Blythewood Online 691

Tag: slider

  • Alston trailhead improvements to promote western Fairfield

    Palmetto Trail hikers stop at the Alston trailhead in Fairfield County to promote the trail and publicize improvements at Alston that were made possible by a grant from Fairfield Forward. Standing next to the new information kiosks purchased with some of the $5,000 grant are, from left: Chair of Palmetto Trails Dr. Tracey McPherson, expedition leader and attorney Tom Mullican, Fairfield County Community Development Director Chris Clauson and Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor.

    FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A hike Tuesday on the part of the Palmetto Trail that runs through western Fairfield County and ends at the Alston trailhead, brought together several partners in an effort to enhance the trail and to encourage people to come out and enjoy the outdoors with their families.

    The hiking event from Peak to Prosperity, totaling about 10.7 miles, included leaders from Fairfield county; the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, which manages the trail system; the Kids in Parks program, which is expanding into South Carolina; and hike leader Tom Mullikin, a local adventurer who’s hiking trails around the state this month (www.southcarolina7.com).

    Not far from where the trail ended at Fairfield’s Alston trailhead, is an impressive bridge across the Broad River. The historic railroad trestle built in 1890 features scenic views and is a popular spot with photographers. The railroad has a long history in the area. An earlier bridge in the same location was burned during the Civil War.

    “There are different small efforts being made to enhance the trail, and our partnership with Fairfield County in this is growing,” said Mary Roe, executive director of the Palmetto Trail. “I think we’re very aligned in how we would like to bring people out to the Alston trailhead in Fairfield.”

    Chris Clauson, who is both Fairfield County’s community development director and chairman of local nonprofit Fairfield Forward, said the plan going forward is to make even more improvements for the benefit of county residents and to encourage them to use the trail for enjoyment and improved health.

    A $5,000 grant from Fairfield Forward helped fund some of the current Alston Trailhead improvements, including new park benches, two new information kiosks that offer brochures about plants and animals native to the area and other things. Clauson said these improvements are part of a larger effort the county is working on for the area.

    “We have a larger process we’re going through to master plan that entire tract, but we’re still in the early stages, and we’re kind of trying to find [additional] partners as well,” he says.

    “We’re working with the Palmetto Conservation Foundation to do more there, to basically make the Alston Trailhead area a real destination, more so than it already is, for all sorts of people – not just from the county, but from outside of the county and, hopefully, even from the state.”

    County officials see the area as a potential tourist attraction that could benefit the county, especially the western part.

    Other projects being considered are the improvement of an existing rudimentary kayak launch to make it more accessible for families, as well as improvements to picnic areas and camping facilities.

    Across the river in Newberry County, the trail on the former railroad bed passes the towns of Peak, Pomaria, and Prosperity; along the way, it has 14 wooden trestles over a creek meandering through the area, which was settled by German immigrants in the 1730s.

    “It’s one of our most popular trail systems,” Roe said, noting that in addition to the draw of its scenic views, the former railroad bed is wide and open, and lends itself to social distancing.

    It also lends itself to a variety of different hiking options, she said. The one-mile stretch that includes the bridge is a good option for a leisurely family walk, while those interested in a longer hike might walk 3.5 miles to Hope Station. An even longer option is the 6.5-mile hike to the Pomeria trailhead. The full trail distance, which is just shy of 11 miles, is more popular among bicyclists.

    “A lot of people, what they might do is park a car at Alston and park a car at Pomeria Station so they could walk the 6.5 miles and then go to the other trailhead and get the other car,” she says. “We encourage people, if they want to do a longer hike, to stage cars.”

    As a whole, the Palmetto Trail system includes around 370 miles, which stretch from the mountains in South Carolina’s upstate to the coast in Charleston County. The goal is to ultimately link them all together, with a total trail mileage of around 500.

    Maps of all the trail segments, which are officially referred to as passages, can be found on the Palmetto Conservation Foundation website at www.palmettoconservation.org. Both viewable online maps and downloadable offline maps are available for free. Peak to Prosperity is the local one.

    For families in particular, the TRACK Trail program has recently been implemented at the Alston trailhead in Fairfield, providing informational brochures for families about plants and animals along the trail. The program also has an online component, which has interactive features for kids and offers prizes through the mail.

    “Kids can track their trail adventures through our website,” said Jason Urroz, director of Kids in Parks, which oversees TRACK Trails and is a program of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “They can kind of collect their locations and their different prizes along the way, and hopefully that encourages them to want to go on more and more adventures.”

    Urroz says the program, which currently has about 120 trail locations in North Carolina and 207 in a dozen states, will soon be adding its program to nine more trails in South Carolina’s midlands and upstate regions.

    More information on TRACK trails can be found at www.kidsinparks.com. Urros said the program has been around for more than a decade – and it’s all about helping kids and families get past the “unknown” factor in outdoor adventures and have a great time.

    Roe said the trail is a worthwhile destination for anyone in the local area.

    “It’s steeped in history. You can walk across an amazing bridge,” she said. “You can have a simple one-mile hike in and one-mile hike out, get some great exercise and see some amazing turtles when you’re looking down from the bridge. There are some amazing sunsets and sunrises – it’s just a pretty special place.”

  • Court OKs Teacher Village tax credits

    WINNSBORO – Privately run residential projects like the fallow Teacher Village development qualify for the same tax credits as those normally reserved for heavy industry, according to a recent court decision.

    On July 8, in a six-page opinion, the SC Court of Appeals ruled that a proposed student housing project in Columbia is a commercial venture, thus qualifying it for tax incentives.

    Commercial projects qualify for economic development tax breaks; residential projects generally do not.

    “This appeal centers on the meaning of ‘industrial or business’ in the application of the statute. Dormitories are commercial enterprises that fall within the definition of ‘business,’” Justice James Lockemy wrote in the opinion.

    Justices Stephanie McDonald and Blake Hewitt concurred with the opinion.

    Proponents of the proposed Teacher Village, which call for building taxpayer subsidized single family rental homes in Winnsboro that cater to teachers, hope the appeals court decision will allay fears that the development would result in lawsuits.

    Dr. Sue Rex, chairwoman of the Fairfield County school district foundation that led Teacher Village efforts, said the county still faces a teacher shortage and offering affordable housing would help reduce that shortage.

    “The teacher shortage is real and it’s getting worse,” Rex said. “This pandemic is making it even worse. Some of the older teachers are just going to hang it up because they’re not going to put their health at risk.”

    In September 2019, a Charlotte investor interested in financing the Teacher Village withdrew after the county insisted the deal include an indemnification clause shielding it from any liability.

    Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor said the primary issue of concern has always been whether rental housing qualifies as commercial or residential. Now that the appeals court has issued a favorable ruling, he said it does allay the county’s concerns somewhat.

    “We have more confidence now that there’s a legal ruling through the courts,” he said. “It’s always a more comfortable thing to have.”

    Any future decision on whether the county revisits the Teacher Village would be up to the council, Taylor added.

    The Columbia Case

    Fairfield County was one of three local governments—Richland County and Columbia were the others—named as defendants in a 2016 lawsuit filed by the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation.

    The suit challenged the legality of Richland County using its multi county business park agreement with Fairfield County and Columbia to grant tax breaks to a student housing project in Columbia.

    “The statutory purpose of these Parks is to stimulate the growth of industrial jobs,” the 2016 suit states. “Housing projects create few jobs, and those jobs disappear once the project is built.

    “The tax breaks will not be an inducement for new business, new industry, or new jobs,” the suit continues. “They simply amount to a tax break for favored taxpayers, at the expense of other taxpayers, whose taxes would be used to make up the loss, including those taxpayers who are competitors of the favored taxpayers.”

    In February 2017, a circuit judge sided with Richland County, Fairfield County and Columbia, prompting the foundation to appeal.

    The appeals court upheld the previous ruling, saying student dormitories meet the statutory definition of business because they involve operating and leasing rooms to students, and also because they provide services, such as security, recreation and property management.

    “Dormitories engage in continuous commercial activity, are not owner-occupied, and are zoned commercially,” the appeals court opinion says.

    However, the Teacher Village differs in one important way—the property is zoned residential.

    Rex said it was actually the county that insisted the foundation rezone the Teacher Village property to residential. Winnsboro Town Council approved the rezoning in March 2019.

    Still on the Table?

    Although there’s been no visible action on the Teacher Village since September, Rex remains hopeful the development will happen.

    She said the foundation continues to meet and also to search for possible investors willing to help finance it.

    “It’s still on the table if we had an investment company that would want to do it,” Rex said. “I don’t know who that is.”

    Gorelick Brothers, the possible investor that withdrew, had wanted the county to designate the Teacher Village a multi-county business park and also sought $700,000 in tax breaks.

    In return, Gorelick Brothers would infuse capital into the project, operate the development and bring in revenue from the rent payments.

    Previously, county leaders cited the Public Interest Foundation case as a prime example of why an indemnification clause was needed.

    In the end, Gorelick Brothers balked and ultimately withdrew after an internal memo surfaced in which Gorelick explicitly stated it wouldn’t agree to an indemnification clause.

    There is no word if the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation will ask the SC Supreme Court to rule on the appellate court’s decision.

  • County encourages use of facemasks

    WINNSBORO – A Fairfield County council resolution encourages but won’t require people to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a unanimous vote Monday, council approved the resolution. It asks residents and visitors to wear “face coverings when in public locations where social distancing is not possible.”

    “The main thing is that we can do our part to promote safety. That’s the way I look at it,” Council Chairman Neil Robinson said.

    Council’s action comes as Fairfield County’s total reported cases hit 381 as of Tuesday, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    The resolution stated Fairfield County reported 318 cases as of July 8, meaning the county added 53 new cases in the past six days.

    South Carolina added 2,205 new cases Tuesday, just shy of the record of 2,219 cases reported three days earlier. DHEC reported 23 confirmed deaths.

    The state’s percent of positive rate was 21.5 percent, according to DHEC reports.

    In spite of the continuing escalation of COVID-19 in the state, Fairfield County Council stopped short of mandating masks and face coverings as other counties and cities have done.

    The Town of Winnsboro adopted a mask mandate on 30. Richland County, the Town of Blythewood and the City of Columbia have also passed ordinances requiring masks.

    Counties have received conflicting messages from the state on whether or not they can legally adopt ordinances requiring masks.

    At a July 10 press conference, Gov. Henry McMaster expressed opposition to a state mask mandate, saying that task should fall to local governments.

    “Things like masks, there are over 5 million people in South Carolina. Cities, counties … they’re taking local action for the local people. That’s fine,” McMaster said. “But the state would have a difficult time enforcing a statewide mask order. One size doesn’t fit all.”

    On June 25, state Attorney General Alan Wilson released a statement saying cities have the power to adopt mask ordinances, but did not specifically say whether or not counties have the same authority.

    Can Counties Order Masks?

    “A city can pass this type of ordinance. Our state constitution and state laws have given cities the authority to pass these types of ordinances under the doctrine of Home Rule,” Wilson said. “The basic premise behind the Home Rule doctrine is to empower local governments (i.e., towns, cities and counties) to effectively govern themselves without interference from state government.”

    County attorney Tommy Morgan raised the ambiguity issue during Monday night’s council meeting, along with a litany of other potential legal issues. 

    Morgan said if a mask ordinance isn’t uniformly applied to all businesses and types of people, it could be challenged.

    “[Because] this would be something that impacts a person’s physical nature, that would probably lead a court to give a strict scrutiny to those types of ordinances,” Morgan said. “An ordinance that says one class of business has different restrictions than others, in my opinion, could be constitutionally challenged.”

    Enforcement Is Another Issue.

    The council cannot require the sheriff to prosecute mask ordinance violations because it lacks that authority since the sheriff is an elected official. Code enforcement officials could not handle enforcement either since they handle specific cases, such as animal control and litter, Morgan said.

    “The county could find itself with an inability to enforce it,” he said.

    Morgan went on to cite other issues, such as budgetary constraints and infrastructure. For example, the city of Columbia is using parking attendants to enforce mask violations, but Fairfield County does not have parking meter attendants.

    Also, the county would need a special ticket to serve as the charity document. A simple uniform traffic citation would not suffice, Morgan added.

    Council members did not push for a mandatory mask ordinance.

    Most said the most important thing they could do was to educate residents about the benefits of wearing masks, which health officials say help prevent passing the coronavirus to others. Council members also noted that in the media there’s a daily blitz about why masks should be worn when social distancing isn’t possible.

    “If individuals in the county are not encouraged by now to wear face coverings, then I don’t know what else to say,” Councilman Douglas Pauley said.

  • Blythewood town council passes face mask ordinance

    The 60-day ordinance goes into effect Monday, July 13, at 6 a.m.

    BLYTHEWOOD – In a special called town council meeting Friday evening, July 10, council voted 4 – 0 to pass an emergency ordinance requiring the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Councilman Larry Griffin was not in attendance.

    The ordinance requires all persons entering a commercial establishment in the Town to wear a face covering which covers the mouth and nose. It is also recommended, but not mandated, that face masks be worn during religious events.

    In addition, the ordinance requires that all restaurants, retail stores, salons, grocery stores and pharmacies in the Town require their employees who have face-to-face interactions with the public to also wear face coverings.

    Anyone who is unable to safely wear a face mask because of age, an underlying health condition or is unable to remove the face mask without the assistance of others is exempt from the ordinance.

    Other exemptions to wearing a face mask include: in personal vehicles, when a person is alone in an enclosed space, when eating, drinking or smoking, when a person is alone with other household members, when wearing a mask causes or aggravates a health condition, when a person is 10 years of age and younger and during outdoor physical activity as well as in indoor gyms, providing the person maintains a minimum of six feet from other people at all times and, in the case of gyms, that the facility and equipment are properly sanitized.

    Persons who fail to wear face masks in commercial establishments would be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a fine of not more than $25.

    Persons in authority over employees at commercial establishments who fail to require employees to wear face masks while having face-to face interaction with the public will be fined not more than $100.

    Each day of the continuing violation of this ordinance shall be considered a separate and distinct offense. In addition to the fines, repeated violations of this ordinance by a person who owns, manages, operates or otherwise controls a business subject to this ordinance may result  in the suspension or revocation of any occupancy permit or business license issued to a business where the repeated violation occurs. Repeat violations will be declared a public nuisance which may be abated by the Town by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction or other means provided by the laws of the state.

    “Wearing masks is the least you can do. It just makes sense,” Mayor Bryan Franklin said. “The bottom line is, if you are asymptomatic and don’t know you have it, you can still spread it. The mask is for the public’s safety. It’s not a hard thing to do.”

    Franklin said the town government will provide masks to those who don’t have access to them.

    The ordinance goes into effect on Monday, July 13 at 6 a.m. and will be in effect for 60 days.

    View the Blythewood facemask ordinance here.Download

  • Victim in burned Jeep identified

    WINNSBORO – The victim in a vehicle fire that occurred last week off Hwy. 34 in Blair has been identified as Yakiem Romel Breeland of Columbia, SC.

    After receiving a tip about a vehicle on fire at about 11 p.m. Sunday, July 5, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office discovered a white Jeep Grand Cherokee fully engulfed in flames between Possum Branch Road and Zion Hopewell Church Road, about 150 yards off the roadway.

    After the fire was extinguished, officers discovered a body in the back seat of the car. The body was so badly burned that the gender and race could not initially be determined, according to officers’ report. 

    The arson/death case remains under investigation by the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.

  • Body found inside burned out car in Blair

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an arson/death investigation after a body, burned beyond recognition, was discovered about 11 p.m. on July 5 inside a burned out vehicle off Highway 34 in Blair.

    When Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a hunt club property located between Possum Branch Road and Zion Hopewell Church Road off State Highway 34 East, they discovered a 2017 white Jeep Grand Cherokee located approximately 150 yards off the roadway fully engulfed in flames.

    Once firefighters extinguished the fire, deputies found a body in the back seat of the burned out Jeep. The body was so badly burned that the gender and race could not be determined, according to the report.

    The crime is being investigated by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, SLED and the Fairfield County Coroner’s office.

    This is a developing story that will be updated as information becomes available.

  • Windermere golf course tax sale set for July 6

    BLYTHEWOOD – Last summer, there appeared to be new hope that the financially troubled Windermere golf course and country club, situated in the heart of LongCreek Plantation subdivision, would be purchased and flourish.

    This summer is a different story. Next week, the golf course, club house and 80 acres of undeveloped land will be up for auction in a tax sale at the Richland County Courthouse.

    According to LongCreek Plantation Property Owners Association (LCPPOA) president Rob Szwec, Windermere POA members were notified via email last week by the LCPPOA that the foreclosure sale is to take place on Monday and that the LCPPOA will not be participating in the auction.

    The Windermere Club and golf course are owned by John T. Bakhaus, Fairways Development, LLC, et al.

    A potential buyer, L&J Acquisitions of Snellville, Georgia, announced plans last August to rename the club to The Blythewood Country Club and launched extensive improvements to the golf course and club house.

    “We’re going to bring this Pete Dye course back to its former glory,” new club manager Fred Layman, told club members during an open house at the club at the time.

    By September, however, the sale was on pause and eventually failed to materialize.

    The foreclosure follows on the heels of the sale of the Golf Course of South Carolina last year to E-Capital, a Texas investment firm that had the property rezoned for hundreds of homes. While the firm’s attorney Robert Fuller told council that E-Capital plans to flip the property, the zoning for homes would follow the sale to a developer.

    The sale was opposed by the majority of homeowners in the adjacent Crickentree neighborhood who accused their Richland County Council representative, Joyce Dickerson, of backing the developer. Dickerson was defeated last month in her bid for a fourth term.

    The Windermere Club, golf course and Windermere communities lie in Richland County Councilman Calvin ‘Chip’ Jackson’s district. Jackson told The Voice that he would not like to see the outcome of unhappy homeowners in the Windermere communities as he saw in Crickentree and is hopeful that something good happens before time runs out.

    “I believe that the beauty and quality of life that the golf course provides for its members, community residents and neighboring communities is absolutely essential,” Jackson said. “The attention to green space and protecting the surrounding natural environment is what makes this area special.  I applaud the work of the Home Owner’s Association, the Conservation Commission, and the Soil and Water District, for working together to preserve this community. And I would fully support any efforts to maintain this standard and hope it remains that way in the future for this community.”

  • Winnsboro Town Council passes ordinance to require face masks be worn

    WINNSBORO – In a special called meeting on Tuesday evening, the Winnsboro Town Council passed an emergency ordinance requiring face masks to be worn in retail establishments and restaurants. The order goes in to effect at 12:01 a.m., July 3 and will expire after 60 days. The order is renewable.

    The ordinance applies to everyone six years of age and older.

    The purpose of the ordinance, Mayor Roger Gaddy said, is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The ordinance notes that the S.C. attorney general issued a public statement on June 25 that said enacting local mask requirements is within the police power of municipalities and is not preempted by state law.

    The ordinance states that face masks:

    1. must be worn by all customers while inside the enclosed area of any retail establishment or foodservice establishment,
    2. are required to be worn by staff of all retail establishments in areas open to the general public and where interactions with other staff are likely in areas where social distancing of at least six feet cannot be observed, and
    3. must be worn in all foodservice establishments where staff interacts with customers (including, without limitation, delivery personnel).

    Masks are not required to be worn in outdoor or unenclosed areas appurtenant to retail establishments or foodservice establishments in which social distancing of at least six feet is possible and observed and for other specific reasons outlined in the ordinance, such as when eating in a restaurant or undergoing dental procedures.

    Anyone violating the provisions of the ordinance by failing to wear a face mask when required shall be guilty of a civil infraction, punishable by a penalty of not more than $25.

    Any responsible person violating the provisions of the ordinance by failing to require employees of a retail or foodservice establishment to wear a mask when required, may be subject to a $50 fine. Retail and foodservice establishments guilty of repeat offences could lose their business license and/or be declared a public nuisance, which may be abated by the Town of Winnsboro by restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunction or other means provided for by the laws of South Carolina.

    Establishments and responsible persons shall have a duty to enforce the provisions of the ordinance only against employees of the establishment, and can not require that customers, visitors or other members of the general public wear face masks.

    John Fantry, the town’s attorney, said the ordinance does not apply to the Courthouse, county government offices or other offices where elected officials preside. He also clarified that the ordinance does not require persons to wear masks while out on the streets, sidewalks or in their cars.

    County Council Chairman Neil Robinson addressed council, saying that the county fully supports Winnsboro’s mask ordinance. He also said the county could not pass such an ordinance because only cities and towns, not counties, are granted this power under state law.

    Clicl here to view a PDF of the ordinance.Download

  • County approves $46.4M budget

    WINNSBORO – Fairfield County moved forward with final reading of its $46.4 million budget, but not without drama.

    On June 9, council members voted 4-3 to approve the budget that does not include an increase in the base millage rate, but does dig into the county’s cash reserves.

    Council members Bertha Goins, Clarence Gilbert, Jimmy Ray Douglas and Chairman Neil Robinson voted to approve. Moses Bell, Mikel Trapp and Douglas Pauley opposed.

    Trapp didn’t comment on why he opposed the budget, but Bell and Pauley gave differing reasons for dissenting.

    Both Bell and Pauley expressed reservations that the budget increases spending, but it’s the exclusion of a $400K community center he wants in his district (Ridgeway) that Bell bemoaned.

    Bell also took issue with cutting outside agency funding by 10 percent, adding more police cars, giving the economic development director a car allowance, raising deputy coroner pay and $40,000 in extra funding for the Drawdy Park parking lot paving project, but continued to criticize council’s failure to spend $400K on the community center.

    Bell went on to read a prepared statement in which he invoked Mahatma Gandhi and former President Barack Obama, and blasted The Voice for reporting that he had pitched a fit at the last budget meeting.

    “Something is extremely wrong with this budget,” Bell began, prompting Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas to interject.

    “How many times are you going to go over this?” Douglas asked.

    Unfazed, Bell continued, alluding to racial disparities he said exist in Fairfield County.

    Pauley objected to the budget on more philosophical grounds, saying it relies too much on using the fund balance to offset increased spending.

    “This budget would be like taking 20 percent of your life savings to spend more than you did last year for no reason except that you want to,” Pauley said. “Sooner or later, if you keep this up you’re going to run out of money.”

    A review of the FY 2020-21 budget reveals only a 2-1/2 percent increase in this year’s budget over last year’s budget.

    Taylor said the county’s budget is higher compared to other similarly sized counties because of the Jenkinsville nuclear plant, which generates more tax revenue.

    However, the plant is expected to generate less revenue in the coming budget year, which Taylor said is negatively impacting both the county and school district budgets.

    “We also have to suffer with the fluctuations of what goes on out there,” Taylor said. “When they sneeze, we get a cold.”

    In this year’s budget, the county is pulling $5 million from the fund balance, up from roughly $3 million in previous years.

    Taylor said the difference is largely due to $1.8 million the county is spending on land purchases to support industry. Another $100,000 has been added to help cover anticipated legal costs.

    Taylor said the key to reversing the county’s budget issues lies in attracting new industry and investing in infrastructure needed to support that industry.

    “You can’t tax your way to prosperity nor can you cut your way to prosperity. What we have to do is grow our way to prosperity,” he said. “It’s not something where we’re squandering money; it’s an investment. Without a sewer plant, we’re really dead in the water with economic development.”

    Councilwoman Bertha Goins agreed. Underfunding infrastructure would hurt the rural areas much more, she said.

    “If you don’t have it in place, you get passed over,” Goins said. “We will be sitting in the dark while counties around us prosper, grow and increase.”

  • Revenue down, events uncertain

    Council Members Disagree On Funding Events

    BLYTHEWOOD – As Blythewood works through its budget process for the 2020/21 fiscal year, the funding of events became a point of contention at the May 26 town council meeting, which was held via Zoom.

    With all the disruptions caused by COVID-19, two things were made clear: hospitality tax (H-tax) revenue is down significantly, and unknowns related to the virus could put a damper on the annual town events that are funded by H-tax revenue.

    “At the end of the day, to give you a balanced budget we had to make some drastic cuts,” said Town Administrator Brian Cook, who presented a draft budget on first reading that was created with input from council members.

    The town’s hospitality tax, which is generated by restaurants, is down from a typical $175,000 to just $29,000 – less than 17 percent of the typical amount. The town uses this money to fund tourism, including events that are supposed to draw tourists.

    Looking at a budget proposal that included major cuts to events in the coming year, the council members clashed over what approach to take.

    “I’m not comfortable saying ‘This is how much money we’re going to get’ because I think it’s going to be a lot less than anybody anticipates,” said councilman Donald Brock.

    “If people aren’t going out spending, then money’s not going to flow into the town coffers, and if the town doesn’t have the money, then we can’t spend it. I think we really need to kind of step back and be cautious in allocating funds and not overpromise.”

    Brock’s suggestion was to fund each event at $1 as a placeholder, and re-assess quarterly when actual revenue – and the status of events realistically taking place amid social distancing – is known.

    Also, he said, weight should be given to cultural events like Black History Month, which don’t have their own revenue stream, over entertainment-focused events that raise money through ticket sales and sponsorships and that generate enough revenue to fund themselves.

    “Revenue has nothing to do with it!” declared Councilman Eddie Baughman. He repeated the statement several times.

    “The whole idea behind the hospitality tax money is to bring folks to town to spend money,” Baughman said. “Their revenue should be irrelevant.”

    Baughman was particularly concerned about the Big Red Barn Summer Jam event. He said a significant percentage of the profits it generates go to fund charitable activities in town.

    Baughman asked for an explanation for why the event, which last year received $12,000 in town funds and this year requested $25,000, was slated to receive just $6,250.

    “We’re cutting their funding almost to the point that they’re probably going to back off and not do it,” he said.

    At that (May 26) council meeting, with available H-tax funding dropping from $175,000 to only about $29,000, administration suggested the following reduced funding amounts.

    Only three events were funded at $6,250 in the budget proposal: Summer Jam, which topped 1,000 attended in its second year and RibFest and OktoberFest, both of which brought in well over 2,000 in their first year. Black History Month was slated to receive $5,000; Bengal Boys Golf $2,250; Holiday Market $1,500; the Big Grab $1,000; and Spring Market $746. The July 3 fireworks, which was set to receive $25,000 before the cuts were initiated, brings in 5,000 – 6,000. While it’s still in the discussion stage, council is leaning toward have the fireworks event but with no music and no food and attendees would view the fireworks from their vehicles.

    Three other events and several planned maintenance projects were slated to receive $0.

    Mayor Bryan Franklin said the reasoning behind funding some events a lot more than others was sound. In the draft budget, the bulk of the available funding was allocated toward events that have significant ahead-of-time costs, such as hiring, booking performers and publicity costs.

    “It’s not picking winners and losers,” he said. “It’s where does that start-up money come from? What organization does it need to go to early so they can lock in plans, and how can we keep it below our $29,000 [revenue projection]?”

    After the May 26 meeting, some council members suggested pulling $134,654 from the H-tax fund balance to fully fund the FY21 H-tax events as shown in the chart above. These amounts are proposed but will be voted on at the June 22 town council meeting at The Manor.

    Sutton Shaw, who owns the Big Red Barn Retreat and organizes the Summer Jam, was in attendance to lobby for her event.

    She touted the enthusiasm she witnessed among tourists at Myrtle Beach on a recent weekend as a sign of good news for tourism and events, but her comments on the realities of planning the Summer Jam cast doubt on the timing of this year’s event in light of COVID-19.

    “Some of us are planning now,” she said of event organizers. “Our summer jam originally happens in July. We are trying to move to September….”

    She didn’t make a specific request for funding, but rattled off a list of her own community contributions. She expressed disappointment in what she felt is council’s lack of appreciation for her efforts as reflected in the proposed reduced funding amount for her event.

    “Personally I’m donating all my time, and my family has donated 75 acres of the land for a new building and investing over $1.5 million to bring our newest program in that will launch in October,” she said, noting that these efforts are aided by profits her family’s business has realized during the pandemic.

    “My family owns 26 Sonic drive-ins, and we’re killing it in sales. We’ve been up 20 and 30 percent with Covid,” she said.

    Her comments reinforced a point made by Brock earlier in the meeting.

    “If we’re continuing to allocate money to events that can fund themselves, then we won’t have money to fund upstart and new events that can bring additional tourism into town,” he said before sharing some numbers about the Summer Jam.

    Last year, he said, the town contributed $12,000 to the event. The year before that it was in the $6,500 range. Those two years, the event turned a net profit of more than $26,000.

    “I don’t know how I could sit here and possibly vote to approve an event that should be sitting on $26,000 in the bank, and their expenditure last year was $28,000,” he said, arguing that town funds should be used only to help revenue-generating events to get established – not to support them perpetually.

    Councilman Sloan Griffin agreed with the idea of taking a step back to re-assess event funding as information – about the revenue, about the effects of the pandemic, about the likely status of events in real time – becomes more clear.

    “I agree at this budget session right here that we do need to take a pause,” Griffin said. “We could be in the same situation January next year.”

    When council convene on June 10, the H-tax funding packet had done an about-face, reflecting full funding for the events as shown in chart the chart above.

    With almost $500K in the H-tax fund balance, Town Administrator Brian Cook said some council members had suggested using some of that fund to fully fund the H-tax events.

    “We took $134,654 out of the H-tax fund balance and allocated it for that purpose,” Cook said. “It will be up to council as to how much they want to use to fund the events.”

    The next meeting will be open to the public to attend and will be the final vote on the fy2020-21 budget. It will be held at Manor at 7 p.m., Monday, June 22. Those attending are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.