A BILL TO DEVOLVE ALL OF THE POWERS, DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, ASSETS, AND LIABILITIES OF THE GREATER GREENVILLE SANITATION DISTRICT TO THE GOVERNING BODY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY; AND TO REPEAL ACT 1543 OF 1968, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO THE CREATION OF THE GREATER GREENVILLE SANITATION DISTRICT.
H. 4002 dissolves the Greater Greenville Sanitation District and transfers its powers, duties, responsibilities, assets, and liabilities to the governing body of Greenville County. The bill ends the district’s waste collection operations on December 31, 2025, and repeals Act 1543 of 1968, which originally created the district. It also directs the district’s commission chairmen to complete the documents needed for dissolution and sets out a transition process for winding down operations.
The bill requires the district to notify property owners that they must choose a new private waste provider, including multiple mailed notices and a draft property tax bill showing the removal of sanitation millage and fees. It also provides for employee job fairs with private waste providers, the sale of district property through government surplus websites, the transfer of books and records to the Greenville County Administrator, satisfaction of all debts and bonds, and remittance of remaining funds to the Greenville County Treasurer for county council use by ordinance.
The bill would substantially change local sanitation governance in Greenville County by eliminating the Greater Greenville Sanitation District as an operating public waste-collection entity and shifting its remaining authority and obligations to county government. It would affect property owners who currently receive sanitation service through the district, district employees, creditors, and private waste haulers that may absorb former district customers. It also repeals the district’s enabling act, removing the statutory basis for the district’s continued existence.
The bill appears to have received strong support in the House, passing 97-7, suggesting broad agreement with the dissolution and transition plan. The Senate vote on second reading was 0-8, indicating opposition or at least a lack of support at that stage. No committee transcripts were provided, so the available record shows clear legislative movement but also some resistance in the Senate process.
The main points of contention likely concern whether Greenville County should take over the district’s functions, how the transition to private waste service will affect residents and employees, and what should happen to district assets and remaining funds. The bill’s requirement that property owners move to private providers, along with the closure of a long-standing public sanitation system, may raise concerns about service continuity, costs, and local control. The Senate second-reading vote suggests that some lawmakers opposed the dissolution or had reservations about the transition terms, even though the House overwhelmingly approved the measure.