York County Council members unanimously approved a major amendment last night to attempt to salvage the Octapharma deal.
After a controversial vote threatened to derail the proposed $1.5 billion Octapharma project on July 8th, York County Council unanimously approved a new agreement last night that might keep the largest economic development deal in our county’s history alive.
The council voted 7-0 during a special meeting to approve an amended revenue-sharing agreement for Project Palmetto Rock, the proposed Octapharma plasma facility in Rock Hill.
The amendment establishes a 40-year revenue-sharing agreement among York County, the City of Rock Hill and the Rock Hill School District.
Under the new plan, all project revenues will flow into a single fund before being distributed among the three government entities.
The Rock Hill School District will receive just under 67% of the revenue over the life of the agreement.
The City of Rock Hill will receive just over 19%, while York County will receive just under 14%.
Last night’s action follows a chaotic special meeting on July 8. Chairwoman Christi Cox suddenly called that unscheduled session. She moved the third and final reading of the Octapharma FILOT deal. Officials had long planned that reading for July 13. Instead Cox changed the date and location at the last minute. An amendment proposed during that meeting which shifted the majority of the City of Rock Hill’s share of the tax revenue from the $1.5 billion project to the Rock Hill School District passed 4-3.
This came after the City of Rock Hill had already passed a prior resolution, saying that they would not accept such a change.
During the meeting, Councilman Tom Audette offered a compromise amendment that the City had reportedly already agreed to — which would have given the schools even more money ($238 million total over the life of the deal) while preserving a fair split. That amendment was rejected.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Under Christi Cox’s leadership, York County has seen a troubling pattern of decisions that prioritize personal or political conflicts over practical outcomes:
- The Panthers HQ Collapse — Cox was a very vocal supporter early on, but became one of the loudest proponents of helping the Panthers when cracks started to form in 2022. Many believe her repeated public finger-pointing between the county and city accelerated the project’s death.
- Silfab Solar Controversy — One of the most alarming examples involves the Silfab Solar manufacturing plant. Despite the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) ruling 5-0 in May 2024 that Silfab’s operations are not allowed in their Light Industrial district, Cox and her county staff ignored the ruling and the zoning code and started issuing permits to Silfab to build unlawful factory beginning in the summer of 2024. Internal records show permits were back-dated, and a Certificate of Occupancy was issued without zoning compliance. The facility, located yards from Flint Hill Elementary School, contains massive amounts of hazardous chemicals (including hydrofluoric acid and explosive silane). Multiple chemical spills and worker medical emergencies have been reported, including a potassium hydroxide spill into a retention pond bordering the school.
- Repeated Transparency Issues — Multiple sources say Cox has canceled several scheduled meetings with Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys aimed at resetting county-city relations.
The Human Cost
If the Octapharma deal collapses, York County stands to lose:
- $1.5 Billion in investment
- 1,200+ high-paying jobs
- Decades of tax revenue that could have helped schools, roads, and services
Instead of working collaboratively with Rock Hill to close the deal, last night’s rushed amendment appears designed to force the city into a corner.
The ball is now in Rock Hill City Council’s court. But the damage to York County’s reputation with major employers may already be done.
