Clinton City Council has taken action designed to forestall expense to the city in case residential developers damage the streets in their neighborhoods after the city accepts the streets into the municipal maintenance system.
Council approved on 2nd and final reading April 13 changes to the subdivision regulations that require inspection by an independent, qualified engineer selected by the City to inspect streets and report findings to the Public Works Director and the Planning Commission. Only then, and by passing inspection, can the City take responsibility for maintaining streets in subdivisions.
“This is a new ground for us,” City Manager Joey Meadors said, as about 1,000 new homes are permitted for construction in Clinton. Some subdivisions already are seeing damage from trucks, and some established subdivisions have road problems that are the developer’s, not the city’s, responsibility.
Council members said, however, it is frustrating for citizens to hear that the city “can’t do anything about it” when developers won’t respond.
City Planning Director Phil Lindler and Planning Commission Chairman Robbie Strickland discussed the ordinance changes with council. Concerns expressed by council included how much “hold up” a developer would experience having to go through a rigorous inspection process and subsequent approvals by the Planning Commission and the City Council.
In public comments on agenda items at the April 13 meeting, council received a request for support for youth program bringing in a pastor from Mississippi, heard concerns about heavy traffic and rowdy behavior, including a hit and run property damage, in the Livingston, Gary and Bell Street areas, and protection of the residential character of an area of Davidson and Musgrove streets (council later denied a zoning change request from residential to commercial, which would allow multi-family, in this area, it was previously turned down by the planning commission).
Council issued the following proclamations: April as Alcohol Awareness Month, April as Autism Awareness Month, and April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Council agreed to establish a Sick Leave Pool, designed to assist employees who experience a catastrophic medical condition. Meadors said the city has such a system, but he placed it on suspension after not being able to find where the Council established it by ordinance or agreement. Applications go to a board set up by pool members, who have donated 4 of their sick days to the pool, Meadors said.
Council authorized Meadors to match the money that the City could receive in a Community Development Block Grant. Clinton is in line to receive $950,000 in federal money, through a state grant program, for the Florida Street Sub-Basis Sewer Rehabilitation project. “This is our share of doing the engineering and other work,” Meadors said, “so we can send the application to CDBG to consider.”
Council agreed with Meadors’ suggestion to make a portion of West Pitts Street one-way between North Broad Street and Elizabeth Street. The city will install 21 angled parking spots on this street and adapt it, and neighboring Wall Street, as pedestrian-friendly. The additional parking is important now that the Laurens County Department of Social Services has moved into the City of Clinton’s MS Bailey Municipal Building, dramatically increasing the number of vehicles there.
The idea also fits into recommendations from a Safe Streets study of Uptown Clinton.
Council accepted a Planning Commission recommendation to annex property at Derby Lane and South Broad street for residential, amended the floodplain ordinance to reflect 2019 compliance with flood regulations, and set April 30 for an information, budget-work session discussion for the FY2026-27 document. Council discussed a contract - Animal Control with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office - in closed session.
