Organized by York County's chambers of commerce, the 21st annual York County Day begins at noon today at the Clarion Town House Hotel in Columbia. More than 160 York County business and civic leaders are expected to participate.

"The primary purpose of the event is to remind elected officials outside of our York County delegation that York County is an important part of the state," said Chris Hardy, vice president of government relations for the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We want to make all of our elected officials statewide aware of issues we face. As neighbor to one of the biggest cities on the East Coast in Charlotte, we are one of the fastest-growing areas in the whole state."

Local officials hope to shake a few more dollars out of Statehouse coffers, as paying for education, population growth, increased traffic and public safety needs are expected to be part of the discussion, Hardy said.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell will address attendees at 12:30 p.m. After that will be informational sessions with Jim Rex, state education superintendent; Garrison Walters, director of the S.C. Higher Education Commission; Reba Campbell, S.C. Municipal Association representative; Otis Rawl, S.C. Chamber of Commerce representative; and Bobby Bower, director of the Office of Statistics and Research.

The program will end with a reception for lawmakers, giving community leaders the chance to network with elected officials.