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Mayor: We were all of one accord in our Executive Sessions.

RIDGEWAY- In an attempt to explain away what council sources say were straw polls taken by Ridgeway Town Council in executive sessions in an attempt to prevent Vivian Case, the Town Clerk from bringing her service dog, Bella, to work, Mayor Charlene Herring called a special council meeting on Tuesday night.

There were only two items on the agenda, with no indication that either would be voted on. But that didn’t stop the vote.

The first item was listed as a ‘Review of an easement contract regarding the site of the new water tower.’ The second item, the one that was the draw for a large audience that evening, was listed as ‘Legal advice services regarding a personnel issue and compliance with FOIA and HIPPA.’ The item and the vote that followed and passed, left those in attendance scratching their heads.

Since January, according to Council sources who asked not to be identified, Town Council has taken straw polls in secret to authorize the mayor to oust Bella from Town Hall and again, when she returned with a service dog certificate, to have her crated at all times in the office and, finally, to hire an attorney to advice council regarding Bella.

The four-year old Rottweiler has come to work with Case since the dog was eight weeks old, holds certificates for three different levels of behavioral training and has passed the rigorous American Kennel Club ‘Canine Good Citizen’ test. According to citizen testimony during the last two Council meetings, the Rottweiler is a favorite with the residents.

According to Case and Council sources, there was no history of complaints or problems concerning Bell’s presence at Town Hall until last January when the mayor told Council that she had received a couple of complaints. Those complaints, however, according to Council sources, were not serious and are not documented. And no one has come out publicly with complaints.

Nevertheless, in April, the mayor engaged attorney Reginald Belcher, a certified specialist in labor and employment law with Turner Padget in Columbia, to advise Council.

“Council approved us to go this route (crating Bella). We’ve had full approval,” Herring told The Voice. But there are no records of a public vote or discussion concerning the dog or Case.

Reliable sources have told The Voice that Belcher’s invoices for his services are approaching $3,000 and mounting.

At the Tuesday night meeting and another Council meeting last week, citizens streamed to the podium during citizen comment time, defending and praising Bella and Case, but lodging numerous complaints against Council and the mayor for spending thousands of dollars for what the speakers consider a non-problem.

On Tuesday evening, Herring attempted to ameliorate Council’s previous secret votes and the hiring of Belcher to take on Bella and Case.

“This is our public vote for securing legal services regarding a personnel issue where we were all in one accord in our executive sessions,” Herring said, speaking slowly with special emphasis on ‘all in one accord.’

According to the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, it is illegal for council to make decisions or conduct straw polls behind closed doors in executive session. Section 30-4-70 (6) of the FOIA states, “The only actions that can be taken in executive sessions are to adjourn or return to public session. No informal polling about a course of action may be taken in executive session.”

Last week, Judge Thomas Russo ruled that Newberry County Council owed Columbia attorney Desa Ballard $13,708 in attorneys’ fees and cost for violating the South Carolina FOIA.

The county council repeatedly announced its reasons for executive sessions “in such a general way that the specific topic of the actual executive session was hidden…(and) the public had no way of knowing what was being discussed,” Russo wrote July 7.

Bill Rogers, executive director of the S.C. Press Assoociation, said Thursday that the ruling sends a message to all public bodies, including city and county councils, school boards and zooning boards.

“That’s a great ruling,” Rogers said. “The public needs to know as specifically as possible what is being discussed behind closed doors.”

“Now, we realize we did not have a public vote,” Herring continued. “But part of that was done for the protection of our employee to assure that we were not in violation of any rights. So, with that said, and, again, our whole intent for all of this is to make sure that we are doing what is legal and right for our employee as well as our other employees as well as our citizens. All of this has been in good faith and with good intentions and we believe that, in the end, the public, as well as the employee and council will come to an agreement which may be a compromise or whatever, but it will be done in good faith according to the rights of the employee and the rights of the citizens and other employees.”

Then Herring got to her point.

“So, we have a motion to continue with the legal advice services concerning personnel issues, compliance with the FOIA and HIPPA,” Herring said before calling for a motion. Councilman Doug Porter made the motion and Councilwoman Angela Harrison seconded it.

Herring then bore down, with measured emphasis on each word as she addressed her fellow council members.

“I will remind you once again that we were in one accord when we made this decision. This mayor does not spend money without approval of the Council – always in the best interest of the Town,” Herring said.

After her own comments, Herring committed a parliamentary faux pas by jumping right to the vote without allowing discussion from other council members.

While the vote passed 3 – 2, somewhere between Herring’s call for the vote and the actual vote, the ‘all of one accord’ apparently fell apart. Herring, Harrison and Porter voted to continue retaining the attorney. Councilmen Heath Cookendorfer and Don Prioleau, with stern faces, raised their right hands to vote against the measure.

It was the first record of Council addressing the issue in public session.

Asked following the meeting if he thought Herring, Harrison and Porter would continue to pursue looking for a way to remove Bella from Town Hall, Prioleau shook his head.

“I don’t know what they plan to do. I told them in executive session that I didn’t have a problem with the dog. Vivian is a great employee. I don’t know what we’d do without her. I think they’ve taken it too far. We need to get back to the business of the citizens,” Prioleau said.

Cookendorfer told The Voice that he, too, had no problem with the dog being in Town Hall.

I didn’t want to pursue this, but I did advise the mayor when it came up that if she is going to pursue it, then she should have legal advice. Council has pursued things in the past without legal advice and got in trouble,” Cookendorfer said.

Cookendorfer said he had not seen any documentation of complaints against the dog.

“It’s hearsay. I personally think we should step away from this. My vote tonight was my answer. I don’t want to continue in this,” Cookendorfer said. “But it is the majority vote of Council.”

Several citizens addressed the issue at Council meetings last week and again on Tuesday night.

“Town Council has raised the millage for our property taxes, our water rates and business license fees. I have no problem paying those, but I ask you to be good stewards with that money and not spend it frivolously. If a couple of people have a problem with the service animal, work it out, but don’t spend our money on it,” resident Dan Martin told Council. “If legal expenses were already incurred without a vote, to me, this is misappropriation of funds.”

Martin’s wife, Robbie, said the publicity of the Council’s issue with Case’s service dog brings bad publicity to the town and the possibility of a law suit.

“It needs to stop now,” she said.

Longtime resident Patsy Palmer likened Council’s tiff with the dog to an episode of Survivor.

“Bullying, lying, secret alliances. Vivian is a good person with a service dog,” Palmer said.

Downtown merchant Carol Allen spoke on behalf of several citizens who had signed a petition.

“Vivian has always been courteous and professional to all of us. We’re shocked to hear of the concern of Council members. Bella doesn’t bother anyone and we feel she offers protection and a sense of wellbeing,” Allen said.

None of those who addressed council spoke against the dog or Case.

 

Blythewood – Several months ago Council asked the Planning Commission to look into the practicality and planning of a system of multi-use trails in the Blythewood area and Town Administrator Gary Parker brought that suggestion back to the Commission Monday evening.

“We had someone from LandPlan South come to a meeting and review the pros and cons of such a system,” Parker told the Commissioners. “The thought that occurs to me is that the you might want to recommend to Council that perhaps a multi-use trail committee should be appointed,” Parker said. “And they could kind of start that process so maybe you guys aren’t actually doing all that.”

Parker said he worked as the City Manager for Archdale North Carolina when they began work on their multi-use trail system in 2001 and referred to the undertaking as an “overwhelming task” that includes securing road right of ways, acquiring easements and potentially rail-road right of ways.

Archdale has not completed their trail-system in the 15 years since construction began, Parker said.

“Even though I believe in this and I think this is a great thing to do, it is a very difficult thing to do and one of the reasons is that it’s very difficult to acquire easements and rights of ways,” Parker said.

Multi-use trail systems were one of the major goals of the 2005 Master Plan to make a pedestrian and biker friendly Town Center. The total estimated cost to construct all 17 trails proposed under the Master Plan would run $23,409,000 and, according to Town Planner Michael Criss, if money were not an object, the project could be completed in the range of 3-5 years.

“I think the first question that needs to be asked is, ‘Is that the best use of $23 million of town funds?’ That’s expensive,” Commissioner Donald Brock said. “You look at some of these numbers, it’s a big number, especially for the ta town that doesn’t generate any tax revenue.”

Due to the exorbitant cost, Council recommended the Commission focus their short terms goals on trails T-11: from Boney Road to the Park Area, T-12: Creech Road Extension, T-13: Langford/Fulmer, T-14: Round Top Trail and T-15: Beasley Creak Greenway.  T-11 gained the most favor from the Commission.

“If it were me, it would here to the baseball park, I think that was one of the trails listed there. A lot of children come to the park to use the playground,” Commission Chair Bryan Franklin said. “They use the library and that would be nice for them to commute on a bicycle.”

The Commission did not vote on the matter, but will be seeking volunteers for the committee.

Storage Express Expansion

Storage Express will be adding 30,925 square foot of mini-warehouse space to complete development of their five-acre lot after the Commission voted unanimously to approve the site plan. Exceeding a 25,000 square foot threshold classified the project as group development, and opened the development up for Commission review even though it was an allowed land-use.

“Planning Commission has subdivision plat review and approval authority, but you also have group development review and approval authority for the largest projects,” Criss said.

In addition to the new space, Bohannon will be enhancing the visual of the property along the I-77 corridor by adding shrubs and a six-foot high PVC screening to the northern most portion, a slightly different screening with a four-foot high berm with a simulated wrought iron fence for the middle portion and a tree preservation with a detention pond at the bottom third of the property.

“When we went out to secure the loans and financing we made sure that we had enough money to straighten up that I-77 corridor,” Storage Express owner Dewayne Bohannon. “It’s important for us to get that right, I don’t like the way it looks, so it was important for us to spend money to get it right.”

Abney Hills Estate

Essex Homes, the developer of Abney Hills Estate, also received some goods new from the Commission. The Commission gave unanimous approval for a $261,312.50 bonded plat request from Abney Hills Phase two, with the condition they submit confirmation from Richland County on road satisfaction and associated drainage.

“It’s about as good a final plat as you can get but some of the infrastructure is incomplete, and it is an obligation of the town to see to it that the project is completed,” Criss said. “If the developer should fail to perform, that’s why it’s such a thorough review.”

Phase one of Abney Hills is nearing completion, and phase two has around 85 percent of the infrastructure completed, and will be home to 52 sites once completed.

“At this point all the roads are in, the water, the sewer, everything infrastructure-wise is completed with the exception of the street trees, the sidewalks, the things that would be accomplished when the homes are being constructed,” Essex Homes representative Shane Alford said.

WINNSBORO – Fairfield County will now has two paid firefighters. They are stationed in Jenkinsville to help cut down on the 27-minute average response time it previously took the County to respond to fires in the Jenkinsville or Blair area.

“When there was a fire in the Blair, Jenkinsville, and Feasterville area, we left from Winnsboro, went out there, got a truck, then went to the fire,” Fire Director Tony Hill said. “Twenty to twenty-five minutes going to a fire is not good.”

Jamie Gattis and Jay Joyner will now be onsite at the Jenkinsville Fire-station from 5 a.m.-6 p.m. According to Hill 65 percent of all the department’s fire calls come in that 12-hour span, when 95 percent of the volunteer force is out, at their own jobs.

“They’re there from five in the morning to six in the evening and that will cut down response times on that side of the county tremendously,” Hill said.

Gattis and Joyner both come to the job with ample experience in and around public service. Gattis has 10 years experience as a fireman, and his father was a fireman for 25 years. They were introduced at the County Council meeting on Monday evening. Both addressed Council.

“I would like to personally say thank you for the consideration and for the approval of our state positions,” Gattis said. “It’s our intent to continue to service citizens of Fairfield County with respect, pride and everything we have.”

Joyner has been a volunteer fireman for six years, and his father is a retired Fairfield County Sheriff. “I would just like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be one of the first paid fireman in Fairfield County,” Joyner told Council

“They got firefighting in the family,” Hill said proudly.

Councilwoman Bertha Goins was the first to thank Joyner and Gattis for accepting the positions and offered up any assistance they may need.

“To both of you, thank you, welcome aboard. I can’t drive the fire truck but anything else I can do to help, please let me know,” Goins said.

Despite the much needed additions, Hill says the department is in desperate need of more volunteers.

“The Fairfield County Fire service needs probably a hundred volunteer firefighters throughout the whole county,” HIll said. “Basically, these people are firefighters but somebody has to pump the truck, so if they drive a truck they may have to end up pumping it, too. Somebody still’s got to be at the end of the hose to put the fire out, so we got to have volunteers.”

For those wishing to volunteer as a Fairfield County firefighter, contact Hill at 803-712-1070.