Setoff Debt appeal procedures

None

Initial letters must include a statement of appeal procedures, as outlined in the Act (the Municipal Association's software application includes this information).
To dispute the debt, debtors must file a written protest within 30 days of the date of the initial letter. The written protest must include all of the following information about the debtor:

Participants must appoint a hearing officer, who will have the authority to decide appeals in favor of the debtor or the participant.

Based on the opinion of the Advisory Committee on Standards of Judicial Conduct (Opinion No. 18-1999 dated February 9, 2000) a magistrate nor municipal judge may serve as a hearing officer for the Setoff Debt Program.

Participants must provide the Department of Revenue with the hearing officer's name, address, and telephone number (use form DOR 1A).
Participants must notify DOR when a written protest is received from a debtor (use form DOR 1B).
Participants must notify the debtor of the date, time, and location of the informal hearing.
If the hearing officer decides the protest in favor of the participant, the hearing officer must notify DOR in order to proceed with the setoff (use form DOR 1C).
Whenever a debtor protests a debt and an informal hearing is conducted, DOR highly recommends you give DOR 1C and DOR 1D (forms) to the debtor.

MASC: Municipal Association of South Carolina