..."Last year, the Oconee County Council had another giveaway of $1 million to Seneca to help build a private hotel in the city. This was not a loan to be paid back by the hotel developer. It was a free gift.
The most recent example of a taxpayer-supported giveaway to a private corporation is the old courthouse building in Walhalla. For a while, the county pursued an agreement with another developer who wanted to renovate the courthouse and transform it into office space for attorneys because of its location near the new courthouse, along with space for retail stores. This deal fell through for unknown reasons. A few months thereafter, a local Realtor shows up and pulls off a deal in which he would purchase the old courthouse for $10 to renovate it into a hotel.
Even though citizens have spoken out against the project because it would interfere with parking for a church, a veteran’s museum and other businesses, the county proceeded anyway,"...
