NOTICE OF ENACTMENT On June 15, 2026, the Jasper County Council (the "County Council"), the governing body of Jasper County (the "County") enacted an ordinance entitled, "AN ORDINANCE OF JASPER COUNTY COUNCIL AMENDING CHAPTER 9 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF JASPER COUNTY REGARDING FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS TO CREATE THE JASPER COUNTY RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT; ELIMINATING ALL EXISTING FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS; AUTHORIZING THE NOVATION OF ALL OUTSTANDING BONDS AND OTHER DEBT OBLIGATIONS TO THE NEW DISTRICT; REQUESTING AND ACCEPTING DEDICATION OF COUNTY-FUNDED FIRE CAPITAL EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES; AUTHORIZING A FIRE SERVICE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE NEW DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE; AUTHORIZING THE LEASE OF CERTAIN COUNTY REAL PROPERTY; AUTHORIZING THE CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN PERSONAL PROPERTY; AND OTHER MATTERS RELATING THERETO" (the "Consolidation Ordinance"). County Council is empowered pursuant to Title 4, Chapter 19 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976, as amended (the "Enabling Act"), "[t]o establish, operate, and maintain a system of fire protection" within the County. Pursuant to the Enabling Act, Ordinance No. 09-19 dated July 20, 2009, as amended by Ordinance No. 2019-18 dated July 15, 2019, as amended by Ordinance No. 2022-39 dated March 15, 2023, and as amended by Ordinance No. 23-21 dated January 16, 2024 (collectively, the "Existing Fire District Ordinances"), the County previously established five separate fire service areas within unincorporated areas of the County, to wit: the Cherry Point Fire Protection District ("Cherry Point"), Rural Jasper County Fire Protection District, Levy Fire Protection District, Ridgeland Vicinity Fire Protection District, and Hardeeville Vicinity Fire Protection District (collectively, the "Fire Districts"). Pursuant to the Consolidation Ordinance, the County Council consolidated Fire Districts into a single fire service area under the Enabling Act (the "Consolidation"), which as of the Effective Date (as defined in the Consolidation Ordinance) shall be reconstituted as the Jasper County Rural Fire Protection District (the "Jasper Fire District"). As of the Effective Date, the Jasper Fire District shall constitute a single unified fire service area in the County, the boundaries (service area) of which consist of the entire unincorporated area of the County. The Jasper Fire District will be subject to the terms of the Consolidation Ordinance, the terms of which amend and restate the Existing Fire District Ordinances in their entirety. Particularly, the Consolidation Ordinance provides that the Jasper Fire District will be authorized to (i) levy ad valorem property taxes within its boundaries for operation, maintenance and capital purposes, and (ii) impose rates and charges for operation, maintenance and capital purposes. The Jasper Fire District shall be operated as an administrative division of the County and shall be authorized to issue general obligation bonds, payable from ad valorem taxes levied within the Jasper Fire District, in order to defray the costs of providing fire protection services within the Jasper Fire District. Additionally, and as necessary to fully implement the Consolidation, the existing general obligation bond of Cherry Point shall be assigned and transferred to the Jasper Fire District.