While legislators at the Statehouse debate the state budget, local government officials are feeling some frustration at the way the state is conducting business.

Often when state lawmakers take an action, it has an effect on the local level, whether it be county or city government or a school board.

The current move in the Senate to eliminate car taxes has some locals upset, but that move may never make it out of the House of Representatives.

Lexington Mayor Dan Breazeale, who is also on the board of directors for the state municipal association, has spent time this year negotiating with state legislators in that position.

At a town council meeting last week, he criticized those at the Statehouse for “not understanding the things they pass.’’

His comments came up when it was pointed out that there is a bill that would prohibit towns from requiring water and sewer customers who are contigious to town limits to be annexed.

“This is just another example. It is ludicrous. How do we govern ourselves when we have no avenue to govern ourselves?” he said.

Breazeale and other local officials have called for the state to re-examine its tax structure.

In the car tax issue, all agree that car taxes are too high, but a reduction would force local governments to raise property taxes, local officials say.

They also do not like the state proposal that would allow local governments the option of eliminating car taxes, which they feel puts the burden on them and allows state officials to claim they have made a tax cut.

Cayce Mayor Avery Wilkerson has also felt some frustration. He said he believes part of the problem is that state officials generally have little experience in running local government.

“There are some fine people over there at the Statehouse. But in the last eight years, I don’t think anyone has been elected to state government who has any experience at the local level,’’ he said.

Wilkerson said there is a difference of opinion and philosophy between local governments and state officials. He hopes the two can get together and work out those differences.

“No one will win a battle there, and the taxpayer would be the loser,’’ he said.

He said the state has a surplus this year of nearly a half a billion dollars, but the state seems reluctant to send any of that money back to the local level.

Most county and city governments are able to make ends meet because of growth, but some school boards struggle with what they feel are unfunded mandates.

Lexington County District Two board chairman Kenny Bingham said last week that unfunded mandates create tax increases on the local level.

“When the state tells us we have to something and they don’t fund it, we have to pay for it. It is frustrating, because they run on having no tax increases but we have to raise taxes to pay for their mandates,’’ he said.

He said often in education, the state passes mandates and pays for part of the program, leaving the district to pay the rest.

He cited examples such as all-day kindergarten, and the new accountability standards that require schools to offer free summer schools for students who have the need.

The state does pay for some of those programs, but the school have to pay for a place to have the programs.

Bingham said he believes if the state is going to not totally fund mandates, it should make them optional for local school districts.

“There are no free programs. They could allocate more money for these programs,’’ he said.

Bingham said he feels the districts’ hands are tied by the state in this situation.

“We try to keep our millage rate down, but I want people to know what is coming. The local governments need to have more control,’’ Bingham said.

The state is considering a bond bill that would put money into schools for building, and that has pleased local school officials.

For their part, state legislators say they are not passing unfunded mandates, and perhaps control is the central issue.

Those in charge of municipal governments and school boards have responsibility and they want to have control over their own destiny.

At present local governments are funded by property taxes and fees collected. Schools are funded by property taxes and they also get a lot of money from the state.

The state controls how those funds are raised, and when the revenue stream gets interrupted, that is when local officials get upset.

Some, such as Breazeale and county treasurer Bill Rowell, have called for a study of the tax structure to see how it would work best.