Soil and Water Conservation District commissioner position to be filled in the 2024 general election

STAFF REPORT

The Sumter County Soil and Water Conservation District will have one district commissioner position on the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election ballot. Conservation district commissioners are non-salaried officials.

The election of conservation district commissioners is through the petition process on a non-partisan basis, and candidates must be registered voters in the county in which they are seeking office.

The completed petition forms must be provided to the Sumter County Board of Voter Registration and Elections no later than noon on July 15, 2024, for a candidate's name to be placed on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

The conservation district is managed by a five-member board. These individuals serve as conservation district commissioners in each of the state's 46 Soil and Water Conservation Districts. In South Carolina, conservation district boundaries are the same as county lines.

Conservation districts were created in 1937 by state law for the purpose of managing natural resources and assisting landowners with the latest management tools. The idea is that local citizens can best protect and conserve the natural resources in their communities.

Each year conservation district commissioners volunteer thousands of hours promoting soil and water conservation practices in urban and rural areas and combating erosion and stormwater problems. Their tasks include planning and directing a conservation program, assigning priority to resource development and serving as a community clearinghouse for information and services on natural resource issues. Regular board meetings are held, usually monthly, for setting priorities and planning with the cooperating state and federal agencies' staff.

Through a partnership with the federal and state agencies, technical, administrative and financial assistance is provided though conservation districts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

For more information, contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District office online at www.dnr.sc.gov/conservation or the S.C. Department of Natural Resources at (803) 734-4602.