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Dispute over state line boundaries nears end

By Greg Suskin, wsoctv.com
By Greg Suskin, wsoctv.com

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — One of the most unusual political issues in some time may finally be settled soon regarding the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.

Crews worked for nearly 20 years retracing the line between the Carolinas after developers building in Charlotte thought the border's location was unclear.

They were building new homes and weren't sure what state they would end up in.

“The concern has always been how to deal with those affected," said South Carolina Sen. Wes Hayes of York County.

That's because now, after remapping the 330-mile stretch from the coast to the Upstate in South Carolina, the state line is moving -- in some places less than 50 feet and others more than 100 yards.

That change has made a huge difference along Highway 274 at the state line between York and Gaston counties.

"I think they should have just left it like it is. It's been that way for more than a hundred years," said Chris Eubanks, who owns a bar just inside the South Carolina line. His property was spared but the Lake Wylie Mini-mart store next door will become part of North Carolina and Gaston County.

"I feel sorry for this guy. He's going lose a lot of money," Eubanks said.
 
That's because there was a concern the store would have to stop selling fireworks that are illegal in North Carolina and gas at cheap South Carolina prices.
 
State lawmakers on both sides worked out a compromise allowing the store to sell gas at lower prices.  
 
Hayes said that was a critical exception to make.
 
"If they couldn't do that, finding themselves in North Carolina, it probably would put them out of business," Hayes said.
 
However, it's not so easy a problem to solve for homeowners.  
There are 16 families who bought homes in South Carolina, pay South Carolina taxes and have a South Carolina title that will now be in North Carolina. Another 54 properties will now be divided by the state line; in some cases, the line will run right through houses.
 
South Carolina state Rep. Raye Felder of Fort Mill has worked closely on the border project.  
 
She said there are still some thorny issues.
 
"If we are going to make those kinds of compromises for a business, we need to do something similar for people, for homeowners," Felder told Channel 9.
 
She wonders how you decide which state a house is in if the state line runs through it. 
 
"One group said it should depend on where the master bedroom is. Then they said it should be where the front door is," Felder said.
 
"These people, through no fault of their own, bought houses they thought were in South Carolina," she said.
 
She hopes the South Carolina House of Representatives will begin work on the issue next week before the legislature adjourns for the summer.  
 
The state Senate passed its version of a compromise last year but it didn't reach the House.
 
Governors of both states must sign the agreement before the state line change can be ratified.
 
When the border was marked the last time, in 1772, they used rocks and cut marks into tree trunks.  
 
Most of those landmarks are long gone, but research teams mapping the border did find some of them still in place.  
 
A few years ago, divers also searched Lake Wylie for state line markers at the bottom. They didn't find them.
 
For those people who will find themselves residents of a new state, there are still issues about taxes, school attendance, voting and more.
 
Lawmakers hope to work out compromises on those sticking points in the coming days.

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