The way people can sign up to talk to the Laurens County Council about just anything is about to change.
County Council is about to pass a set of council rules that makes Public Comments at its meetings about agenda items only.
The idea is to have people who want to bring an issue to the council bring it to their council member first.
If the council member thinks it’s something the whole council needs to hear, he/she will request a place on the agenda. It’s not clear what happens if the council member won’t do that.
Council considered council rules at its April 14 regular monthly meeting. It changed the way law enforcement would work as the meeting’s sergeant-at-arms. Council Chairman Jeff Carroll wanted language that said a law enforcement officer would eject a disruptive person at the council chairman’s direction taken out of the rules. Carroll said that “direction” is not necessary - law enforcement officers know the law and they know when people are being disruptive.
But the council let stand this provision:
Section II Meetings, subsection E Public Comments - The language is:
“Prior to Council’s consideration of any item of business listed on the agenda, members of the public registering to speak on any item of business listed on the agenda for that night’s Council meeting all speak in the order in which they register, except that priority will be given to those persons indicating a desire to speak about an item on the agenda, and further priority will be given to those persons indicating a desire to speak about an item on the agenda for final consideration. The Chairman may permit additional time for speakers who have signed up before the meeting.”
No obscene, disruptive, or recklessly defamatory language is permitted.
No one can question a speaker, other than a Council member. The Chairman can schedule additional opportunities for presentations by the public as he deems appropriate.
At the April 14 meeting, there was a preview of how the new rule would work — the Mayor of Cross Hill was placed as a “report to council.”
Danny Stroud said there was a shooting on a town street and a stabbing on street, and “we would like to stop it, we ask for more police presence in town, a ride-by or put a (law enforcement) hub in the town.” The area in question is Shealy Street were the problem is not citizens, the mayor said, it’s people parking on the street. Stroud says citizens are complaining - they go to these people and say “you aren’t supposed to be here” but it hasn’t helped, he said.
“We opened town hall so officers can have a drink and a snack and we’ve had one come in. We ask for more presence of police in our town,” Stroud said.
“We’ll get together after the meeting,” Carroll said.
County Administrator Thomas Higgs reported on the state opioid settlement fund, and said the county needs to draw-down settlement funds by May 1. Proposed is a partnership with Play Safe in which a $1.9 Million program would provide anti-opioids education to 8,500 county students. Next, there would be a treatment component to the project.
Two people will be hired from within the community to take the anti-opioids message into schools, starting with children and branching it out to parents, the council was told. Council authorized a Memorandum of Understanding to get the program implemented.
For now, Council is operating under a policy that allows people to make comments about pretty much anything that’s on their minds. Sometimes in the past, people have asked about City of Laurens projects, and they have been re-directed to city hall. The new agenda-items-only rule would go into effect after 3rd reading of the overall council rules.
So, Johnny Lee Cook asked about getting a road in Cross Hill scrapped and about getting public water there.
Council Member Arthur Philson Jr. explained, “When the hurricane came through, they had no power or water. He is a Marine veteran and lives on a dirt road - 4 trees came down and his house had to be cut out so EMS could reach him.”
Nina Longshore also talked about Cook Road - “when the power goes out, we don’t have water. When the water line came through, there were just a few people. Now, there are a lot of people.”
They were asked to stay after the meeting
Mike Stagmiller made another presentation on what he thinks are the shortcomings of volunteer fire departments, especially in the Gray Court and Greenpond areas.
He claims there is a lack of safety in volunteer fire stations and waste of county taxes, and said, “I’m not sure why my concerns have fallen on deaf ears. The county has hot zone maps and we need more and better protection as the population increases. … Without manpower, we are going to continue to see houses burn to the ground.”
Presumably, under the new rules, these comments would not be allowed - instead, people would be directed in how to, possibly, get their concerns on the agenda.
In other business, Council proclaimed 911 education month, telecommunications week, and crime victims’ rights week.
Council made appointments to several boards and commission, with Philson voting no because he didn’t think the appointments were representative enough of the overall county population. Council moved ahead action to form an Agriculture Board - it would advise the council on ag issues and be the policy board for the new Agriculture-Business Center under construction at the County Fairgrounds in Laurens. Once the ordinance gets 3rd reading, Council members should be ready to make and approve these appointments, Carroll said.
Council moved along Project Wolf, an industry investing $9.5M to create 22 jobs at a location to be provided later, requiring an investment of $8M within 5 years.
Council turned down an offer of $3,000 for 3.3 acres of land at Catfish Cove, Waterloo. The property was deeded to the county in 2006 for a nominal amount for a drainage ditch, and now an adjacent property owner wants to acquire it because trees from the county property have fallen onto his property.
“It’s worth more than $3,000,” Philson said.
“I can’t think of a direct sale to a citizen (county transaction),” Council Member Brown Patterson said.
It needs to be sold as a sealed bid or at an auction seemed to be the consensus of council. The land is unbuildable, council was told, and the county administration “didn’t even know we owned it.”
The vote to reject the sale was 6-0 (council member Justin Lane was absent).
Council moved along a resolution and ordinance for Project Armor, an investment of $23M creating 24 jobs at 378 & 499 Hunter Industrial Park Road, Laurens, requiring an investment of $2.5M in 5 years. A few minutes later, at Patterson’s suggestion, council agreed to move the industry’s designation from the Octagon industrial park (as suggested by the Laurens County Development Corporation) to the Hunter Industrial Park, where it is actually located.
Octagon is not a geographic place; it is a collection of industries in various locations grouped as a joint industrial investment in Laurens and Greenville counties - that gives investors the most tax credits allowed by state law.
Patterson said if there is a legitimate reason why the project needs to be in Octagon, council can fix it at 3rd reading.
In council comments, Philson thanked people for coming to the meeting and said council needs to look at the county audit and consider cut-backs “to other people like the LCDC, we need to give to people who are in need.”
Patterson recognized April as child abuse prevention month.
Council Member Matthew Brownlee said he is very excited for the new agriculture committee and ag-business center, adding that it is possible a local livestock show could be staged there in August. He also thanked the Sheriff’s Office for “the tour of the jail a few weeks ago.”
Chairman Carroll said, “We are doing some heavy lifting for the county right now. We check each other. I am thankful for everyone up here and to be able to work with them.”
Laurens County Council also discussed 3 legal-related items in executive session for 67 minutes. Total meeting time was 2:21 hours.
