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Tag: Fairfield County Council

  • Panel plans wastewater upgrade

    WINNSBORO – A proposed capital projects sales tax to help finance a new wastewater treatment plant is expected to generate roughly $11.5 million over the next eight years, according to Fairfield County estimates.

    Particulars of how those funds should be allocated and administered rests with a newly created capital projects sales tax commission, which held its inaugural meeting April 15.

    The commission is tasked with developing a proposed referendum question, which Fairfield County Council must adopt by August 15 for it to appear on the November general election ballot.

    The need for a wastewater plant is simple – economic development, said County Administrator Jason Taylor.

    “A sewer plant is essentially a means to an end. That end is a better quality of life for our citizens, economic opportunity for our citizens,” Taylor said. “We have a declining population. We have to do something to turn that around, to make Fairfield County sustainable economically.”

    The proposed wastewater plant would be built at a location that hasn’t been disclosed because property negotiations are ongoing. Once the land is purchased, the county plans to build the wastewater plant there.

    If voters approve the referendum, the tax would go into effect in May 2021 and generate about $1.4 million per year in the first three years, with modest growth possible in future years, said C.D. Rhodes, an attorney assisting Fairfield County with the referendum.

    Rhodes spent most of last week’s meeting briefing committee members on the nuances of state law regarding capital projects sales taxes.

    The proposed tax would add a penny of sales tax to most items except groceries and medicine. Revenues raised could be used to leverage additional funding via general obligation bonds, Rhodes said.

    “I think in this case, that’s going to be a necessity,” he said. “It really is an excellent tool. It’s a flexible tool for counties to use to fund these large-scale [projects].”

    At least half of the state’s 46 counties use capital projects tax revenues to leverage bonds, and four to five others have done so in the past, Rhodes added

    “This really is on a statewide basis. It’s being seen as an essential tool to fund capital projects,” he said.

    Fairfield County officials say a new wastewater plant is imperative to luring new industry.

    Ty Davenport, the county’s economic development director, said Fairfield is one of five finalists to land a new industry.

    That industry, he said, anticipates using 30,000 gallons of wastewater per day, nearly matching the county’s current daily capacity of 34,000 gallons.

    “That will leave us with 4,000 gallons per day of capacity, which is basically zero,” Davenport said. “If we don’t expand our capacity in the county, economic development basically stops. If you lose a company, you’re going backwards.”

    Economic growth isn’t limited to big industry. Fairfield County officials note that housing growth is at a virtual standstill too without adequate wastewater service.

    “We can’t build a residential neighborhood in the county because it would be difficult to get sewer service. We want good housing stock and good places to live,” Davenport said.

    Tax commission members said they understood the need for economic development, but also wanted more details about the proposed wastewater project and process for funding it.

    To that end, they asked county staff to generate an FAQ list to proactively answer questions that may arise from the public.

    “We need to have sewer and water just to, at a bare minimum, interest people to come into Fairfield County,” said Commissioner Rick Gibson. “But I’d like to be just a little bit more informed before we push off from the shore.”

    Others also inquired about accountability, specifically asking for oversight of how the tax money gets spent.

    Rhodes said the S.C. Department of Revenue (DOR) provides administrative oversight to ensure tax money is spent as intended.

    He also said the judicial system provides another layer of accountability, referencing civil litigation challenging how Richland County’s road tax funds have been spent.

    “In the event that the county council attempts to spend this money in a way that’s outside the bounds of the act, then they would be violating the law, and they’d be subject to a lawsuit,” Rhodes said. “Richland County has been the poster child for playing fast and loose with [sales tax money].”

    Commissioners also asked if tax revenues could be posted online.

    Taylor said that shouldn’t be difficult since the DOR disburses funds quarterly. Rhodes concurred, saying the county and commission should act with transparency.

    “If you are not being transparent, if you’re not engaging the public, then someone out there is going to flush you out,” Rhodes said. “They are going to lambaste you on Facebook and make your life miserable. There is no hiding in this day and age. Being transparent and having lots of public engagement is an absolute necessity if you are going to be successful in one of these initiatives.”

    In other business, the group appointed Herb Rentz as chairman, Charlene Herring as vice-chair and Harriet Brown as secretary. Other members include Randy Bright, Rick Gibson and Russ Brown.

  • Fairfield County Council eyes penny sales tax

    WINNSBORO – Laying the groundwork earlier this month for a one penny sales tax to be placed on the November 2020 ballot, council members voted 5-2 to create a commission that would suggest projects to be funded by the penny tax and to appoint members to that commission.

    “This resolution is to create a capital sales tax commission for the purpose of moving forward with a referendum vote by the public as to whether they would support a penny sales tax which is anticipated for the construction of a wastewater treatment facility and infrastructure to support future growth in the county,” County Administrator Jason Taylor told council members.

    The county’s Joint Water and Sewer Authority attorney, C.D. Rhodes, explained that the tools at a county’s disposal to fund capital needs are limited. 

    “Many counties across the state have found the penny sales tax, which is authorized under the Capital Project Sales Tax Act, to be the only way to fund large capital improvements,” Rhodes said. “The numbers for these types of projects are exceptionally large and far exceed the debt limits of nearly every county in the state.  When looking at options, a capital project sales tax is generally the only viable option at a county’s disposal,” he said

    The penny sales and use tax would be for all sales in the county except unprepared foods (groceries) and medicines. 

    Council Member Moses Bell referenced sources that he said stated that the proposed one penny sales tax is a regressive tax and unduly harms the poor, the low income and those persons without insurance. 

    Rhodes said the structure of the tax is outside of the county’s control. 

    “The Department of Revenue and state statute dictate what the tax is imposed upon. The county cannot dictate this,” Rhodes said.

    Of the commission’s six members, the county appointed three: Rick Gibson, Randy Bright and Harriett Brown. The Town of Winnsboro will appoint two members and those two members will select one additional member from one of the other municipalities in the county.

    “These six commissioners will, per state statue, come up with a list of the capital projects to be funded through the tax,” Rhodes said. “The list right now includes funding a portion of the cost of the wastewater treatment plant.  There will need to be a second project to round out the use of the funds in case the amount exceeds what is anticipated, which could be sewer lines throughout the county to connect industry and commercial establishments and other needs in that portion of the county,” Rhodes said.

    Rhodes said if many other projects show up on the list, they could possibly be funded by other means.

    “We are talking about funding a significant portion of the cost of the wastewater treatment plant, a project that cannot be funded through any other means.  In many respects, this is the only option to come up with up to $12M to devote toward the cost of this project,” Rhodes said.  “An important step in the process is clear information conveyed from council that there is an expectation the tax will ultimately fund the wastewater treatment plant.”

    Once the commission comes up with a list of projects, they will formulate a question to be placed on the ballot, and the commission will adopt a resolution to this effect, Rhodes said. The resolution will be brought before council, who will then make the decision by ordinance to either accept the projects presented in total or to reject in total. 

    “If the projects are adopted, they go forward to a referendum, and the voters will vote to decide whether or not they want to impose that one penny sales tax in order to fund those specific projects,” Rhodes said.

    The only change that can be made to the ballot, he explained, is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds to finance the listed projects.  He said those bonds would then be paid back from the revenue of the one cent sales tax. 

    “Because the bonds would be referendum approved, they would not count against the county’s debt limit,” Rhodes said. 

    Once the commission is fully appointed, it is expected to have a list of projects back to council by late spring, 2020. The deadline for third reading of the ordinance that approves all of this is Aug. 15.

  • Fairfield County Council declares State of Emergency

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Council met at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, and passed an emergency ordinance to declare a 60-day state of emergency in Fairfield County due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The ordinance became effective immediately. 

    The following includes the details the public should be aware of. The complete story is in today’s (Thursday, March 19) issue of The Voice.

    New information will be posted on here as it becomes available.

    Fairfield County Council, by the power granted to it by the South Carolina Constitution and General Assembly through Home Rule, hereby declares, enacts, ordains, and orders the following:

    1. By the power granted in South Carolina Code of Laws § 4-9-130, Fairfield County Council hereby declares a local state of emergency effective March 18, 2020.
    2. That all protection measures available to Fairfield County for health and safety response be utilized and made available in order to preserve life and property.
    3. That the County work closely with Federal, State, Local, School District and Utility officials to ensure a concerted effort of response during the state of emergency.
    4. That the Administrator continuously dialogue with local elected officials to establish reasonable and amenable plans of action for their statutory functions and service.   
    5. That the Administrator modify personnel policies during the term of the emergency to ensure essential public services are met but also limiting unnecessary county sponsored travel, protecting personnel by utilizing liberal leave for quarantine and isolation, modifying sick time policies for those individuals who are immune suppressed, infected , otherwise need isolation for suspected infection, or have no other means to care for their K-12 children who are subject to State ordered public school closings, and authorizing remote access to the workplace by employees if the assigned duties allow.
    6. That the Administrator temporarily suspend or alter board, commission, committee, or other similar meetings or authorize remote attendance electronically, temporarily alter open hours or close certain County facilities, and other temporary measures that prohibit the unnecessary congregation of people in keeping with CDC social distancing preventative measures.
    7. Designate the use of emergency procurement and the fund balance, if necessary, and authorize the Administrator to allocate funding to emergency expenditures attributable to the departments necessary during the state of emergency. Any emergency allocation will not require an ordinance during the state of emergency and will be reflected in subsequent budget amendments; the Finance Director will report periodically on monies spent during the state of emergency.
    8. That the Chairman of Fairfield County Council will have the authority to postpone and/or reschedule meetings and provide for remote or virtual attendance and public access to meetings during the declared state of emergency in accordance with the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
    9. This ordinance will remain in effect for sixty (60) days unless sooner terminated by Fairfield County Council.
    10. If any section of this ordinance is declared invalid by a court or found to be in conflict with sound legal principle or law, then the remaining portions of the ordinance will remain in effect.
    11. This ordinance expressly takes precedence over and supersedes  any other Fairfield County ordinance for the duration of the  term provided herein.
    12.  This emergency ordinance is effective immediately.

  • Fairfield officials say ER sale was flawed; call for review by DHEC

    WINNSBORO  – Following Prisma Health’s surprise announcement last week that it had signed a deal to acquire Providence Health – Fairfield Emergency Room (ER) along with three other hospitals, Fairfield County officials have requested the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which signed off on the deal, to pump the brakes on the proposed purchase agreement.

    The county is joined by requests from three other governments of Camden (KershawHealth), Columbia (Providence Hospital) and Richland County (Providence Northeast) along with Lexington County.

    In a letter dated March 13, Fairfield County, through its attorneys, Bruner, Powell, Wall and Mullins, LLC, formally requested DHEC to conduct a final review of the decision that allowed Prisma Health to acquire the four health care facilities, documents obtained by The Voice state.

    Fairfield County and (the former) Fairfield Memorial Hospital are questioning the legality of the DHEC staff’s approval of an amended Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) that cemented the deal between Prisma and Providence Health, according to the request.

     “Grounds for this request,” the letter states, “are that DHEC’s proposed decision regarding the amendments to the Prisma Health COPA is in error as a matter of law and unsupported factually in numerous respects.”

    Among other things, the letter states that DHEC “failed to publish notice of receipt of the request in the State Register and failed to publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation that the application was complete and otherwise provide notice to affected persons of the rights to request a public hearing. Indeed, Fairfield County and Fairfield Memorial Hospital were not made aware of the proposed transaction or the efforts to modify the COPA until the staff decision was issued on February 28 modifying the COPA and Prisma published its press release announcing the agreement to acquire the assets of Kershaw Health and Providence Health [hospitals].

    “To this date, Fairfield County is not privy to the details of the proposed transaction and the information contained in DHEC’s file that would reflect the potential benefits or disadvantages to the citizens of Fairfield County,” the letter states.

    “Upon review of the entire DHEC file,” the letter states, “…the [DHEC] Board should overturn the staff decision and remand the matter to the DHEC staff for a full, open and fair review…to include a directive for compliance with the public notice requirements and opportunity for public comment and hearing as provided by statute.”

    Fairfield County has raised financial considerations as well.

    Fairfield and Providence have a deal in which the county agreed to provide $1 million a year for 10 years to Providence Health to be used solely for the use and operation of the Providence Health Fairfield ER.

    Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor said the county had expected to receive about $250,000 in property taxes a year from Providence, revenue that would likely disappear now since, he said, county officials have been told that Prisma operates as a non-profit.

    When contacted Monday afternoon about Fairfield’s request for a review, DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said via email that she was “focused on COVID-19,” and deferred comment to another spokesperson who wasn’t made available as of press time.

    Prisma says the acquisition will provide the Greenville-based health provider with “new opportunities to advance the delivery of accessible high-quality care in communities across the regions it serves,” a news release said.

    “Providence and KershawHealth are known to share our commitment to improving patient experiences, clinical quality and access to care,” Mark O’Halla, president and chief executive officer of Prisma, said in the release. “We look forward to continuing our mutual goal of enhancing the health of our communities.”

    Taylor said the Prisma deal injects uncertainty into residents’ future access to healthcare, and injecting uncertainty during a pandemic is a prescription for disaster, he said.

    “Any uncertainty in healthcare lately is not a welcome development,” Taylor said. “With the coronavirus, we do not need to be uncertain about the status of healthcare in the county.”

    Taylor said county officials have a lot of questions that need to be answered.

    “That’s why we’re asking for this slowdown,” Taylor said. “Fairfield County and all the impacted communities around us, we need to have certainty that we’re going to have medical coverage for our citizens.

    “We should have had the ability to input. We want that and to know how the sale is going to affect us,” Taylor said.

    Barbara Ball contributed to this story.

  • Fairfield County asks Prisma to slow ER purchase

    Council spends $1M annually on ER, but was not aware it was being sold

    WINNSBORO – In a strongly worded statement issued Tuesday morning, Fairfield County Council called on Prisma Health to “provide more information to the public, and to us,” regarding the impending acquisition of Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room in Winnsboro.

    In the statement, the council said it is joining the elected leaders in Kershaw, Lexington and Richland counties in seeking more information. Those counties’ hospitals (Providence in Columbia, Providence Northeast in Richland County and KershawHealth in Camden) are also being purchased by Prisma Health. All four hospitals are owned by LifePoint Health out of Brentwood, TN.

    Following the announcement of the pending sale last week, County Administrator Jason Taylor told The Voice that the county was having an attorney look at its contract regarding Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room to see if there are any possible negative ramifications.

    “I have also talked with our Providence representative, Joseph Bernard, to ask if we could expect any changes,” Taylor said. “He said there should be none.”

    The ER was funded by $12M from LifePoint Health for construction of the new facility and $10M ($1M a year for the next 10 years) from Fairfield County. South Carolina’s Hospital Transformation Program, which supports rural access to healthcare resources, contributed nearly $4M in transformational funding.

    Our citizens deserve a voice in the future of their health care choices.

    Fairfield County Council

    The statement issued by council stated that “Prior to the March 6, 2020 media coverage publicly announcing this impending sale of these health care service providers, we had not been informed or consulted about this important change in the delivery of health care services in our communities. Our citizens deserve transparency and a voice in the future of health care choices where they call home.”

    Council called on Prisma Health to slow down the process of the sale and to “begin a conversation with the citizens that count on available health care services in their communities. “

    The ER opened in December 2018 near the intersection of Highway 34 and US Bypass 321 in Winnsboro to assure continued emergency health care for the citizens of Fairfield County as Fairfield Memorial Hospital began its process of closing its doors.

    Bernard addressed the Fairfield County Council Monday evening with the purpose of updating Council, saying he would update council on the pending sale of the ER to Prisma, but his comments were limited, with no specifics.

    “Right now, I have no idea what the timeline is for the sale to be finalized,” Bernard said. “We’re confident, however, that this is an enhancement for the community’s health care.”

    “There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point,” Council Chairman Neil Robinson said following Monday night’s meeting. “As the council, we want to be sure that our citizens are provided the health care services that they need and deserve. We have questions.”

  • Bill would nix NextEra paying Fairfield County taxes

    30-Year Tax Abatement Would Keep Millions From County

    COLUMBIA – Fairfield County officials say they were alarmed by a story in The State newspaper Monday announcing that the proposed sale of state-owned utility Santee Cooper to Florida energy giant NextEra could deprive many South Carolina counties and their schools, including Fairfield, of billions in tax dollars over the next 30 years.

    Santee Cooper is a publicly owned utility and, therefore, does not pay property taxes. Should the for-profit utility NextEra purchase Santee Cooper, which is likely, then Santee Cooper would convert to a for-profit business and would, under normal circumstances, be required to pay taxes. But a bill proposed by some state lawmakers would exempt the utility from paying local property taxes to South Carolina counties and schools for a period of 30 years.

    For counties and schools throughout the state, according to the proposed bill, that would amount to NextEra not paying as much as $200 million a year, or $6 billion over 30 years.  For Fairfield County it would mean missing out on millions annually according to Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor.

     “We were expecting an additional $15 million or so annually if the sale goes through,” Taylor said. “But if the proposed bill becomes law and NextEra ends up paying the same tax rate Santee Cooper paid, that would be nothing, zero dollars for the county. And not just the county, but our schools would also lose out tremendously.”

    I can understand some kind of incentive associated with Next Era’s purchase of Santee Cooper, some kind of fee-in-lieu structure, but not a 30-year tax holiday.

    Jason Taylor, Fairfield County Administrator

    One former county official put it like this: while Fairfield County citizens bear all of the risk of having a nuclear and gas plant within its borders, which NextEra would partially own should the sale go through, the county would get no additional property tax benefits (if the proposed bill becomes law) to fund things like local schools, EMS, fire services, law enforcement and other vital services, while NextEra chases profits.

    The county has reportedly been negotiating for months with NextEra on an incentive package for a gas fired plant that could potentially bring millions to the county if the sale is finalized. But those negotiations were predicated on NextEra purchasing Santee Cooper, thus converting Santee Cooper to a private for-profit business that would pay taxes. If the proposed bill becomes law, those taxes will not materialize for Fairfield County for 30 years.

    Taylor said he’s read the proposed bill, but is not fully informed yet about where it stands or how likely it is to be passed.

    “But we have a message and we want to be sure our message is fully shared with the state legislators,” he said. “We would possibly pass a resolution expressing our feelings on this, but we first want to consult with our local legislative delegation and, of course, with our county association who helps us with lobbying.”

    Taylor said the county still favors the sale.

    “We feel the sale of Santee Cooper to NextEra will definitely benefit Fairfield County with that billion dollar gas fired plant they’re proposing to build,” Taylor said. “But we’ve been negotiating under the assumption that if and when NextEra buys Santee Cooper, the existing nuclear reactor would bring 45 percent of the additional tax revenue to the county.

    “The county currently receives $32 million annually from V.C. Summer’s operations,” Taylor said. “If the sale goes through and the bill does not, that could bring another $15 million in tax revenue to us. I can understand some kind of incentive associated with NextEra’s purchase of Santee Cooper, some kind of fee-in-lieu structure, but not a 30-year tax holiday. Hopefully, the state will counter the bill.”

  • Council negotiating new WWTP site

    Cedar Creek resident William (Bill) Dubard speaks to the Fairfield Joint Water and Sewer Authority during a public hearing to receive public comments regarding the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Fairfield County with a planned discharge of treated effluent into Big Cedar Creek that runs through both Fairfield and Richland Counties. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – After spending more than a month battling Fairfield County’s proposal to build a wastewater treatment plant in the vicinity of Syrup Mill and Broom Mill Roads, Center Creek and Cedar Creek residents were invited to express their concerns to the Fairfield County Joint Water and Sewer Authority Commission Tuesday evening in Fairfield county council chambers.

    While the public notice of the meeting stated that anyone who desired could speak to the issue, only six of the capacity crowd addressed council. The speakers mostly agreed that they want Fairfield County to grow and prosper. They were generally divided, however, in their focus based on where they live.

    Center Creek residents generally protested the location of the county’s planned wastewater treatment plant in proximity to their homes, saying they would be plagued by the smell, noise and unsightliness of the plant. They said they didn’t trust the Department of Health and Environment Control (DHEC) to monitor and regulate the wastewater treatment process, and they want the county to find another location further from their homes.

    Cedar Creek residents protested the county’s plan to discharge the treated effluent into Big Cedar Creek which runs past or near their homes and properties. They said they fear it will contaminate the creek, their water wells and their lands.

    The meeting was opened by Commission Chairman Roger Gaddy, Mayor of Winnsboro, who turned the program over to Chris Clausen, the county’s community development director, who explained the county’s need for infrastructure to help stem the loss of population and bring economic development to the county.

    “The Central Midlands Council of Governments’ (CMCOG) population projection two years ago was really alarming. The number it projected for the County by 2050 was only 26,925 people, only a 2,500 increase in population over the next 30 years,” Clausen said. “That is not sustainable for this county. So we need to look at how can we grow and develop this county.”

    Clausen said the biggest impediment to growth is the lack of utility infrastructure in the county, particularly wastewater, thus the need to find a suitable site for a wastewater treatment plant to encourage and accommodate not only industrial growth but residential growth as well.

    To his point, Clausen and the county’s Economic Development Director Ty Davenport presented data affirming the safety, reliability and “the highest level of treatment standards produced by the Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) wastewater treatment process” proposed at the Syrup Mill Road site. That data also included other information and charts explaining why the county cannot afford another $40 million to take the effluent to the Broad River, the ideal site from all perspectives in the room. Davenport said the County is still looking at five different sites, to include the Syrup Mill/Broom Mill Site.

    Following executive session during the Monday night county council meeting, council voted to authorize County Administrator Jason Taylor to pursue negotiations for a site other than the Syrup Mill site.

    At Tuesday night’s meeting, however, Center Creek and Cedar Creek residents, praised the county’s efforts to find other sites for both the treatment facility and the effluent discharge, but made it clear they were not backing down.

    Some residents offered to help the county find the funding to take the effluent to the Broad.

    “I do think this is a tremendous opportunity for the county to be set up for success in the future regarding residential, commercial and industrial growth. However, I’m adamantly opposed to the wastewater going into Cedar Creek, and I am committed to working with the county to seek additional funding to carry this to the Broad River,” Cedar Creek resident Lynn Beckham Robertson told the Commissioners. “There are other options.”

  • County proposes new Ridgeway library lease

    WINNSBORO – After voting last month against purchasing the building that houses the Ridgeway library, council voted Monday evening to present a revised lease to the owner of the building. The action had been recommended last week by the County’s Finance and Administrative Committee.

    “With the option to purchase pretty much off the table,” interim Deputy County Administrator Laura Johnson said during the committee meeting last week, “we need to decide whether to extend the lease for two more years, terminate the lease or present the owner with this new lease revised by our attorney (Tommy Morgan). We still have 90 days to let the owner know what we’re going to do.”

    The term of the revised lease is for a year, with the option to extend it for five additional years. The new lease reduces the monthly lease payments from $892.50 to $750 for each of the first twelve months and those lease payments would increase by two percent every other one-year option term beginning July 1, 2023.

    The revised lease would also include an option to purchase the property for $100,000, down from the current asking price of $160,000. It also specifies that any payments made by the county from the period beginning July 1, 2018, to the date of purchase, would be subtracted from the purchase price and credited toward the total consideration paid by the county.

  • Rec Center, Market funding sent forward to council

    WINNSBORO – The County Administration and Finance Committee recommended to council the allocation of $130,000 Monday evening for two capital building projects intended to contribute to the overall health of Fairfield County residents – a fitness center and the Farmer’s Market building.

    The the recommended funds come from the existing $500,000 capital building projects budget.

    “We’re using $30,000 of that money to renovate part of the old Everett School building [located in Drawdy Park behind the county administration building] for use as a recreation center facility,” County Administrator Jason Taylor said. “About a third of the $30,000 will be spent on the fitness area, a third on the office area and a third on storage.”

    “The remaining $100,000 will be used toward the farmer’s market building, to take it from just a farmer’s market to an event facility that will bring in revenue,” Taylor explained. About $20,000 will be used to finish out the restrooms, $10,000 to bring a water line to the building, $30,000 for sprinklers and $40,000 for kitchen equipment.

    The county is receiving additional funding from grants from Parks and Recreation Development (PARD) , Dominion Energy and from a Healthy People Healthy Carolinas (HPHC) grant awarded through a 3-year, $450,000 Duke Endowment grant that was awarded in 2016 to Fairfield Forward (previously Fairfield Community Coordinating Council), a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is dedicated to identifying and addressing the health needs of Fairfield County residents.

    “This grant money is to be spent for evidence-based interventions,” the county’s Community Development Director Chris Clausen told the committee, “on ways to make people healthier, giving them better opportunities to eat better or to have a more active lifestyle. So these two projects, in particular, were of interest to Fairfield Forward. They were already looking to do something for the farmers’ market. However, given the other constraints that we currently have, we have to complete the building, essentially, prior to July 1,” Clausen said. “With this funding Fairfield Forward is trying to spend, the Drawdy Park project also came up so they wanted to help with that as well.”

    Since the first cycle of the $450,000 ($150,000/year for three years) from the Duke Endowment is almost over and the remaining funds need to be spent prior to July 1, the Fairfield Forward board voted to spend $75,000 on the fitness area equipment and $10,000 for temporary market manager positions at the farmer’s market to assist with processing SNAP payments.

    “The board wanted to expend some funding on the purchase of kitchen equipment at the farmers’ market,” Taylor said, “but given the timelines with the grant, they opted to revisit this in the next funding cycle.

    A $60,000 PARD grant will go toward a new HVAC system for the fitness area and office space. With the $75,000 being donated by Fairfield Forward and $60,000 from PARD, the fitness center project comes in at $165,000.

    The request for the $130 funding from the county’s existing capital building project funds will next go before full council for consideration.

  • Council votes to outlaw dog tethering

    Celebrating their combined efforts to pass an ordinance to outlaw tethering dogs in Fairfield County are, from left, kneeling: Fairfield County Animal Control Director Bob Innes and his staff, Leah Oswald, Nikki Jones and Samira Yaghi; Hoof & Paw board members Kathy Faulk, Paula Spinale, Minge Wiseman and Linda Moore. Back row, from left: County Administrator Jason Taylor, H & P member Mary Lynn Kinley, county council members Moses Bell, Clarence Gilbert, Mikel Trapp, Bertha Goins, Douglas Pauley, Jimmy Ray Douglas and Hoof & Paw president Deborah Richelle who is holding a photo of one of the group’s longtime leaders, the late Shirley Locklair. | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County voted unanimously Monday night to unleash a ban on animal tethering, an important protection animal advocates say will help reduce animal injuries and abuse cases. Members of the Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society as well as staff from the county animal shelter were on hand to celebrate the ordinance.

    “It’s been a longtime coming,” Hoof and Paw board member Kathy Faulk, a Fairfield County resident, said. “It’s a positive move forward for our county.”

    The ordinance also includes provisions curtailing animal hoarding. The vote followed a workshop a week earlier where the county sought input from the community about the proposed law.

    A key component of the Fairfield ordinance is a set of guidelines for replacing tethering with a trolley system, which resembles a zip line. With a trolley, leashes are attached to an overhead cable that gives dogs greater freedom.

    Trolley lines must measure at least 20 feet between endpoints, and dogs attached to trolleys must wear a harness. The ordinance prohibits attaching the trolley leash to a collar. Harnesses are considered safer because they wrap around a dog’s chest instead of having a collar around a dog’s neck.

    Councilman Moses Bell asked whether the county animal shelter might keep in stock a selection of harnesses in various sizes for residents to purchase. County Administrator Jason Taylor said that would be a good idea and he would look into the possibility.

    The ordinance also calls for dogs to have access to adequate food, water and shelter.

    An earlier version of the ordinance allowed limited tethering for short durations, but the final ordinance bans tethering altogether.

    “[This ordinance] takes the tethering concept away,” said Tommy Morgan, the county’s attorney.

    “This [revision] is needed on so many levels,” Faulk said. At an earlier meeting, she thanked council for their promotion of animal welfare in Fairfield County and also called for an end to overbreeding and hoarding in the county.

    Chain, Collar Injuries

    To illustrate the problem of animal abuse caused by tether ing, Faulk distributed to council members a stack of graphic photos of dogs with deep neck wounds that resulted from tethering.

    “We were mortified, very sad and angry as we looked at these photographs,” Faulk said.

    “We seem to be picking up more and more animals that are injured by chains and collars,” Bob Innes, the director of the county’s animal control and adoption center, added.

    While the ordinance also cracks down on animal hoarding, Morgan said the ordinance isn’t directed at legally operated kennels or livestock.

    In regard to multiple animals living in a home, Taylor said owners of multiple indoor animals must first have a license, and it must be determined that the location is suitable for this type of operation.

    “More rules will need to be put in place to state what will qualify as a kennel,” Taylor said. “The state rules for a kennel are that you must have a concrete floor with a drain to be able to be washed out each day and have a place for the drain water to go,” Taylor said.

    “Once the ordinance is in effect, will there be a window with proper notification before citizens are held accountable to the new rules, such as the new trolley/harness system?” Council Douglas Pauley asked.

    “It should be up to the officers who respond to the calls to let the citizens know of the new rules and that should take care of a large part of this concern,” Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas said.

    “Once the ordinance is in place, it would be hard to swing the pendulum to the other side immediately and think everyone will immediately know the new rules and be on board,” Taylor said. “There will be an education period, which will include working with the Sheriff’s Department. In extreme cases, the new ordinance will be followed. However, within reason, we will work with the citizens,” Taylor said at the earlier workshop.

    Bob Innes, Director of the Fairfield County Animal Shelter said the ordinance was desperately needed, and suggested it should be phased in, possibly beginning with the new fiscal year.

    Animals Trapped in Vehicles

    The ordinance also addresses animals left in vehicles.

    “Any regular citizen can break a window if the owner of an animal [trapped in a vehicle] cannot be found,” Innes said.

    At the workshop, Ridgeway resident Randy Bright called all kinds of animal abuse a “stain on our entire county.”

    Bright repeated his previous calls for the solicitor’s office to more aggressively prosecute animal abuse and neglect cases. He also noted some cases could be prosecuted under the new federal animal cruelty law, which carries penalties of up to seven years in prison for the most serious offenses.

    “How can we leverage that? Federal laws have the highest penalties it seems,” he said.

    This is Fairfield County’s second revision in as many years to its animal control ordinance.

    In 2018, council revised the ordinance to include a $500 civil fine for violations. The updated law also includes more detailed definitions of nuisance animals and requires all pets to be fed once a day and provided potable water. It also requires mandatory reporting of pets struck by a vehicle.

    The Fairfield County’s anti-tethering ordinance mirrors a similar ordinance that Aiken County adopted in 2017. Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian told The Voice that the ordinance has not faced any legal challenges.

    Taxpayers Pay for Abuse

    Innes said all types of animal abuse cases, including over breeding and hoarding, burden taxpayers in the long run.

    “There’s a lot of people in this county that are just chaining a dog and just breeding it and breeding it,” Innes said. “They dump puppies on animal control, which means taxpayers are picking up the bill.”

    The newly approved animal cruelty ordinance is available on the county’s website: fairfieldsc.com.

    Barbara Ball contributed to this story.