Category: Government

BLYTHEWOOD – The public hearing and first reading by Richland County Council for a request by the Palmer family for Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zoning on a 5.23 acre parcel at the intersection of Rimer Pond Road  and Longtown Road West has been moved to Council’s Nov. 16 meeting at the family’s request according to Richland County Assistant Zoning Administrator Tommy DeLage,

County Councilman Chip Jackson was to meet with residents of the Rimer Pond Road area on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Columbia Country Club inBlythewood to discuss the zoning request. That meeting will be reported on in the Oct. 26 issue of The Voice. Residents in the area have fought to keep commercial zoning off the Road for more than three years.

BLYTHEWOOD – Candidates for the Blythewood Town Council will be on the hot seat Monday, Oct. 30, from 7 – 9 p.m., when they participate in a candidate debate at The Manor at Doko Meadows, the town’s community and event center.

Mike Switzer announced at the September Town Council meeting that the Chamber of Commerce would be hosting the event as it has the last couple of years.

“As for the questions asked of the candidates, will there be community involvement? Can the residents send in questions or will the Chamber make up the questions?” Mayor J. Michael Ross asked Switzer.

“We’ll put out a press release about that and ask for any input,” Switzer said.

In past Chamber forums, the questions had to be submitted directly to the Chamber in advance and were sometimes changed or tweaked by Switzer or other Chamber members organizing the debate. The audience has not been allowed to ask questions at the from the floor to the candidates.

The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7, with all precincts in this election located at Blythewood Recreation Center, 126 Boney Road in Blythewood. Candidates include Donald Brock (Planning Commissioner), Bryan Franklin (Chairman, Planning Commission), Larry Griffin (Incumbent) and Michelle Kiedrowski (Planning Commission). Courtney Leavitt of Cobblestone Park declared his candidacy but has since withdrawn.

In a prepared statement issued on Tuesday, Leavitt wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I share with you my decision to withdraw from the town council race. With my current work environment and commitments to external activities, I feel as if I would not be able to give full effort towards Blythewood, and the town council seat. Perhaps in the future I will not be so worn thin and would be able to effectively contribute 100% of my efforts to the town.”

To find out the qualifications and process to vote via absentee ballot, go to www.scvotes.org or call 803-576-2240.

RIDGEWAY – A second and final vote will be taken by Ridgeway Town Council Thursday night that will, if passed, put the nail in the coffin on leaving junked vehicles on property in excess of 30 days by the owner and parking for more than three hours on Palmer Street. Council will also make their final vote to eliminate overnight parking on any property owned or leased by the Town unless for special Town approved events with the exception of law enforcement and emergency vehicles.

Final vote will also be given on an amendment of the Town’s purchasing ordinance, raising the limit on the amount the Town government can purchase without bids from $500 to $1,500. If the final vote passes, Council will be allowed to spend up to $1,500 without a bid process.

While these items would normally be listed under ‘new business’, they are listed under ‘old business’ on the agenda.

Listed under ‘new business’ is consideration of location for public restroom facilities for the Town. While it is not clear whether the item will be voted on, Councilman Don Prioleau told The Voice that he thinks it will be for discussion only.

Council may also vote following executive session regarding the purchase of property from Norfolk Southern (the cotton yard).

BLYTHEWOOD – Preliminary plans for a senior living campus in downtown Blythewood were floated past Council along with a request for Mayor J. Michael Ross to sign a letter of support for the project last month.

Tom Ulrich of Lancaster, representing Pendergraph Development, told Council on Sept. 25 that his company is proposing to build a senior citizen independent living facility on Creech Road behind the Russell Jeffcoat real estate offices.

Ulrich said the facility would be three stories high, with an elevator and 64 one- and two-bedroom units. The facility will sit on five acres and would be for seniors 55 and older and disabled residents.

“We’ve built these all over South Carolina for 25 years,” Ulrich said. “There’s one in Lancaster if you’d like to go up and see it. Just let me know.”

“The reason we asked you to come here tonight is because you have asked us for a letter of support,” Ross said. “I’ve done one of these letters before for a multi-family dwelling for senior citizens, then it got changed. If we approve sending this letter of support to you we will emphatically have something in here that we don’t need any other housing right now,” Ross said. “We already have low income housing. I just want to make it clear to you that there will be no other type of housing. I’m not signing another one of these letters without Council’s approval.”

Council voted to have attorney Jim Meggs look over the letter and make any necessary changes before resubmitting it to Council.

WINNSBORO – During a presentation to County Council last month, County Comptroller General Laura Johnson answered a couple of burning questions that, for many in the County, even some County Council members, have remained elusive since March, 2013 – Can the County’s 2013 $24M installment purchase revenue bonds (IPRB) be paid off early and, if so, at what cost?

“Yes, the bonds can be paid off early,” Johnson said at the Sept. 24 meeting, “but there are certain requirements. The process to do this is called defeasance. You would have to pay the principal and interest for the bonds all the way up until 2023.”

“To pay the bonds off tomorrow, you still have to pay the principal and interest until 2023,” Johnson said, “After that, any bonds that are left, you would have to pay the principal only. “So for Series A bond ($3.7M), the maturity date is 2024. Maturity date for the Series B bond ($20.9M) is 2022. After 2023, you only have to pay the principal amount on any remaining bonds.”

“So to pay the bonds off now, we’re still looking at a payout of about $30,000,000,” Johnson said.

“What amount is left of the original IPRB’s that has not been spent to date?” Council Chairman Billy Smith asked.

“There’s about $10M left that has not been spent,” Johnson said. “We can’t just send that $10M back. We still have to follow defeasance regulations, paying the principal and interest until 2023.”

“It would be foolish to pay it all and still pay all the interest,” Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas said.

Ridgeway Town Council voted unanimously last week to hire a part time, temporary administrative consultant for the Town. The announcement was made by Mayor Charlene Herring following executive session during the Sept. 21 meeting. The hiring had not previously been discussed in open session of town meetings.

The motion was made by Councilwoman Angela Harrison to pay David Hudspeth $60 per hour one day each week with a mileage allowance of 53.5¢ per mile. Herring said Hudspeth is currently a part time town administrator in Mullins, S.C. Harrison’s motion called for the hiring to become effective with the mayor’s signature and Hudspeth’s agreement to the contract.

Herring said the job did not have to be advertised because the position is part time.

“We talked to a person who recommended him,” Herring said. He has worked for the towns of Rock Hill, Ft. Mill and Bamberg as a city administrator. The position is temporary, 30 days over six months. We can decide how much we need him and what advice he gives,” she said.

Asked what his duties would be, Herring at first replied, “Administrative duties.”

Pressed by The Voice for details, Herring read from a list: Day-to-day running of the town operations, pursuing grants, helping with the bidding process, improvements regarding legal matters, working with committees for interpretation of zoning laws in the County, assist employees with efficiency and effectiveness of the workplace, strategic planning implementation and whatever else Council needs.”

Hudspeth began his duties last week and Herring said he would be in the office on Wednesdays.

Ridgeway Council members sailed through a lengthy agenda last Thursday, voting on amendments to five ordinances and a resolution that were designated on the agenda as action items. They also voted on one expenditure for which there was no indication a vote would be taken, agreed on one without a vote and tabled another expenditure without voting to do so.

Four items were listed under the heading ‘Police Report’, one of which was voted on even though there was no indication that any of the four were to be voted on. The first item, titled ‘reimbursement for mileage/meals for employees’ was discussed, then voted on, passing unanimously, 4-0. Councilman Heath Cookendorfer was out of town.

Specifically, Council discussed whether to reimburse Police Chief Christopher Culp for meal expenses he incurred during a recent trip to The S.C. Association of Police Officers in Myrtle Beach. Culp had asked to be reimbursed for his meals at the conference.  Mayor Charlene Herring said the Town had no policy for that but asked if they should reimburse Culp anyway.

“We definitely need a policy,” Councilman Don Prioleau said. “I spoke with the Chief this afternoon about it. I don’t care who you send to a conference you take care of the room and meals and mileage,” Councilman Don Prioleau said. “We’re less than a municipality if we can’t take care of not only the Chief but any employee. Definitely in the future we’ve got to come up with some kind of guidelines to follow.”

“Should we go ahead, then? Are we in accord that we’ll go ahead and reimburse him for what he’s incurred?” Herring asked.

Council voted 4-0 to reimburse him the full amount for his meals during the conference.

Fuel Cards

A discussion about whether to purchase fuel cards for the three Town vehicles was tabled without a vote to do so. Each card would be tied to a certain vehicle and could be used anywhere, but the monthly charge for each card would be $35.

Council again discussed whether to paint the Crown Victoria, but held off for the second time as they questioned whether the car was worth the investment. The Town would only be purchasing the paint. The Fairfield County School District’s Career Center would paint the car.

The Council discussed magnetic signs for the doors of the two Town pickup trucks. It was the fourth item under the Police Report. The cost for signs for each vehicle would be $52.

“We’re all in agreement so we don’t need to vote on this,” Herring said. “It’s in the ordinance.” Asked later what she meant, she said that because the expense is not over $500, they don’t have to vote on it.

The Town’s purchasing ordinance does not address not voting on expenditures under $500, it only addresses the requirement to seek bids for expenditures over $500.

After voting to approve the monthly financial report, Council discussed where they stood on several bids on designated capital expense items, and voted on only two of the five listed expenditures.

Surveillance Cameras for Town

Council voted to accept the low bid, $6,900 submitted by Capture it Surveillance, for security cameras for the Town. The other two bids were from KR Systems for $11,356.44 and Truvista for $19,282.

“The only thing with the $6,900 is that the $11,000 and the $19,000 bids probably have more quality cameras,” Prioleau said.

“The big difference that I noticed was that the $6,900 has a 16-channel DVR whereas the other two have 32-channel DVR, but are we really going to need 32 cameras,” Councilwoman Angela Harrison asked. “The 16-channel will cover us I think.”

Council also voted to have someone apply preservative to the Town Hall deck at a cost of about $450.

Councilman Doug Porter said he had not finished getting bids for heating/air for the Welcome Center. Other council members said more time was also needed for bids for Christmas decorations, the annual Christmas on the Ridge event and repair work on the teacherage.

No More Trucks

Five amendments of ordinances were also passed unanimously.

Final reading was given to an ordinance addressing the need for trucks to observe the truck routes around the Town.  The ordinance states that all trucks in the regulated vehicle classification within the Town shall not be operated over and along the ‘no through truck routes’ which are designated as W. Church Street and Coleman Highway, Dogwood Avenue and Ruff Street, Dogwood Avenue and W. Church Street, Palmer Street and W. Church Street and Palmer Street and Ruff Street. Exceptions are made for emergency, Town and delivery trucks.

Citations for Junkers

First reading of an amendment was passed to the ordinance governing the storage of junked motor vehicles on both public and private property. The changes will now allow the Ridgeway Police Department to issue a written citation when any junked motor vehicle or motor vehicle accessories have been stored or permitted to remain on any private or public property in excess of 30 days by the owner.

The 30-day window is calculated based upon the date of receipt for a certified notice from the Town. After the allotted time-period, the Town may remove the vehicle from the property.

Bidding amended

First reading also passed on an amendment to the part of the Town’s purchasing ordinance that deals with the securement of bids. Currently, Council is be required to secure three bids for any services, supplies, materials or equipment over $500. The new amendment would require three bids for items costing over $1,500. Porter said the amendment was patterned after a Kershaw County procurement ordinance.

“So that means if it’s under $1,500, you don’t have to get the three bids?” Harrison asked.

“That’s right,” Prioleau said.

No Overnight Parking

Council also passed first reading to amend the ordinance that regulates the parking of vehicles in the Town. A new provision was added to establish three-hour maximum parking time on Main Street and no overnight parking with the exception of law enforcement and emergency vehicles. The ordinance also specifies no overnight parking on any property owned or leased by the Town unless for special Town approved events with the exception of law enforcement and emergency vehicles.

MOU with County

Last, Council signed a resolution approving the memorandum of agreement between the Town and Fairfield County to handle building and code enforcement for the Town. The resolution had already been signed by the County.

“The reasons for the nature of this request are that the County already issues building permits to the citizens of Ridgeway, but the town does not have a code enforcement division,” Herring said.

“The Town employs a part time zoning administrator, Rick Johnson, who lives in Ridgeway but isn’t available to monitor building issues. Construction and property nuisances,” Herring said. “And the Town does not want to rely on the Chief of Police to monitor civil issues.”

BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Town Council race field of candidates had grown to five as of the filing deadline on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Courtney Leavitt, a resident of Cobblestone Park, was the last to through his name in the hat 10 minutes before filing ended.
Courtney joins four others in the race: incumbent Larry Griffin, Bryan Franklin, chairman of the Town’s Planning Commission and two other Commissioners, Donald Brock and Michelle Kiedrowski.
Terms for the seats are four years with a $500 monthly salary. Voters in the election must have registered by Oct. 7, 2017.
To register, visit the County Board of Voter Registration at 2020 Hampton Street in Columbia. For information, 576-2240.

 

 

 

 

 

With one day left for candidates to sign up to run for two open seats on Council, the field is fast filling up. At press time on Wednesday, four candidates had made their candidacies known – incumbent Larry Griffin, Bryan Franklin, chairman of the Town’s Planning Commission and two other Commissioners, Donald Brock and Michelle Kiedrowski.

The two open seats are currently held by Tom Utroska and Larry Griffin. Terms for the seats are for four years and comes with a $500 monthly salary. Only Councilman Utroska, who is not running again, does not take the salary, saving the Town $6,000 per year.

Utroska, who has long been an advocate for the community said at the outset of his current term that he would only serve one term.

“I think I can continue to contribute and speak out on various issues as a citizen,” he told The Voice last week. Utroska has not only been an outspoken watchdog for the Town’s finances, but, prior to his election four years ago, is the only person to have every picketed town hall over an issue.

 

Since the Town is not districted, residents run for the seats at large. Candidates must be qualified, registered voters within the town limits of Blythewood, and have until Thursday, Sept. 7, to register. The candidate filing fee is $5. Contact Melissa Cowan, the Town Clerk, with filing questions at 754-0105.

Griffin resides on Langford Road, Franklin in Ashley Oakes, Brock in Oakhurst and Kiedrowski in Cobblestone Park.

To vote in the upcoming election, register by Oct. 7, 2017. To register, contact the County Board of Voter Registration.

The following precincts will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.: Blythewood 1, Blythewood 2, Blythewood 3, Longcreek and Ridgeway (Fairfield County) The polling place for all precincts in this election is at Blythewood Park, 126 Boney Road.