia, SC 29201
SC House	Cody T. Mitchell	Republican	District 65	422B Blatt Building, Columbia, SC 20201
SC Senate	Gerald Malloy	Democrat	District 29	PO Box 1766, Columbia, SC 29202
SC Senate	Kent Williams	Democrat	District 30	1101 Pendleton St. Columbia, SC 29201

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