Category: News

I am an educator by profession having obtained a BA in History from Columbia College and a Master’s Degree+30 hours in Elementary Education and Administration from USC. I am currently serving as an Educational Consultant having retired from Richland School District Two where I was the Chief Academic Office, a principal, an assistant principal, curriculum coordinator and teacher. I have garnered awards such as State Teacher of the Year Finalist, Administrator of the Year, and One of One Hundred Most Influential Leaders by Columbia Business Monthly Magazine.

I became Mayor of Ridgeway in 2006 and have completed my eighth year in office. I have lived at 110 W. Ruff Street in Ridgeway for 16 years with my husband and former council member, Roger Herring. I have two daughters and two grandchildren. I am 64 years old. I am a member of Aimwell Presbyterian Church.

I am running for re-election as Mayor of Ridgeway. I can answer affirmatively the proverbial question “Are we, Ridgeway, better off than we were eight years ago?” Absolutely! The quality of life and work has improved not only because of my vision and leadership but because of the good work of council, businesses and the citizens of Ridgeway.

I have built my leadership and service as Mayor on three words: Revitalization, Responsibility and Relationships. Ridgeway has been revitalized through streetscape improvements, restoration of buildings, and attraction of downtown businesses, grants received for water expansion and upgrades, and recognition at the state level as recipients of awards for leadership, business growth and technology.

Responsibility can be defined by the involvement and ownership of the Town by the mayor and citizens through the creation of a Strategic Plan, management of a fiscally sound budget, adoption of a town logo and brand, and promotion of safety with the addition of police officers, community meetings and implementation of a Crisis/Disaster Plan.

A community is as vibrant and strong as the citizens who live there. Ridgeway is a strong community. Relationships have been built and nurtured through the work of Town committees, events such as Pig on the Ridge, Arts on the Ridge, Ridgeway Reads, Easter Promenade, Holidays on the Ridge, 43 Mile Yard Sale and First Fridays, awards such as Citizen of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year and the creation of The Ridgeway Museum. I have also strengthened relations with other cities in the county, the Midlands and across South Carolina through meetings, joint projects and presentations. Ridgeway is known throughout the Carolinas as a progressive yet quaint southern town. Our population doubles each month as persons come to visit, shop, dine and tour.

I am asking the citizens of Ridgeway to re-elect me for four more years. There is still much to be done such as the creation of a town park, additional street, water and capital improvements, continued attraction and sustainability of downtown businesses, a new strategic plan and further engagement of citizens in the community. Help me continue to lead by example, influence and involvement so Ridgeway remains a great place to live and work.

BLYTHEWOOD – Town Council took the second and final vote Monday night to amend the Town’s budget for fiscal year 2013, to more accurately reflect the operational losses of Doko Manor this past year. The 2014 budget that was set last July projected a $20,000 loss in the Manor’s operating funds in the 2014 fiscal year, which ends June 30, but in only six months that loss was already at $22,000 and climbing. The budget adjustment revised the projected loss from $12,000 to $44,000 for General Maintenance/Service Supplies and from $33,000 to $49,000 for Program and Oversight Salaries for the fiscal year. Councilman Bob Massa, a CPA, had advised Council in January that state law requires a budget adjustment when the budget veers from its projections by more than 5 percent.

Other revisions to the budget included: appropriation for Ground Maintenance was reduced from $8,000 to $2,500; General Maintenance/Major Repairs from $10,000 to $5,000 and Utilities from $22,000 to $14,000.

Council Sets Term Limits

By a 3-2 vote, Council also finalized an ordinance that sets term limits for the Mayor and Town Council members at two consecutive terms each.

New Rates for Manor

Council passed a resolution revising rental rates and charges for The Manor. Councilman Tom Utroska said he and the Director of Events at the Manor, Booth Chilcutt, have addressed the changes at length.

“Most of the rates are raised, but they are still lower than those at Saluda Shores, which is what we use as a basis for setting our prices,” Utroska said. “We have set a flat rate for local civic and community groups ranging from $35 to $60 per hour, based on a minimum of two hours’ usage and a maximum of four hours’ usage. These groups, as well as those who pay the rental rates, would also be charged extra for use of equipment such as table cloths, projectors, etc.”

Accommodations Tax Funds Awarded

Council voted on A-Tax Review Committee recommendations, awarding funds for those events that they feel bring visitors to Blythewood. Of the six applicants, the Diamond Invitational Baseball Tournament received the most at $15,000. The USC equestrian team, which won the 2014 SEC Championship at One Wood Farm on Saturday, received $5,000 and was earlier awarded another $5,000 for a total of $10,000. Three other groups/events that requested funding, Blythewood Chamber of Commerce ($20,000), Jon Godwin Racing Team ($10,000) and Blythewood Rodeo ($10,000), were denied their requests for funding. Blythewood Rodeo was asked to resubmit a more concise application and the Blythewood Chamber was asked to resubmit next year.

The awards are recommended by the A-Tax Committee based on how much business it is thought each group/event would bring to the town. Council then votes on the recommendations.

History Recognized

The Blythewood Historical Society kicked off the agenda Monday night to honor and thank the Blythewood Town government for 40 years of service. After historian and former Councilman Wade Dorsey presented a short history of the Town’s first election in 1974, Mayor J. Michael Ross asked those first elected officials and/or family members who were there to represent them, to stand and be recognized.

In other regular business, Council members voted to defer an ordinance to amend the Landscape & Tree Preservation Subchapter until they have more time to study it.

Council voted to go into executive session to discuss employment, appointment, compensation, promotion, demotion, discipline or release of an employee, a student or a person regulated by the public body or the appointment of a person to a public body. It was also to discuss negotiations incident to proposed contractual arrangements for the Doko Depot Restaurant. No vote was taken on either matter.

WINNSBORO – Nearly 150 properties were left with incorrect zoning last year when the County and its consultant, Dan Vismore & Associates, went through a major rezoning process en route to adopting a new land management ordinance, according to a presentation made to County Council Monday night. Council then took the first steps to correct those errors with a public hearing and first reading of ordinance 627.

Tim Roseboro, Director of Planning & Zoning, told Council that two properties in Jenkinsville were incorrectly zoned, while five on Highway 321 Bypass were also erroneously rezoned. All seven should have been zoned B2 (General Business), Roseboro said, as should have 10 parcels near Washington Street in Winnsboro. Three parcels along the Ridgeway town limits that should have been zoned as RC (Rural Community) were also incorrectly zoned. But the major problem, Roseboro said, was in South Winnsboro, where 95 parcels were incorrectly zoned that should have been zoned as R2 and 35 that should have been zoned as R1, both residential designations.

Milton Pope, Interim County Administrator, said that even though it is obvious the corrections need to be made, Council was obligated by law to go through the legal stages of three readings and a public hearing before adopting the changes. The proposed corrections, Pope said, will make the zoning maps consistent with the overall comprehensive land management plan.

First reading passed 6-0. Councilman Mikel Trapp (District 3) was absent.

WINNSBORO – Milton Pope, Interim County Administrator, told Council Monday night that the plan on how to spend $3.5 million in bond money to develop recreation in the county had entered its next phase. Pope said his staff had met last week with Ken Simmons & Associates (KSA), the consulting firm selected by bid to guide the County through the process, and that the firm would be meeting with each Council member individually in the coming weeks to review their wish lists for recreation.

Pope said KSA would be reviewing all extant recreation information complied by the County over the years, including the study conducted by the Central Midlands Council of Governments several years ago.

“They’re bringing their recreational experience to the county to see how we can maximize the use of $3.5 million that we have county wide,” Pope said.

Once the master list of projects is reviewed, Pope said, it will come back before full Council for a vote on how to proceed, “because we could wind up with a situation, based upon the master list, where those costs could exceed the $3,.5 million and they may not,” Pope said. “But we need to know what those costs are and if in fact there are going to be any continual costs or operational costs that we need to consider.”

Bruce Wadsworth, a resident of the Dawkins community who has been a strong supporter of erecting a rec center in Western Fairfield, said he was glad to see the subject up for discussion once again.

“I’m glad to see recreation is back on the agenda,” Wadsworth said during the meeting’s second public comments session. “My dad always told me that if two people are going to have something, they are going to have to work together. There are eight of you. You guys need to work together.”

Still, Wadsworth expressed frustration that Western Fairfield was still waiting on a facility after years of neglect.

“(Councilman Kamau) Marcharia says he’s been trying for years to get a rec out in the Dawkins community,” Wadsworth said. “It shouldn’t take years for eight people in your positions to get your heads together and do the right thing.”

On another recreation front, Pope reported that the engineering consultants Goodwin, Mills & Caywood, were given the go-ahead to begin reviewing the disaster at Drawdy Park, as well as reviewing other work performed by S2 Engineering in the county. District 1 resident Randy Bright, during the meeting’s opening public comments session, said Drawdy Park had gone from disaster to eyesore, and urged Council to take some action to preserve it.

“Council members, have you been to Drawdy Park lately? It’s an absolute embarrassment,” Bright said. “It’s in disrepair, there’s trash everywhere, there are accidents waiting to happen at every ball field. There’s big deep holes, drainage holes that have fences around them, trash has been thrown in them, busted pipes, exposed wire everywhere, exposed junction box.”

While Wadsworth would later lament the fact that Council was willing to spend more and more money on Drawdy Park while Western Fairfield did without, Bright questioned spending the money at all.

“I wonder what good will it do to spend $3.5 million on recreational projects if they’re going to fall into such disrepair like Drawdy Park has,” Bright said. “Drawdy Park is a sincere embarrassment.”

WINNSBORO – After considerable debate, County Council tabled two items on Monday night’s agenda – what to do with surplus vehicles and whether or not to approve a name change for a road in Western Fairfield County.

The County has only recently upgraded its fleet of vehicles with eight new cars last month and plans on adding eight more, pending the recommendation of the Administration and Finance Committee, which met prior to Monday’s full Council meeting. Chairman David Ferguson (District 5) said that in the past, the County has donated used vehicles to Fairfield Memorial Hospital, the towns of Ridgeway and Winnsboro and has contributed several to the Fairfield County School District for use at the Career Center’s auto mechanic’s courses. Ferguson placed the motion on the floor to “continue that policy” of donation, and while it received a second from Councilwoman Mary Lynn Kinley (District 6), Councilwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) said the “policy” was not actually a policy and that Council may want to consider selling some, if not all, of the used vehicles at auction.

“It was a motion from 2002 for the administrator to do as he saw fit and some of the recommendations were to give to the town of Winnsboro and to the hospital,” Robinson said, “But that’s only a motion, that’s not a policy, per se; therefore, motions as I see them are only good for two years. They’re not like ordinances that last.”

Robinson said she felt that some of the vehicles might fetch at least $1,000 or more at auction; although, she added, the ones worth much less – between $200 and $300 – might still be donated to the Career Center.

“A Crown Victoria will bring $900 to $1,200 at sale,” Councilman David Brown (District 7) said. Notices should be sent to the county’s municipalities, as well as the hospital and the school district, he said, to see if they are in need of vehicles before they are sent to auction.

“Maybe we can get some feedback on this process when we have taken vehicles out of circulation and put in position when they’re taken to auction,” Vice Chairman Dwayne Perry (District 1) said. “What has that process looked like and what kind of financial return have we gotten from taking those vehicles there? Maybe we can have that information brought back to us before we make a decision on it tonight.”

But Ferguson amended his motion to include potential donations to any municipality that would come before Council and request a used vehicle. Robinson amended the motion further to include contacting the various potential recipients of used vehicles to assess their need.

“I just don’t see us sending all eight vehicles out to the school,” Robinson said. “Those kids can only do so much work on so many vehicles in a year. I would like to see this motion tabled.”

Ferguson ultimately agreed and tabled the motion until Council’s April 14 meeting.

“OK. I would just like to make it absolutely clear that the school system in this county does not have the funds to buy cars and equipment for those young people to learn on,” Ferguson said. “It’s the cheapest way to educate the young people in this county, these things we’re taking off the road and getting a small amount of money for.”

Just last week, however, when discussing the distribution of funds from the County’s many fee-in-lieu of taxes agreements with local industries, Ferguson told The Voice that the school district was doing just fine financially.

“With the school funding where it’s at, being near the top in the state, we’re not in bad shape as far as that goes,” Ferguson said last week.

A motion to rename High Hill Lane to Wylie Lane was also tabled after Robinson noted that the petition on the application, which came through the County’s Planning & Zoning Department, appeared suspect.

“The first three names on the list were signed by the same person,” Robinson said, examining the petition through reading glasses.

Milton Pope, Interim County Administrator, said that the list of signatures was provided by the applicant, whom Planning & Zoning Director Tim Roseboro confirmed as Thelma W. Brown.

“She’s the third name on the list,” Robinson said.

Councilman Kamau Marcharia (District 4), in whose district the road lies, suggested sending the application back to Planning & Zoning for verification. In order to change the name of a road, Marcharia noted, the applicant must first acquire the signatures of 75 percent of residents owning property on the road.

Decoding Municipal Bonds

WINNSBORO – County Council has recently borrowed money to pay interest on money it borrowed last year. On Feb. 12, the County issued a new general obligation bond in the amount of $769,177.88 for the purpose of making the first interest payment on the $24.06 million installment purchase revenue bonds (IPRB’s) that were issued almost a year ago on April 29, 2013, to finance the costs of acquiring, constructing and equipping various projects for the County, according to Interim County Administrator Milton Pope. While former County Administrator Phil Hinely was quoted in both Fairfield County newspapers last March as saying the County issued the $24 million IPRB’s, Pope told The Voice last week that the IPRB’s were not issued by the County but by the Fairfield Facilities Corporation (FFC).

According to Pope, the FFC is a non-profit corporation that was created by the County Council on March 25, 2013, to allow Council to borrow more money than it could otherwise legally borrow within its constitutional debt limit, which is equal to 8 percent of the assessed value of taxable property in the County. For Fairfield County, that limit, as of March 2, 2013 was $4.5 million according to the ordinance authorizing the $769,177.88 general obligation bond.

And while revenue bonds are, by law, to be repaid with a revenue stream, such as a County-owned water company or toll road and not ad valorem (property) taxes, a unique feature of IPRB’s is that a mock revenue stream can be created from the issuance of general obligation bonds that are then paid off with ad valorem taxes that have not been approved by the electorate.

So, after creating the FFC by resolution last spring, Council passed Ordinance 614 on April 15, 2013 to authorize an unlimited number of general obligation bonds to be issued at unspecified dates, in unspecified amounts. The first one, issued on Feb. 12, will cover the 2014 interest payment on the $24 million IPRB’s. Council could continue to issue more general obligation bonds each year until their $4.5 million debt limit is exhausted. According to the payment scheduled for the $24 million IPRB’s that was published in the County’s FY2013 audit, the interest and principal payments were loaded so that the bulk of the payments would begin in 2019 at which time the new ad valorem taxes from the second nuclear reactor at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville (scheduled to begin operations in 2016) would start picking up the heftier payments on the IPRB’s.

Of the new $769,177.88 general obligation debt, $40,000 went to the County’s bond counsel, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, for bond issuance fees, and $5,900 went to BB&T for other fees. The County will pay an additional $69,674.25 in interest on the bond over the next seven years for a total payout of $838,852.13.

While Council Chairman David Ferguson (District 5) issued a notice to County Auditor Peggy Hensley and County Treasurer Norma Branham on Feb. 12 to levy and collect taxes on all taxable property in the County sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the 79,177.88 general obligation bond, Pope told The Voice that new taxes will not be levied to pay for the bond. He said sufficient property taxes have already been levied to cover the payments.

Even though the law allows counties and municipalities to issue general obligation bonds if they do not exceed the 8 percent debt limit, Article 13 of the S.C. Code of Laws, annotated sections 4-9-1210 and 11-27-40, provides voters with a 20-day window in which to initiate a referendum to repeal the bond. To initiate such a referendum, within 20 days after the County publishes a notice (in a newspaper of general circulation in the County) that it has adopted the bond ordinance, not less than five qualified electors (voters qualified to vote in the County) must file notice with the clerk of court and with the clerk of council of their intention to seek a referendum. Then, within 60 days after the enactment of the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the bond, a petition signed by qualified electors of the County equal in number to at least 15 percent of the qualified voters of the County must be filed with the clerk of council requesting that the ordinance be repealed. Council can either hold a referendum on the ordinance or rescind it. An affidavit of publication of such a notice for Ordinance 614 was published March 22, 2013.

When Council passed Ordinance 614 last spring to authorize the $769,177.88 general obligation bond, references were made in public meetings and in the newspapers by Council members and Hinely, referencing the ‘bond that Council passed’ not as a general obligation bond that would be issued in the future to pay for the $24 million IPRB’s but as the $24 million revenue bonds. A news article on the front page of the March 29 issue of The Voice attributed the following to former County Administrator Philip Hinely: “the $24.06 million in bonds Council voted on Monday night (March 25, 2014) aren’t necessarily ‘new’ bonds, but are a ‘rolling over’ of the 2009 (general obligation) bond that kick-started the 10-year plan. Therefore, he said, they ($24 million bonds) don’t come with a tax increase. If we didn’t do it that way, we would have to issue new bonds,” Hinely said, “and that would increase taxes.” Asked to explain how the $24 million bonds were a ‘rolling over’ of the 2009 general obligation bond, Pope said he would get back with that information, but had not at press time.

Next week The Voice will look more closely at the use of IPRB’s by small towns and counties and why some S.C. legislators have begun to crack down on the increasingly widespread use of installment purchase revenue bonds.