Blythewood Online 691

Tag: slider

  • County delays action on library purchase

    The county recently renovated this building for the Ridgeway library, located on Palmer Street in downtown Ridgeway. The county is currently leasing it with an option to purchase.

    WINNSBORO – Plans to purchase a permanent home for the Fairfield County Library branch in Ridgeway are on hold for now.

    At a recent administrative committee meeting, council members voted unanimously to table a proposal to buy property the library is currently leasing on South Palmer Street.

    It was not immediately clear when the matter would return for a vote, though it will likely be later this year.

    That’s because the county wants to pursue federal grant opportunities that could potentially unlock more money to help cover costs of buying the property at 235 S. Palmer Street in Ridgeway.

    County Administrator Jason Taylor said up to $500,000 is available through the Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, program.

    “It would be beneficial for us all if we try to secure the grant,” Council Chairman Neil Robinson said.

    Grant money would be especially helpful since the sale price is substantially higher than the property’s estimated value.

    Eric Robinson, the county’s library director, said at the June 24 committee meeting that the property owner is asking $169,900.

    Fairfield County property records, however, list the property’s fair market value at $66,700.

    The property last sold for $85,000 in June 2005 and was then deeded over to the current owner, Lok-Yan Yip Patterson for $1 in 2008, records state.

    “Has anyone tried to bargain with the lady?” Councilman Jimmy Ray Douglas asked.

    “Feel free to do so. She’s a shrewd business person,” Eric Robinson, the county library director, answered.

    “I know she is. She’s had the place remodeled and now is trying to sell it for three times what it’s worth,” Douglas replied.

    Robinson said he and the board prefer to remain in the existing building since the South Palmer Street is an ideal location. He said the library would incur additional costs if it had to move, citing the integration of technology in the current facility.

    “If you read the history on this, we’ve bounced around Ridgeway. We’re into our sixth different building,” Robinson said. “Because we’ve sunk so much money into it and the county has sunk so much money into it, we would like for this to be our permanent location.”

    At present, the library board has said it’s willing to offer about $90,000 to buy the facility, which is essentially half the current asking price plus any rent remaining on this year’s lease.

    Library officials, however, said the owner signaled she’s not interested in that amount because she would lose rent revenue in the long term.

    County attorney Tommy Morgan said there’s no harm in delaying action on buying the property. He said the lease agreement allows the county to renew for another two years, with rent only increasing from $850 to $892 a month to account for Consumer Price Index increases.

    In the meantime, negotiations over a final sale price can continue. The CDBG avenue also requires multiple appraisals, and would also work in the county’s favor.

    “The county is pretty much in the cat-bird seat when it comes to that,” Morgan said.

  • R2 board names new officers

    Manning

    COLUMBIA – Richland Two’s board of trustees has new leadership.

    James Manning is now chairman, taking over for Amelia McKie, who remains a voting member.

    Teresa Holmes was named vice chairman and Cheryl Caution-Parker became secretary, according to votes taken at the June 25 meeting.

    Manning and Caution-Parker were unanimously voted into their new positions. The board voted 4-1 to make Holmes vice chair, with McKie and Caution-Parker abstaining. James Shadd cast the lone dissenting vote.

    Holmes

    McKie had nominated Shadd for vice chair, but that vote failed 4-3, with McKie, Caution-Parker and Shadd voting in the minority. Shadd declined a separate nomination to serve as secretary.

    Manning said he’s appreciative of the support the board displayed in nominating him as chairman. His goals include successfully managing the school’s building program, improving school safety and boosting student achievement.

    “I want to continue to focus on those things, to make sure that we do the best we can,” he said.

    Caution-Parker

    One board issue that’s arisen lately is public participation at meetings. In recent months, some residents have complained that the former chair altered the order in which speakers registered to muffle public criticisms.

    Manning said he plans to follow board policy.

    “Public input, like everything else, is managed through our policies,” he said. “I do think that’s something we need to take a look at, but ultimately the board chair should not have any undue influence in that process.”

    The board officer turnover comes at a controversial time for the Richland Two board, with one member owing nearly $51,000 in ethics fines and another facing a criminal disorderly conduct charge.

    In July 2018, the S.C. Ethics Commission fined McKie $41,000 for various campaign violations.

    The most current ethics commission’s debtor list available online, which is dated Jan. 3, 2019, still lists McKie’s fine at $41,000.

    However, documents obtained by The Voice state that the fine increases to $50,750 if McKie misses certain deadlines.

    Documents state that McKie was supposed to pay the first $20,000 by Dec. 31 and the remaining balance by June 30.

    An Ethics Commission representative said via email Monday that there has been no change in McKie’s status.

    Richland County resident Gus Philpott, a frequent critic of the board, said he’s looking forward to seeing positive changes with new board leadership at the helm.

    However, it still doesn’t change his belief that McKie and Holmes should step down from the board.

    Philpott maintains that McKie and Holmes aren’t legally allowed to serve because neither filed Statements of Economic interest forms until after taking the oath of office. State law prohibits elected officials from taking the oath when SEI forms haven’t been filed.

    “They are, in my opinion, not legal board members,” Philpott said. “Teresa Holmes was nominated for the position of vice chair and was elected. My contention is since she is not a board member, she cannot serve as an officer.”

    Asked about Philpott’s comments, McKie provided the following response:

    “One of the most sacred aspects of our American democracy is that every citizen is entitled to his/her own opinion, regardless of the accuracy of the same. The day that ceases to be is the day we no longer embody a democracy.”

    Holmes said she doesn’t plan to step down, and disputes that she’s not legally qualified to serve on the board.

    “There is no reason that he should continue to say that,” Holmes said. “He knows that that’s not true.”

    Elkins-Johnson is also facing legal difficulties.

    In January, the Richland County Sheriff’s Office charged her with disorderly conduct following an altercation occurring after a board meeting.

    According to a police report, the suspect shouted obscenities and threatened relatives of a state senator and the board chair.

    The Richland County Public Index lists a tentative court date of July 22, though the case has been continued several times.

  • Dickerson led 7-3 vote to rezone golf course for homes

    More Than 120 Crickentree Residents Attended to Oppose Rezoning

    COLUMBIA – Richland County Council dimmed the hopes of more than 120 Crickentree residents who were in attendance at a public hearing Tuesday night, that council would save their quiet, treed, large-acre neighborhood from hundreds of homes being built on a former golf course along the border of their neighborhood.

    At the urging of their county council representative Joyce Dickerson, Council voted against them, 7-3, Tuesday evening to approve the first reading of a request by Texas investment firm E-Capital to rezone the 183-acre former golf course property from TROS (Traditional Recreational Open Space) to RS-LD (Low Density Residential).

    While the County planning staff recommended the zoning, the county’s planning commission voted 5-2 on June 3 to recommended that council reject the rezoning request on the basis that “a substantial portion of the property in question is zoned TROS and in light of the stated purposes within section 26-85, including preservation of conservation and open space, and to lessen the potential diminution of property values and to provide for a community-wide network of open spaces.’

    Councilman Bill Malinowski said he had researched TROS zoning and that he found it had been created by the Richland County Conservation Commission for government owned land only and that it would not be appropriate zoning for a golf course.

    E-Capital’s attorney Robert Fuller spoke at the beginning of the public hearing, but he did not mention the number of houses proposed on the property or the width of the buffer promised as he had done in past meetings.

    “E-Capital’s silence on the number of homes and width of buffer promised leaves the residents in the dark, now, as to what the company plans to build,” Resident Russ St. Marie said following the meeting.

    In previous meetings the numbers have ranged from 249 homes down to, more recently, 207, but according to the county’s planning information on the rezoning, as many as 672 (less 20 percent for infrastructure) could be built on the 183-acre parcel under RS-LD zoning.

    According to the County’s Planning/Zoning Director Geonard Price, the developer would be allowed to build the maximum number of homes allowed and would not be held to the promised amount.

    Before calling for the vote, Dickerson took the opportunity to vent her feelings about the Crickentree residents, Blythewood town government, LongCreek Plantation neighborhood and others.

    Without further explanation, Dickerson said she had watched as Round Top neighborhood “has been squeezed by Crickentree and LongCreek Plantation.”

    And she didn’t stop there.

    “I have been challenged with numerous threats and correspondence containing fabricated information, for instance, that Blythewood requested to put a park…that community is not in Blythewood. So for someone on Blythewood planning commission to tell you they can put a park there, that’s fabricated information,” Dickerson read from a prepared speech.

    Crickentree is located in 29016 which is in the Blythewood community, but not the town limits.

    When asked if she would provide the threatening emails to The Voice, Dickerson said she would have to check with the county’s attorney before she could share them.

    Dickerson also reported that she had received many emails urging her to vote for the rezoning. However, no one except the E-Capital representatives spoke in favor of the rezoning during the public hearing.

    Noting that residents had said over the past year that if the TROS in their neighborhood were rezoned, it could cause a domino effect for other nearby golf communities, Dickerson pushed back.

    “I am not looking at Windermere, Woodchuck [sic], Spring Valley, Wildwood, Longtown [sic]. All of you seem to be in a gated community with deed restrictions on some of your properties.

    Due to a large turnout, many of those residents who came to the meeting were held in the lobby until near the end of the meeting. They were told by a security officer that seating was over capacity. Some left while others, including The Voice reporter, were not allowed in until the proceedings were almost over.

    Council will have two more votes on the issue. Tuesday night was the only opportunity residents will have to publicly address the issue before council.

  • Council passes $1,670,875 budget

    Mayor, Council Get Pay Raises Dec. 1

    BLYTHEWOOD – Town Council passed the first of two readings on its $1,670,875 FY 2020 budget Monday night, exceeding last year’s budget by $105,761.

    The only change to the town budget since the final workshop in early June is an $80,000 expense from the town’s hospitality fund for a SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT) project to add decorative, 8-foot high, black-coated safety fencing and sidewalks along each side of the Blythewood Road bridge over I-77.

    Reviewing the General Fund revenue, Cook said building permits and fees are projected at $180,679, down slightly from the $202,111 budgeted for 2019. Building and permit fees came in at $173,389 in 2017; $200,437 in 2018 and the actuals at the end of April were $150,565.

    Cook said fees for business licenses from both inside and outside the town are expected to be slightly higher than the current year, and that revenue for franchise fees next year is looking good, projected to be $273,457, up from $250,000 in 2019.

    Revenues and expenses for the governing body for 2020 are on par with 2019, Cook said. Total administration budget is projected to increase almost $45,000, going from $396,096 to $441,978, with almost $40,000 of that increase allocated for a 2.5 percent cost of living raise and a 3 percent merit increase for town employees.

    Administrative salaries are up about $10,500 over last year’s budget. Part of that increase is attributed to a 20 percent across the board raise for the mayor and council members. With the pay raise, the mayor will receive $10,800 annually and council members will each receive $7,200 annually.

    Mayor J. Michael Ross said he requested a $5,000 increase in community promotions from $7,500 to $12,500 for advertising and other promotions that he said might come up during the year that are not budgeted for.

    Costs for VC3, the Town’s computer software company, that Cook said maintains the town’s computer systems, will increase from $46,350 to $58,320. Some of that cost, he said, is a one-time cost that will go down some next year.

    In anticipation of updating the Town’s comprehensive plan, contracted services with the Central Midlands Council of Governments will increase from $20,000 to $35,000.

    The increase from $261,820 to $268,444 for Public Works is attributable to increased costs in contracted services for additional irrigation and landscape beautification projects in the Town. The Christmas committee also received an increase of $1,000 over 2019, and inspections and code enforcement expenses are expected to increase about $10,000.

    The budget for Parks and Recreation will be reduced by about $40,000 in 2020 due to an annual cost savings of $19,000 as the result of eliminating the park mowing contract and purchasing a mower for Town Hall to do the mowing in-house.

    Cook said there will be some increase in the Parks and Recreation budget, however, to allow for the purchase of a new piece of playground equipment and the addition of benches and possibly a shade in the playground area.

    Council addressed the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce’s financials at the May 23 meeting, and the Chamber declined to make its annual request a $17,500 economic development work subsidy (previously called a grant by town officials.) The chamber did however, ask for and receive $3,500 for an ‘elite partner’ chamber membership for the Town government at the premiere level.

  • Fireworks set for July 3

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Town of Blythewood will host its fifth annual July Fireworks bash on Wednesday, July 3 from 4 – 11 p.m. with music, food and a park full of thousands of fireworks fans from Blythewood, Fairfield and beyond.

    The Fireworks, Food and Music event will feature about 25 food vendors, five on-stage music groups and a full half hour of fireworks that will light up the sky over Doko Meadows Park beginning at 9:30 p.m.

    Featured artists include Eboni Ramm, Blues Deluxe, A.J. Sanders and the DB Bryant Band. This year, there will be something new on the program – an after-fireworks performance featuring local musicians Ramblin’ Road from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

    Food and drink vendors will include Doko Smoke BBQ, McNulty’s Taproom, Scotties, The Haute Dog Lady, Sweet Peas Ice Cream, The Donut Guy, Bessie’s Sweet Delights, Brain Freeze, Kona Ice, Fishin’ Fellas, and others. Beer sales will be available. No coolers please.

    The event is free. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on and show up with the kids.

    For more information, call town hall at 754-0501.

  • County defers action on incinerator plan

    WINNSBORO—Fairfield County’s plans to replace a wood chipper with an incinerator is leaving some area residents feeling burned.

    On Monday night, the Fairfield County Council voted unanimously to postpone final reading of an ordinance to rezone 11 acres of county-owned property off Old Airport Road that would allow for the installation of an incinerator.

    County Administrator Jason Taylor said the incinerator option comes with less cost than the current wood chipping facility.

    Fairfield resident Shirley Seibles and others spoke against replacing the chipper with an incinerator. | Michael Smith

    “Some time back we had examined what we were doing out at the chipper site and determined it would be more cost effective to put an incinerator in as opposed to the chipping,” Taylor said.

    The rezoning vote is now tentatively scheduled for July 8.

    Councilman Moses Bell requested the postponement so council members could tour a Richland County facility that utilizes a much larger, but otherwise similar incinerator.

    Bell said he also wanted residents to have an opportunity to tour the facility. A date for the tour hasn’t been set.

    “Could we get a delegation of council to go look at the one in Richland County so we can make sure that we understand all the implications of this piece of equipment so as we vote, we’ll be inclined to know what we are voting for?” Bell asked.

    The council’s vote came following spirited comments from nearby residents, all of whom opposed the incinerator.

    Several residents complained that smoke from burning debris posed a health hazard. They also thought the machinery added blight that would drag down property values.

    “I am so afraid for our community. I feel that our health is at risk,” said Winnsboro resident Shirley Seibles. “Burning releases ashes and hot cinders into the atmosphere. Ash settles and it settles where it may, on porches, vents, shingles, flowers, cars and trucks, children’s toys and lungs. There is a small playground next to where you want to put this incinerator.”

    Seibles said the debris pile has become an eyesore.

    There will be “a mountain of wooden debris across from our homes,” she said. “How long is it going to take to put a dent into this mountain? How are we allowing Fairfield County to be a dumping ground for every surrounding county?”

    Others thought the incinerator posed a public safety threat.

    “I’m in the business of fighting fires and we haven’t been able to control smoke yet,” said John Seibles, police chief for the Winnsboro public safety department and a resident who lives near the chipper site. “How are you going to control that smoke with an open heater? I don’t want to wake up every morning smelling fire, smelling smoke.”

    Brad Caulder, the county’s public works director, sought to assure residents that the incinerator was actually safer, more strictly regulated and less costly than wood chipping.

    “If I wasn’t confident of the results of the machine, it certainly wouldn’t be something I’d be pushing myself. It is a far cleaner process than the chipping now,” Caulder said. “You have carcinogens released every time that you chip. We have more pollutants in the air with the grinding. You have far fewer DHEC restrictions with the grinding than you do with the incinerator.”

    The rezoning request proposed changing the zoning from RD-Rural Resource District, to I-1, Industrial District.

    The wood chipper site sits on 11.32 acres the county purchased off Old Airport Road. The final sale price was unavailable, though the land has a fair market value of $780,000, according to Fairfield County property records.

    Taylor said the county acquired additional property to further increase the buffer zone between residents and the incinerator.

    “The machine is small, no larger than a tractor trailer,” he said.

  • Senate reappoints Fairfield magistrates

    WINNSBORO – On Tuesday, state senators reappointed the four Fairfield magistrate candidates – Jannita Gaston, Danielle Miller, Katina Capers-Washington and Vanessa Hollins – who were nominated by Sen. Fanning and initially appointed by the Senate on May 20 and May 21.

    The reappointment was ordered by Gov. McMaster after it was learned that none of the Fairfield appointments had passed the required examinations when they were originally appointed in May, according to legislative records.

    Election Commission

    Fanning posted on the county website Feb. 7 and again on Feb. 26 for applicants to apply for the Fairfield election commission. The deadline to apply was March 15.

    Fanning’s office reported that only the six sitting commissioners applied after the first post and that only the six and one other applied by the March 15 deadline. There is no word yet whether Fanning will be appointing any new members to the commission.

    Fairfield County Councilman Douglas Pauley asked if there were efforts to replace the county’s election commissioners. He said if revamping the board is the goal, phasing people out over a period of time is preferable to cleaning house all at one time.

    “I would say keep some experienced people, maybe put some new people on there,” he said. “Over time, if you wanted to replace all of them, as people get more experience, then you can replace them.”

    Pauley’s remarks came moments after Monday night’s council meeting, where he publicly raised concerns about costs associated with replacing experienced magistrates with untrained ones.

    “Do we have any idea what this magistrate situation is going to cost us?” Pauley asked during council remarks.

    County Administrator Jason Taylor replied that he planned to meet with Fanning on Wednesday to discuss budgeting issues. That meeting was scheduled after The Voice went to press.

    “He [Fanning] thinks he has some ideas. He thinks he can help us in that respect,” Taylor said.

    Pauley also raised concerns that the new magistrates would be paid retroactively.

    When the Fairfield magistrate candidates were first approved in May, they were appointed to serve four-year terms retroactive to April 30, 2018, according to Senate Journal records.

    Taylor said the county would follow state recommendations on pay, but couldn’t say definitively how pay would be structured or if pay would be retroactive.

    Taylor previously told The Voice that part-time magistrates would likely earn about $25,000 a year, with full-time judges making a little more than twice that amount.

    “Once they’re appointed, they start getting paid,” Taylor said.

    After methodically plowing through budget vetoes for nearly two hours Tuesday, senators breezed through magistrate approvals, finalizing the appointments of Gaston, Miller, Capers-Washington and Hollins.

    Though initially approved May 20 and May 21, none of the candidates took two required exams until at least May 23, according to documents The Voice obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

    Applicants are required to pass the tests before they’re appointed, according to state law.

    S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, following recent reports in The Voice newspaper, asked the Senate to reconfirm the magistrate candidates during Tuesday’s special session.

    The governor’s office has also begun requiring proof that magistrate candidates have passed their exams before senators can vote on them, McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes told The Voice.

    “We will now require the Senate delegation to confirm to our office, along with the nomination of these individuals, that they have taken their tests,” Symmes previously said. “That way, we will not have this particular issue arise again.”

    The legislative do-over became necessary following news reports by The Voice that some Fairfield and Chester magistrate applicants failed to achieve passing scores on exams all magistrate appointees must take.

    Documents further show that some nominees took the tests multiple times and one candidate was tested as late as June 10. According to reliable sources, one candidate passed the test last week.

    S.C. Court Administration Ginny Jones has said the department cannot release scores of individual test takers, nor can the agency specify who has passed or failed.

    While reliable sources told The Voice that at least one magistrate took the test at least three times, finally passing it last week, that information could not be independently verified through the administrative court before press time.

    On Tuesday, Jones said the agency had no updates on Fairfield candidates, but noted Chester County magistrate Jeffery Garris took the exams on June 10. Garris was not among the four Chester applicants who had already taken the tests, Jones said.

    State law requires magistrate applicants to meet only minimum requirements to be appointed.

    They must possess a bachelor’s degree and pass the two exams that quiz candidates on basic knowledge on par with a sixth grade education level.

    Newly appointed magistrates aren’t required to possess a law degree provided they observe at least 10 trials conducted by a sitting judge.

    In 2016, the S.C. House of Representatives passed a bill that would have significantly strengthened the magistrate screening process.

    House Bill 4665 would have required magistrate candidates to follow the same screening process as circuit court judges, which must be interviewed by state lawmakers in a public setting, according to legislative records.

    The vote passed 82-24, but the bill died in the Senate and hasn’t been brought back, records show.

  • RC Council to vote on golf course zoning

    BLYTHEWOOD – Tuesday night’s Richland County Council meeting could be a turning point for the residents of Crickentree concerning a rezoning request they oppose for the 183-acre golf course property that adjoins their neighborhood.

    The meeting will include a public hearing on the issue and the first of three votes to deny or approve a request from the property’s owner, E-Capital Management, to rezone the property from Traditional Recreational Open Space (TROS) zoning to Low Density Residential (RS-LD) zoning.

    While the council has three votes, the first vote – yay or nay – more often than not portends the final outcome. If council members vote against the rezoning on the first vote, that’s the final vote. If council votes to approve the rezoning, it will have two more votes. If the second is a vote for approval, the third vote will determine the outcome.

    If, like the last time it came before council, E-Capital pulls the request before it is considered, the request could return as another zoning classification, perhaps Rural (RU), and re-enter the rezoning cycle.

    The residents and the rezoning applicant will only be allowed to express their concerns prior to the first vote.

    Tuesday will be the second time around the block for a rezoning request. It was initially recommended earlier this year by the county staff for Medium Density Residential (RS-MD) zoning, but subsequently recommended for denial by the Planning Commission. On April 23, E-Capital’s attorney Robert Fuller pulled the item from council’s agenda before it came up. After a new zoning request for RS-LD was recommended by the county planning staff in the Spring, the Planning Commission balked again, recommending on June 3 in a 5-2 vote that Council deny the rezoning request.

    The ball is now back in council’s court. The issues are still myriad.

    Some residents say TROS is not subject to rezoning.

    Resident Russ St. Marie said chapter 26 of the county’s zoning ordinance directs that TROS zoned properties and their current uses are to be preserved and protected.

    Planning Commissioner David Tuttle, one of the two Commissioners who voted for the rezoning, disagreed. He explained that TROS is just like any other zoning classification that comes before council.

    “Prior to the creation of TROS zoning,” Tuttle said, “golf course properties within neighborhoods were subject to being reverted to their previous zoning without coming before council. The purpose of TROS was to insure that the property would go before council before it could be rezoned.” He said that process served as a protection for adjoining property owners, that it gave the neighbors a say in the rezoning process.

    Fuller reasoned that the RS-LD zoning, allowing 3.63 homes to the acre, is the same as the current Crickentree property zoning, Low Density Residential.

    County zoning administrator Geonard Price pointed out, however, that Crickentree lots are actually larger with 1.04 homes to the acre, possibly making Low Density zoning of the golf course property incompatible with surrounding properties.

    “In RS-LD zoning, lots would be restricted to no less than 1,200 square feet,” Fuller told the panel. “We would restrict the number of homes to 207 with a 150-foot buffer between the golf course property and the Crickentree neighborhood. This is the only way the owner can make anything of it.”

    The issue will go before County Council at 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 25 for first reading and a public hearing.

  • Magistrate appointments bungled

    WINNSBORO – State senators will reconvene next week, in part to reconsider four controversial magistrate appointments in Fairfield County, according to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s Office.

    Specifically, Jannita Gaston, Danielle Miller, Katina Capers-Washington and Vanessa Hollins must go through the reappointment process again. That process includes verification of whether they have passed two required eligibility examinations, said McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes.

    Senators were already scheduled to head back into session Tuesday to finalize the state budget, though lingering issues over Fairfield magistrate appointments will also be addressed.

    “The Senate recognizes that those appointments are not effective because of the status of the tests,” Symmes said. “They [senators] are going to take up these appointments.”

    McMaster and the Senate pressed the reset button on the magistrate appointments following an investigation by The Voice, which found multiple candidates had to take the exams more than once, that none of the four had taken the exams prior to their appointment and that at least one nominee had reportedly not passed the exams at all.

    Due to the exam debacle, Symmes said magistrate nominees are now going to have to provide proof of having passed the tests before appointments can move forward.

    “Because of this issue that was pointed out to our office by Court Administration, there have been changes put in place in our boards and commissions appointment process to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.” Symmes said. “We will now require the Senate delegation to confirm to our office, along with the nomination of these individuals, that they have taken their tests. That way, we will not have this particular issue arise again.”

    Magistrate shortage

    Fairfield County could potentially see a magistrate shortage for months, while also putting a strain on the county budget.

    State law prohibits new magistrates who don’t possess a law degree from hearing cases unless they first observe another judge preside over at least 10 cases. It could take six to nine months for the new magistrates to fulfill that requirement, said Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor.

    During that time, the county would have to hire interim magistrates in addition to paying the salaries of the county’s four magistrates in training.

    Taylor said he has not seen any signs yet of the magistrate’s office experiencing any backlogs.

    However, he fears it’s a possibility, noting that the office advised him that operations previously became “strained” with two vacancies.

    “I’m working with our chief magistrate, Paul Swearingen, on scheduling issues and such to see how we can manage to do this while they are still in training,” Taylor said. “I’ve got to look at our budget and see what we can do.”

    In the recently adopted 2019-2020 budget, Fairfield County appropriated $559,114 for the magistrate’s office.

    Taylor said part time magistrates make about $25,000 year, and estimated full-time magistrates make a little more than twice that amount. The magistrate budget covers other operational expenses as well.

    Strain on County Budget

    If the county has to utilize interim magistrates, which are unbudgeted, the money would have to come from elsewhere. How much money depends on from which county the interim magistrates come, Taylor said.

    “We may have to borrow [magistrates] from surrounding counties,” Taylor said. “Obviously Richland County magistrates make a lot more than ours do.”

    The Fairfield magistrate vacancies occurred when Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, who represents Fairfield County, opted not to reappoint two experienced incumbent magistrates. He also filled two additional vacancies due to retirements.

    None of the four candidates Fanning nominated took their required exams until after he announced their appointment on social media, teeing up the magistrate appointment do-over.

    Fanning couldn’t be reached for comment.

    In announcing the appointees, Fanning in a May 21 Facebook post called them “outstanding individuals” who he said would “bring a wealth of diverse experiences to the position.”

    Fanning’s post said the magistrates would begin serving May 22. However, the earliest a candidate had even taken the test was May 23, according to documents obtained from Court Administration through a Freedom of Information Act request. At least one candidate hadn’t taken the tests until June, documents show, and it is reported that another still had not passed the tests after multiple tries.

    State law requires magistrate nominees to pass two exams – the Wonderlich Personnel Test and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal II – before they can be appointed.

    “A senatorial delegation must use the results of these eligibility examinations to assist in its selection of nominees,” the law reads. “No person is eligible to be appointed as a magistrate unless he receives a passing score on the eligibility examination.”

    Candidates are expected to be capable of reading at a sixth grade reading level. They must also know how to tell time, know the days and months of the year and understand basic skills in math, measurements and monetary units, according to Court Administration.

    Magistrates have numerous responsibilities. They issue arrest warrants, conduct bond hearings, preside over misdemeanor cases and hear small claims civil cases.

  • Winnsboro Fibers expanding

    WINNSBORO – The former DuraFiber Technologies mill in Winnsboro is getting another shot at life.

    Fairfield County Council recently approved an ordinance certifying the Maple Street property as an abandoned textile mill. The vote passed unanimously on June 10.

    County Administrator Jason Taylor said Winnsboro Fibers, the facility’s current owner, plans to refurbish parts of the property, and wants to use state tax credits to help accomplish that. The abandoned designation allows the company to apply for those credits that will be reinvested into the property.

    In time, the company hopes to add some new facilities and make additional hires, Taylor said.

    “The state tax credits will allow them to invest in the facility to get it back to where it’s productive,” Taylor said.

    At second reading on May 24, Ty Davenport, the county’s economic development director, explained the ordinance in greater detail.

    Davenport said Winnsboro Fibers approached the county, seeking support for the company’s rehabilitation plans.

    Winnsboro Fibers plans to invest upwards of $6 million in the facility. The company currently employs about 19 workers, though Davenport remained optimistic more jobs could be created.

    “Hopefully in the future they’ll be able to add a second and third shift and add more people,” he said. “That [would] be a good thing for the county and for the town of Winnsboro.

    Winnsboro Fibers’ plans call for demolishing part of Plant 1 and leaving the weave room intact. Davenport said the company plans add ons to the building, though the additions wouldn’t be readily visible.

    Plant 2 and the administration building would remain intact. There are also plans to rehabilitate the plant’s iconic clock tower.

    “The facility was in fact a textile facility,” Davenport said. “All we’re doing is confirming and support their intent to rehabilitate the facility.”

    In addition to jobs, reinvigorating the plant could also help boost utility revenue, Davenport said.

    Winnsboro utility officials previously estimated the plant’s closure would cost the town between $400,000 and $441,000 in lost revenue per year, including $256,247 in lost gas revenues, according to a July 20, 2017 story in The Voice.

    Winnsboro Fibers acquired the mill from DuraFiber Technologies, paying $839,000 for the property in October 2017, according to Fairfield County property records.

    DuraFiber Technologies declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017. It operated three plants, including the Winnsboro facility. It employed around 800 people at all three locations, including 220 in Winnsboro.

    More than a century old, the Winnsboro property has housed several companies, including Uniroyal Goodrich Tire, Michelin North America and Invista.