COLUMBIA — A 17-year legal fight over an undeveloped portion of a barrier island near Charleston could come to an end if legislators agree to spend $32 million as part of a pending settlement agreement.
That’s a big “if.”
Whether to accept the settlement amount offered or take the risk of continuing to fight is the question legislators must answer in drafting their final spending plan. The House’s first draft of the spending plan included the full amount, which would end the legal fight, but the version advanced out of a Senate committee Thursday included just $1, a common way of setting up negotiations between the two chambers…