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Category: Government

  • Council passes 2nd vote to rezone Gum Springs property for industry

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Again Monday night, for the second county council meeting in a row, a group of residents in the Gum Springs Road area addressed council members, begging them not to rezone a large tract of land on Gum Springs Road near their homes for industrial use.

    The 392-acre parcel, owned by Gum Springs, LLC, sits along SC Highway 34 between Gum Springs Road and Devils Racetrack Road and currently has a rural residential zoning classification. The property owner is requesting council to approve Ordinance 795, which would rezone the parcel to I-1 (Industrial.)

    The residents who oppose the rezoning say they have lived in the area most of their lives or have recently moved to the area for the peace and quiet of the heretofore rural countryside. Some families have lived there for generations.

    The most recent adaptations to the county’s comprehensive plan assigns industrial corridor status to the 11 miles that stretches along Highway 34 between Winnsboro and the Town of Ridgeway. The mostly straight leg of highway is intersected by Interstate 77, nine miles east of Winnsboro and 2.3 miles to Ridgeway from the 34 exit ramp. 

    The Simpson/Gum Springs community members have asked for the rezoning to be put on hold until the community has more input into the modification of the plans for zoning categories.

    Peter Gainey, a Gum Springs resident, said he has lived there for 15 years, moving there for the peace and quiet.

    “Don’t do this,” Gainey implored council, referring to the rezoning. “I’ve been told that you want to do it because you have existing utilities already along Highway 34, and that other areas don’t have that,” Gainey said. “Don’t blame us for it.

    “This is my generation and I deserve to live in peace and quiet. When this meeting is over, you will go to your homes where it’s peaceful, quiet, and where you don’t have hanging over your head whether or not the tract of land across from where you live will soon become industrial. You don’t have that worry. I do.”

    Gainey implored council members to consider the citizens’ concerns before making their third and final vote at the next meeting.

    “This type of spot zoning to industrial development status could result in unplanned and undesirable growth incompatible with the surrounding rural, agricultural and residential development uses that exist along the Highway 34E corridor,” said Pelham Lyles, a longtime property owner in the area.

    “Property owners should have a reasonable expectation that existing land uses will not change and negatively impact their property and residences.

    “The development of the county’s existing and proposed industrial parks should restrict the location of industry to those sites, rather than to allow the disruption of longstanding residential and agro-industry uses of our rural and natural resource areas,” Lyles said.

    “Highway 34 between Ridgeway and Winnsboro should be promoted as the scenic route between I-77 and the two largest and designated historic towns,” Lyles said. 

    “I fear that the present comprehensive plan’s designation of Highway 34 as an industrial corridor means that large mega industry could eclipse the existing community, its naturally beautiful resources and its settled people.”

    Donita Harris, a small farmer who also has a full time job to support her farm, said her farm is almost entirely eclipsed by the proposed industrial site.

    As a small farmer, Harris said she provides eggs, milk, goats, honey and other products for her neighbors and the community where she lives.

    “I have spent blood, sweat and tears trying to make a go of my little farm. At my age I can’t start over on another piece of property.

    “I am asking you to please not rezone the area industrial,” she said. “I know that industry is big and important. But small people are important too.”

    But for the second time, the Gum Springs residents’ pleas to council fell on deaf ears for the most part.

    While the Fairfield County Planning Commission voted in support of the residents last month, recommending against the rezoning, county council voted 5-2 on first reading to rezone the land, with Councilmen Douglas Pauley and Clarence Gilbert voting against the rezoning.

    “The planning commission voted unanimously not to rezone the property and this council should do the same,” Councilman Douglas Pauley said. “We have plenty of other areas that are designated for commercial and industrial use. In the last 10 years, Fairfield County has lost over 3,000 residents. We cannot afford to lose anymore due to us not considering their feelings when it comes to their residential communities.”

    Chairman Moses Bell said he had wrestled with the decision of how to vote, but this property could bring a $100 million to $2 billion investment.

    “I have always fought for protecting residential areas, but I have to vote on what I believe is best for this county to grow and prosper,” Bell said.

    Council voted 4-2 to rezone the property with Pauley and Gilbert voting against rezoning.

    The next council meeting and final vote on the rezoning is set for Monday, July 13 at the new County Government Complex.

  • Town’s MPA expenses soar as court dates are delayed

    Town Has Spent $148K On Outside Legal Costs

    BLYTHEWOOD – While court dates for the MPA Strategies/Town of Blythewood lawsuit appearances continue to be postponed, the Town’s legal expenses for those lawsuits continue to climb.

    As of the Town’s May 2021-22 Revenue and Expense Report, the Town’s outside legal expenses have risen $37,065.83 over the previous month.

    The FY 2021-22 budget year’s outside legal expenses stand at $148,398.51, exceeding the budgeted amount by $3,398.51 or 2.34 percent.

    Council has increased the outside legal budget to $200,000 for FY 2022-23.

    Outside legal expenses generally have to do with expenses related to lawsuits the Town is involved in.

    In an interview in February, 2022, Councilman Rich McKenrick told The Voice he believes the Town’s outside attorney David Black with Nexsen Pruet law firm in Columbia is the payee for most of the Town’s outside legal expenses. Black represents the Town in an FOIA lawsuit filed by MPA strategies as well as the Town’s countersuit against MPA.

    Town’s Costs for MPA lawsuits

    Those expenses have mushroomed from $25,000 last fiscal year to $60,000 in FY 2021-22, after Mayor Bryan Franklin authorized the hiring of attorney David Black, with Nexsen Pruet law firm, to handle legal issues with MPA Strategies, a firm council voted 3-2 to hire in February, 2021, to market the town.

    In the spring of 2022, the budget for outside legal expenses were raised to $145,000

    Legal Costs Soaring

    According to the Town’s online monthly financial reports for outside legal expenses, the Town spent a total of $14,362.00 in April, May and June of FY 2021 and $78,929.13 over the next three months, for a total of $93,929.13 as of Dec. 31, 2021. As of June 29, 2022, the outside legal costs stand at almost $150,000, just $50,000 shy of the total budgeted for outside legal expenses for the FY 2022-23 budget, which begins July 1, 2022.

    Court Dates Continued

    The court was asked for a roster continuance for the non-jury trial for the week of May 9, 2022 and again for June 14, 2022. The next roster meeting is set for July 11, 2022.

    Black was initially hired by Franklin, Carroll Williamson and Town Attorney Shannon Burnett as an outside attorney to handle an FOIA request that was filed by MPA Strategies marketing firm’s attorney Joseph Dickey, on April 15, 2021. That request asked for Franklin’s texts, emails and other documents referencing MPA and its owner/CEO Ashley Hunter.

    The request was filed after the finalization of MPA’s marketing contract with the Town was delayed for almost two months and after rumors were allegedly spread about Hunter and Blythewood Town Councilman Donald Brock.

    When Franklin failed to submit the responsive documents to Dickey as required by law, MPA filed a lawsuit on June 28, 2021, to obtain them.

    Approximately two weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Franklin submitted the documents to Dickey on July 9, 2021.

    It is a violation of S.C. FOIA to not respond to an FOIA request within the statutorily-required time, according to media attorney Taylor Smith, with Harrison Radeker & Smith, P.A.

    “When information is turned over after a lawsuit is served, that usually means prevailing party status is given to the requester which almost assures they will win and their attorney’s fees and costs will be paid by taxpayer money,” Smith said.

  • Smart meter installation complete for Blythewood, now coming to Winnsboro

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood’s Winnsboro water customers should soon have few complaints about their water bills and low water pressure.

    Their meter readers have now been replaced with 1,600 smart (electronic) meters which should make billing consistent beginning with the next water bill…or at least the one after.

    And because Winnsboro no longer purchases Columbia water, the water customers in Blythewood are seeing higher water pressure from their faucets.

    Winnsboro Town Manager Jason Taylor was invited to meet with Cobblestone Park residents (Winnsboro water customers) Wednesday evening to update them on the changes they can expect from the new smart meters.

    The smart meters will eliminate the need for traditional meter readers who, both Blythewood and Winnsboro residents have complained for years, didn’t regularly read the meters. Sporadic reading of meters and erstwhile billing led to water bills that were sometimes as high as $1,200 for a small home with only two occupants.

    “It was critical for us to install a new system for reading and reporting water usage in a timely manner,” said Taylor, who became manager of the Town of Winnsboro last year.

    “We’ve had a tough time keeping enough people on staff to read 300 meters a day. So we had complaint after complaint after complaint about our utility service and billing. We knew we had a problem,” Taylor said. “Now we have a solution.”

    That solution is an AMI (Automatic Metering Infrastructure) system which consists of a new compact smart meter installed at the residence and another small piece of equipment attached to the smart meter that will transmit the meter reading every hour to antennas on the town’s water tower which in turn will send the data to the Town of Winnsboro’s billing office.

    “Now that the $2 million system is installed and in use in Blythewood,” Taylor said, “we’re starting to move toward Winnsboro, where the meters will be installed not only for water customers but for 2,300 gas customers, sewer customers and, eventually, the 3,500 electric customers as we get into the town.”

    The cost to install the smart meters in Winnsboro will be around $3.8 million, Taylor said.

    “Because many of the Winnsboro customers have four meters, the project to replace all the meters with smart meters will take longer, perhaps as long as 18 months and be more expensive,” Taylor said.

    “Initially we’ll have to identify all the meters, as we did in Blythewood,” he said. “We’ll count them all and see exactly what we have. We have them on our billing register but, still, we need to go out and physically locate everything.

    “In Blythewood, we hired a company to do that for us,” he said. “There are fewer meters in Blythewood, and Blythewood is more compact, so it was quicker and easier to hire a company to do it. In Winnsboro we’ll do most of the locating of meters ourselves because, again, there are more meters in Winnsboro and they are more scattered, so it’s just more cost effective for us to do the location work in-house.”

    Taylor also explained that as Winnsboro no longer purchases water from Columbia for its customers’ use, its water now all comes from Winnsboro tanks, which have a higher level of pressure. While the high pressure is nice, Taylor said it also produces more water through the faucet and can cause water bills to be slightly higher than a water service with low pressure.

    “The Cobblestone community has also had concerns about some of their fire hydrant locations and things like that,” Taylor said. “I think we’ve had one fire hydrant there that has been hit a number of times, and we’re going to move it as they’ve requested. So it’s just a whole host of things like that – just kind of question and answer to address some of their concerns and bring them up to speed on the improvements we’ve made,” Taylor said.

  • Seven drive-by shootings put Winnsboro leaders on edge

    WINNSBORO – Amid surging gun violence across the nation, including recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Tulsa, and Uvalde, Texas, the town of Winnsboro is grappling with a series of drive-by shootings of its own.

    Since April 21, there have been seven documented shooting incidents, one as recent as early Monday morning, according to reports filed with the Winnsboro Police Department.

    Four have happened since June 2, reports show.

    No arrests have been made in any of the cases and there haven’t been any confirmed injuries, but the sheer number of shootings and the danger they pose is now a focus of the mayor and town administration.

    Town leaders react

    Town Manager Jason Taylor called the recent rash of shooting incidents “unacceptable.”

    While he’s grateful nobody’s been hurt, Taylor said efforts are underway to prevent future shootings. Those efforts include increased patrols and installing security cameras.

    “This is not acceptable. This should not be normal,” Taylor said. “We do not want to see guns discharged within our town.”

    Police Chief John Seibles said at least five arrest warrants have been obtained, two of them for attempted murder.

    In some instances, the public has been reluctant to cooperate, but Seibles said Investigator Oren Gadson has received enough assistance from residents to zero in on some suspects.

    “We certainly intend to bring an end to this very soon,” Seibles said. “We are working very hard.

    “We are pursuing this very diligently. This will not be taken lightly in the Town of Winnsboro.”

    Seibles believes most shootings seem to be acts of retribution.

    “There are little groups going back and forth,” he said. “It’s retaliatory.”

    Mayor John McMeekin agreed that it’s imperative to put an end to the shootings.

    “We feel we have identified the shooters and when they are apprehended, we will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law,” McMeekin said.

    “If people don’t feel comfortable and safe in their own town that’s not good,” he said. “We must provide a safe environment, a safe town for our citizens. And we will.”

    Where the shootings happened

    The shootings were within a 1.5 mile radius, three of them occurring on West College Street.

    On April 21, at about 5 a.m., someone fired about six shots at a home in the 900 block of West College Street.

    An incident report said bullets struck the storm door and also some vehicles. Police found several shell casings about 15 feet from the home.

    Another shooting occurred four days later in the 400 block of West College Street.

    At about 9:30 p.m., several people reported that they heard at least four gunshots, but police were unable to find any physical evidence.

    On May 29, police were called to another address in the 400 block of West College Street for a report of shots fired around 10:50 p.m. The shooter or shooters fired several shots before taking off running toward the bottom of Zion Hill.

    This time, the police report identified one possible suspect. Seibles said three warrants have been obtained in association with the incident.

    There were also unconfirmed accounts of injuries and that the person or persons were at Castlewood Apartments, the report continued.

    However, when police arrived, officers found no evidence of any injuries and residents refused to cooperate with police.

    The next two incidents occurred on Zion Street on June 2 and June 4. Police reported evidence of gunfire and property damage in both shootings.

    The sixth shooting happened June 8 in the vicinity of Castlewood Apartments.

    The victims were traveling on Calhoun Street when someone in a gray Dodge Charger fired several shots at them, according to the report.

    Seibles said two warrants for attempted murder have been obtained in this case.

    In the latest shooting, early Monday morning, about 3 a.m., a woman on Vanderhorst Street in Winnsboro reported that her house had been “shot up,” according to an incident report.

    Residents of the home reported that they were inside when they heard between seven and 10 gunshots and that three had struck the house.

    While no one was reported injured, officers reported that one of the three bullet holes was in the door, and that it appeared the bullet had traveled through the door, into the house, through the middle wall, and was lodged in an interior door.

  • Blythewood PC votes against rezoning for U-Haul

    Gordge: Rezoning Would Make Most Housing, Commercial & Leisure No Longer Available

    BLYTHEWOOD – After Blythewood Planning Commissioners expressed gratitude to the U-Haul company on Community Road for its graciousness and goodwill over the years to allow Buck and Kristi Coggins to use, at no charge,  several acres of U-Haul’s land for the Coggins’ twice a year rodeo, the commission then voted unanimously against U-Haul’s request for a rezoning change for the property.

    According to Town Administrator Carroll Williamson, U-Haul requested to rezone the property located in the 800 block of Community Road (TMS# 15100-0402) from Town Center District (TCD) to Community Commercial District (CC).

    Community Commercial zoning is the Town’s highest use commercial zoning district.

    Kevin Anderson, the Marketing Director for U-Haul, said the company would like to build state-of-the-art self-storage units on a portion of the property and that such use is not allowed under its current Town Center District zoning.

    Anderson said the storage units would feature climate control interiors, controlled access and that the 18.5 acre property would remain under the umbrella of the Town’s Architectural Overlay District.

    Much of the commissioners’ discussion about the rezoning focused on the rodeo’s use of the land and expressions of how popular the rodeo was with the community.

    The Town government funds the rodeo $50,000 annually for two rodeo performances at the site.

    “The issue, from my perspective, is that your goodwill has resulted in something that is very popular,” said Commissioner Marty Wells who lives in Cobblestone, across Blythewood Road from the U-Haul property where the storage units would be constructed if the rezoning is approved.

    “So, obviously, I believe it’s going to be highly visible and a lot of people are going to watch what the end result is going to be,” Wells said.

     “It [the rodeo] is a big deal in our town,” Commissioner Erica Page said.

    The Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce Director Phil Frye, also weighed in against U-Haul’s rezoning, saying the majority of businesses in the Town are opposed to the rezoning. He did not say how many businesses oppose the rezoning nor did he name any businesses who opposed it.

    “As a general rule, everyone is opposed to it to the extent that they have come to me and mentioned it,” Frye said. “I have received a number of calls from our members and board with a bit of concern from the standpoint of rezoning this property in this manner.”

    Frye’s only objection was that he said, “the infrastructure is stretched as it is and immediately next to the interstate – an obvious traffic scenario not only that we have now but will be experiencing in the way too near future.”

    Anderson explained to the Commission that the storage facility would provide a service for Blythewood residents.

    “We will continue to be good neighbors,” Anderson said. “We have a good track record around the country.”

    Commission Chair Malcolm Gordge asked if U-Haul would be using all the property.

    “Right now, we currently have a plan to use a portion of the land. We have been looking at options to continue to support the rodeo, but I don’t know if or what they’re willing to take and help with it. We’re flexible,” Anderson said.

    Wells asked Anderson how this business (storage units) would fit in.

    “I see us fitting in all across the country – small and large communities. We’re a household family name,” he said. “If I had to guess, half of the room plus have used a U-Haul to move. I see us fitting in perfectly.”

    Gordge, who is generally known to be pro businesses, expressed his objection to this rezoning and ended the discussion with a foreboding perspective if the property were rezoned.

    “It’s obvious the growth of the town is westward from its original town center location,” Gordge said. “And the masterplan drawn up some 12 years ago showed this area to be a mixed use development to provide maximum benefit to the community that included housing, commercial and leisure.

    “If this (rezoning) were to go forward, most of that [housing, commercial and leisure] would no longer be available.

    Gordge said he “felt obliged to put that on the record,” but did not explain why he thought housing, commercial and leisure would no longer be available.

    After no commissioner made a motion to approve recommending the rezoning, Commissioner Ed Kesser made a motion to recommend to Town Council disapproval of the map amendment to change the zoning of tax map number R15100-04-02, located on Community Road and Blythewood Road, from Town Center District to Community Commercial District. 

    The vote in favor of the motion to recommend disapproval was 6-0.

    Town Council will take first vote on the requested rezoning at its next regular meeting at 6 p.m., June 27. A public hearing on the matter will be held at that meeting as well.

  • County rejects R2 request for 18.4 mills

    Pugh: County Needs to Re-evaluate How We Spend Money

    COLUMBIA – Richland County Council passed third and final reading of its FY 2022-23 budget Tuesday night, excluding Richland School District Two’s request for an 18.4 millage increase.

    It was the second year the council has passed a no-millage-increase budget.

    The vote to pass the budget was 8 to 3 with both of Blythewood’s representatives, Derrek Pugh (Dist. 2) and Gretchen Barron (Dist. 7), and Bill Malinowisky (Dist. 1) voting against.

    “This [the 18.4 millage request] is a very hot topic in the community,” Pugh said just before the vote. “The budget before us will not raise taxes, but it’s imperative that not only millage agencies but Richland County as a whole needs to re-evaluate how we spend money and make the necessary adjustments. Everybody is experiencing shortfalls. So it’s important for us to exercise other options before sticking our citizens with higher tax bills.”

    Last week, the Richland Two School Board voted 4 to 3 to ask Richland County for the 18.4 millage increase over the District’s current 7 mills. Board members Lindsay Agostini, Dr. Monca Elkins Scott and LaShonda McFadden voted against.

    Current Millage Rate (331.70) plus the 18.4 mill increase would have hit the millage cap of 350.10 for FY 2022-23.

    County council had already held second reading and the public hearing on the county budget before the Richland Two Board voted to request the millage increase. County council would have had to hold a fourth reading and another public hearing to consider that increase.

    Instead, council passed the budget with the District’s last year’s 7 mills, which did not cause and increase in the county budget.

    Richland County Planning Commissioner Steven Gilchrist spoke against the county raising taxes before the budget vote was taken. Following the meeting, Gilchrist expressed his approval of council’s vote.

    “Richland County council needs to be applauded for not going along with this foolishness to raise taxes by 18 mills which Richland School District Two requested. Leadership matters and our county council proved that to the school district and the citizens today!” Gilchrist said.

    The District’s requested millage increase would have raised property taxes for local businesses and secondary homes ad was estimated to bring an additional $6.16 million in to the District next year.

    Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis stated that, with the 18.4 mill increase, a businesses with a property value of $100,000 would have payed $9 more a month in property taxes or $108 a year.

  • Gilbert: Council salaries should be cut in FY 22-23

    Councilman Trapp: ‘I Don’t Think That’s Legal.’

    WINNSBORO – Fee increases, adding new positions, and cutting council member salaries are among the last minute alterations under consideration in Fairfield County’s proposed $41.3 million budget.

    But it was an existing budget item that would fund Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office raises that’s giving at least one council member heartburn.

    At a budget work session Monday night, Council Chairman Moses Bell questioned why the proposed budget includes $59,000 for sheriff’s office raises, but not for other county departments.

    Bell directed much of his frustration toward County Administrator Malik Whitaker.

    “We gave them an extra bonus this year, and then on top of that they’re getting regular raises,” Bell said. “[The sheriff’s office budget] went up 3.4 percent when we took 10% from everyone else, from the departments. I don’t know how you did that.”

    Whitaker said the sheriff’s office is different because most employee salaries are linked to rank. He said as deputies and corporals are promoted to sergeants and lieutenants, their salaries increase accordingly.

    “It’s just two different systems from my perspective,” Whitaker said.

    Whitaker offered to restructure the budget to not include raises, but Bell signaled he’ll probably still vote for the budget as presented.

    “If council is OK in doing this, I’m OK. But I don’t understand how their budget increased $159,000 when we have department budgets decrease.”

    No votes were taken during Monday’s work session. Third and final reading of the budget is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 23.

    Fee increases

    From the outset, the 2022-2023 proposed budget has called for a 10 percent cut to all county departments.

    The budget also freezes spending at 2021-2022 levels.

    To help compensate for falling revenues, county staff rolled out a series of proposed fee increases.

    Fairfield County Airport plans to increase its overnight ramp fee from $40 to $50.

    The Clerk of Court plans to institute a $25 recording fee for any plat.

    The coroner’s office has requested to increase autopsy report fees from $250 to $300.

    Parks and recreation, the following fee increases were proposed:

    • Tackle Football – Increase from $20 to $35
    • Baseball – Increase from $20 to $35
    • Softball – Increase from $20 to $25
    • Gymnastics – $25 monthly fee for ages 6 and up
    • Afterschool – Increase from $30 for first child and $15 per additional child to $35 and $25, respectively
    • Summer Camp – Increase from $45 for first child and $25 per additional child to $60 and $30, respectively
    • Boykin Rec Center – Removed fitness room fee

    Fairfield County Public Works is also planning to charge $125 per eight-foot stick of concrete culvert per personal drive to cover rising costs of materials, said Finance Director Anne Bass.

    Motions List

    Council members also developed a draft motions list, which traditionally consists of line items requested by individual council members.

    One motion of note proposed cutting council member salaries by 10 percent per member.

    Councilman Clarence Gilbert, who proposed the idea, thought it was only fair given the cuts being made elsewhere.

    “We’ve asked every department to help with cuts, but we as a council haven’t done anything to make cuts in our budget,” Gilbert said.

    Gilbert’s idea, though, didn’t seem to gain traction. Councilman Tim Roseborough chuckled while Councilman Mikel Trapp said he didn’t think the idea was legal.

    “Check to make sure that’s legal. I don’t think it’s legal to do that,” Councilman Michael Trapp said.

    Trapp also recommended increasing spending from $10,000 to $15,000 for a County Council newsletter.

    Other items added to the motion list include:

    • Funding for a deputy director at the Fairfield County Detention Center
    • Funding for another corrections officer at the detention center
    • Adding a full-time custodian at the new county administration building
    • Reopening county recycling centers on Monday
    • Providing a $21,000 match for the Transit Department

  • Director of Economic Development Ty Davenport leaving County

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Director of Economic Development, Ty Davenport, has announced he will be leaving the county on May 25.

    Davenport

    Davenport is the eighth top county official to leave the county’s employ in the last year including the county administrator, assistant county administrator, attorney, clerk to council and several department heads.. Two more department heads will be leaving later this year to run for public office.

     “During the five years Ty was with the county, he did an incredibly good job,” said Davenport’s former boss at the county, former County Administrator Jason Taylor who is now the Town of Winnsboro Town Manager.

    “He had a long run of sustained economic development that turned the county around,” Taylor said. “As far as recruiting new industry while Ty was here, we brought in 1,000 new jobs and $90 million in new investment.” 

    In 2016, the year both Taylor and Davenport were hired by the county, its unemployment rate was 14 percent and had been in the double digits for years.

    “His work brought the county’s economic development to a vibrant, thriving level and the county’s unemployment rate down to three percent. The pandemic has brought it back up to about five percent,” Taylor said, “but the industry he brought in during his tenure will be responsible for generating over $1 million in new annual revenue for the county starting next year. “

    In 2016, the county had five available industrial buildings standing vacant. Today there are none.

    Taylor also credited Davenport as being significantly instrumental in settling the Dominion lawsuit in regard to economic development.

    “The way we crafted it for the future of the county and the moneys we got for economic development, the bulk of it went to the industrial park and the proposed sewer plant. That has kind of set the stage for future growth and to help keep taxes down,” Taylor said.

    “My involvement with the Dominion settlement in regard to economic development was very satisfying,” Davenport said. “I think it did put Fairfield in a position to compete and win more industry. Jason, Chris (Clauson) and I are very proud of the settlement and the opportunities it gives the county while maintaining our relationship with Dominion, a very important and valued ally.”

    In 2016, the county only had 34,000 gallons per day of sewer capacity available for new industrial users. Working with the Town of Winnsboro, Davenport and Taylor guided the development of a plan to access an additional 500,000 gallons per day within the next two years.

    “This new capacity will enable Fairfield to compete for projects that in the past exceeded the waste water system’s capabilities.” Davenport said.

    “With Jason’s and Chris Clauson’s experience,” Davenport said,” we worked on a two million gallon per day long term sewer solution that, with the funds made available by the settlement, is currently in the works and should be complete in four years.

    “Jason deserves all the credit for the vision and establishment of the Fairfield Joint Water and Sewer System, and I am proud of my contribution to help bring it to fruition,” Davenport said. “The new sewer capacity that will be created by the new facility will be a game changer for the county.”

    County councilman Douglas Pauley said Davenport’s work leaves the county in excellent shape as far as economic development, moving forward.

    “We have a $450,000 square foot graded pad complete and ready for a large industrial user. Grading on a 1,000,000 square foot pad is designed and permitted and will commence in June,” Pauley said.

    “Grading on a 270,000 square foot pad is also designed and permitted and will begin in June with a 100,000 square foot speculative building to be built on that pad,” Pauley said. “And mass grading (over 1.4 million square feet) on the county’s I-77 International Mega site will begin later this month or next.”

    Davenport added that the county has purchased and optioned property for the next 500-acre industrial development using 100 percent grant funding.

    In an email to county employees, Executive Assistant Gwendolyn Ashford released a two sentence notice of Davenport’s departure.

    “This is to report to each of you that Ty Davenport is resigning as Fairfield County Economic Development Director on May 25. We are grateful to Mr. Davenport for his contributions to the County during his time here and we wish him well in his next endeavor.” 

    “Ty has done a great job for the county, and his hard work will pay off for years to come for some of the companies he recruited,” said Taylor who was hired by the county on the same day as Davenport was hired. “I’ve enjoyed working with him while he was here. It was a very productive relationship, and we wish him well in the future.”

    Davenport has not yet disclosed where he will go after he leaves the county, but he said he will still be working in the Midlands.

  • In searing public speech, BW mayor confuses conspiracy with routine journalism

    BLYTHEWOOD – Mayor Bryan Franklin delivered his most chilling verbal attack to date on The Voice’s publisher and Councilman Donald Brock at the end of a joint town council/planning commission meeting Monday night. The subject matter was rambling, with multiple undocumented claims.

    Explaining that his speech was in response to The Voice’s editorial in the April 28, 2022 issue of the newspaper, Franklin never mentioned the subject of the editorial – the almost $70,000 the Town’s outside attorney erroneously claimed the Town had spent responding to 6 or so FOIA requests from The Voice. 

    Instead, Franklin veered into the weeds, alternately mocking The Voice’s professional awards and accusing the newspaper of pressuring the Town government “to take certain actions”, though he did not identify those actions.

    In his 15 minute uninterrupted diatribe, Franklin made numerous random claims that he could not or would not provide evidence for. The speech can be viewed in its entirety above.

    Franklin claimed, for instance, that there had “never been an outright vote to hire MPA strategies” [to provide marketing and grant writing services for the Town].

    However, a YouTube video of the Feb. 22, 2021 council meeting, posted on the Town’s website, shows Councilman Sloan Griffin making a motion to take a vote, and it shows the 3-2 vote, as each councilman specifies to whom he prefers to award the RFP (Request for Proposal). Franklin and Councilman Eddie Baughman voted for The Blythewood Chamber of Commerce.

    Franklin also claimed that he voted ‘Yes’ to enter into a contract with MPA, while in fact he voted ‘No’ in the same Feb. 22, 2021 YouTube video. It was not until three weeks later that he voted ‘Yes’ when a motion was made to execute (finalize) that contract.

    Referring to what may have been a campaign pledge on Brock’s part (to become mayor), Franklin claimed it was “a conspiracy to commit fraud against the Town.”

    More than once in his speech, Franklin characterized the newspaper’s routine communications with MPA’s attorney as The Voice’s out-and-out conspiracy against the Town. The State, Post and Courier and other newspapers, like The Voice, frequently quote attorneys and their clients in regard to their lawsuits. The Voice also emailed questions (other than FOIAs) to The Town’s outside attorney, David Black.

    Franklin also declared, for some unexplained reason, that The Voice “profits three times as much as the other paper [the Country Chronicle].” He did not credit a source for that information or present any proof of his calculations.

    Franklin noted, again for an unstated reason, that “MPA submitted its FOIA for my, the mayor’s emails, communications, etc. after the contract was signed.”

     According to records obtained by The Voice, MPA’s attorney submitted the FOIA to The Town requesting Franklin’s documents on April 15, the day before Franklin signed MPA’s contract on April 16, not the day after.

    Franklin sought throughout his speech to elevate himself as the authority for determining who’s right and who’s wrong in regard to the Town’s lawsuits with MPA.

    “If any citizen wants a balanced argument, you call me directly,” Franklin said. “I’ll return your call … or visit you on your front porch to … clear up these falsehoods…” he stated.

    In conclusion, Franklin noted that, “I’ve just disproven 5 or 6 items in the editorial that could have been disproven by picking up the phone and calling somebody.”

    However, it was not obvious in the speech what those “5 or 6 items” were, or how he had “disproven” them.   

    Franklin has made multiple undocumented claims in the past against The Voice that were proven to be false.

    For instance, in the Sept. 23, 2021 issue of the Country Chronicle, Franklin was quoted as saying he had been “informed by [Town Administrator Carroll] Williamson that he had received ‘numerous inquiries’ from Voice publisher Barbara Ball regarding Town Attorney Shannon Burnett’s resignation…”

    Franklin was quoted as saying that those “numerous inquiries” amounted to “intimidating and bullying” Williamson.

    The Voice sent a Freedom of Information request that same day to town hall requesting copies of the “numerous inquiries” that The Voice allegedly sent to Williamson regarding Burnett’s resignation.

    In a Nov. 18, 2021, response to that FOIA, the Town’s outside attorney David Black confirmed that the Town did not possess “numerous inquiries” from The Voice concerning Burnett’s resignation letter.

  • Update on Richland County mass rezoning

    COLUMBIA – The regular monthly meeting of the Richland County Planning Commission will not be held as planned on Monday, May 2, according to county officials. Instead, the Commission will hold a work session on the proposed new zoning map on Monday, May 9, at 10 a.m. at the council chambers at 2020 Hampton Street.

    The County Council will meet on Tuesday, May 3, at 6 p.m., but it is not known at this time whether council will hold first reading on Councilman Paul Livingston’s amendment to the text of the ordinance that approved the new Land Development Code (LDC).

    That amendment proposes to keep the new LDC in place (though not currently effective) and allows for the previous rezoning process to continue until the proposed new zoning map is adopted. Until that time, any rezonings would require using the zoning classifications from the former LDC (in place since 2005.) Those classifications match the official zoning map but have been removed from the new LDC.

    Livingston’s amendment will need three readings and a public hearing.

    Blythewood resident Sallie Sharpe will be meeting with a group on the lawn in front of the court house at 5 p.m. For information and regular updates on the rezoning issue, go to salslocalseed.com