* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] GOOD EVENING EVERYONE, [1. Introductory Remarks] AND WELCOME TO OUR SEPTEMBER, UH, MONTHLY MEETING OF CLA COUNTY COUNCIL. WE'RE GONNA START OFF OUR MEETING, IF YOU WILL, BY STANDING FOR LORD PRAYER, FOLLOWED BY PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I HEAVEN DONE. OUR KINGDOM COME, I WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IS HEAVEN. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD AND GIVE US OUR TRESPASS AS WE GIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US. LEAD US NOT TEMPTATIONS, BUT DELIVER US EVIL. DINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER GLOBAL FOREVER. AMEN. I PLEDGE LEGAL TO FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ROLL. NEXT WE HAVE THE [4. Approval of Agenda ] APPROVAL OF TONIGHT'S AGENDA. DO I HAVE A MOTION? WE APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA. MOVE. CHAIRMAN. GOT A MOTION. COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON, SECOND. COUNCILMAN COKER. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP, WE HAVE APPROVAL [5. Approval of Minutes] OF THE MINUTES FROM LAST MONTH'S MEETING TO I HAVE A MOTION. WE APPROVED MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN RODIN. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP [6. Service Awards Recognition – Leonard Lowery, HR Director ] WE HAVE OUR SERVICE AWARD RECOGNITION WITH OUR HR DIRECTOR, MR. LEONARD LOWRY. GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIR AND COUNCIL AND CITIZENS OF CLANTON COUNTY. TONIGHT WE HAVE FIVE OF OUR EMPLOYEES WHO WILL BE RECEIVING SERVICE AWARDS. FIRST WARD, CAPTAIN KENNETH CLARK, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE. ALL RIGHT, CORPORAL CHANCE, T WELCH SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. UH, NEXT ENGINEERING COORDINATOR, HUNTER DENNY, WATER AND SEWER. FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE. THANK YOU. OFFICE COORDINATOR, JANIE M LAWSON, WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT. FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE. AND THIS NEXT EMPLOYEE, UH, IS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE THIS EVENING. FIREFIGHTER THREE, LEROY TODD, FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT. 10 YEARS OF SERVICE. LET'S GIVE ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES AGAIN, THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THIS COUNTY. NEXT WE HAVE [7. Public Comments (Total of five (5) available speaking spots, three (3) minutes per speaker) You must sign in with the Clerk before the meeting begins. ] OUR PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION. WE HAVE FIVE AVAILABLE SPOTS FOR THREE MINUTES A PIECE. PLEASE TRY AND KEEP IT AT THREE MINUTES TONIGHT. WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE SIGNED UP, MR. TERRY BLACKWELL. GOOD EVENING CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF COUNTY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS TARYN BLACKWELL. SOMEONE SAY, TARYN OLIER. I STAND BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, NOT ONLY AS A SON OF CLARINET COUNTY, BUT A SON OF THE CORONER OF JACQUELYN BLACKWELL. BUT AS SOMEONE WHO ALSO SPENT MANY YEARS INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY TONIGHT, EXCUSE ME. I'M A COMMUNITY ACTIVIST CHARACTER BUILDER, AND THROUGH MY PLATFORMS AND COMMUNITY WORK, I'VE HELPED OVER 700 NEW VOTERS IN THE ELECTORAL [00:05:01] PROCESS. I'VE ADVOCATED FOR THIS COMMUNICATE TO COMMUNITY AND CHALLENGE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE NEEDED TO BE CHANGED AND WORKED TO MAKE SURE THAT CLARE AND COUNTY IS BETTER. TONIGHT I STAND, HOWEVER, AS A SON WATCHING HIS MOTHER AS A PROFESSIONAL WOMAN IN THE CORONER'S OFFICE AND THE TIME SHE SPENT IN HER LIFE SERVING THIS COMMUNITY. LET IT BE CLEAR, I'M HERE FOR PURPOSE. I UNDERSTAND THE FLIGHT SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT COUNTY COUNCIL HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS CONTROL SPENDING AND MAINTAIN HEALTHY FUND BALANCE. I AM NOT STANDING HERE SAYING THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY REQUEST, BUT I AM ASKING YOU TO PUT, LOOK AT A PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN A TRAILBLAZING AND HISTORICAL FIT IN THE COMMUNITY. THE ELECTION SHOW, THE PEOPLE SHOW. IT'S NOT ABOUT WHETHER THE COURT'S OFFICE HAS RESOURCES NECESSARILY ABOUT THE JOB. EVERYTHING. WHAT I'M TALKING IS THE COUNTY HAS THEIR OWN RECORDS OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COURT'S OFFICE, MEDICAL EXPENSES, EQUIPMENT, FUEL. AS THE PREDECESSOR HAD EARLY, UH, 200 AND SOMETHING DEATHS A YEAR AND ENDED IN 385. SHE STARTED AT 360 4 AND IT CONTINUED GROWING. WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT CRIME HAS CRIME INCREASE OR THE ACTIVITY INCREASE, WE DON'T ASK THEM TO KEEP THE SAME AS THE YEARS BEFORE WE INCREASE THEIR FUNDING. WE GIVE THEM ENOUGH OFFICERS, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO KEEP THE EXCELLENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY. THE COURT OFFICE I WATCH AS SHE, THEY HANDLE BOTH ADMINISTRATION WORK AND BEING IN THE FIELD WITH ALL THESE PRESENT DEATHS THAT'S HAPPENING IN CLARINE COUNTY. THE LITTLE BUDGET, NOT SAYING ALL THE BUDGET THAT WAS TAKEN, BUT SOME OF IT CAN HELP WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR. THEY CAN DO MORE JOB WORK IN THE CO'S OFFICE. THEY HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE, BUT HELP IS NEEDED. AND THAT BUDGET THAT WAS CUT WAS A BIG HELP THAT WAS NEEDED. NOW, SO MY QUESTION IS SIMPLE. ARE WE FUNDING THE CORONER'S OFFICE ACCORDING TO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WORKLOAD THAT'S HAPPENING TODAY? NOT BEFORE, BUT TODAY. IT IS A LOT. I'VE SEEN IT MYSELF. I'M IN THE COMMUNITY. I TALK TO THE PEOPLE. I'VE NEVER WATCHED A PERSON GO TO ALMOST 60% OF THE FUNERALS, BLACK OR WHITE IN THIS COMMUNITY, THE VOTE SHOWED THAT THEY LOVE HER. I NEED COUNTY COUNSEL TO SHOW THAT THEY ALSO SUPPORT HER TO MAINTAIN THE EXCELLENCE THAT SHE DESERVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. BLACKWELL. NEXT UP WE HAVE MR. GEORGE FREON WHO WANTS TO TALK ABOUT HISTORY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, AS ALWAYS. UM, I'M GLAD WE HAVE THE MEDIA HERE TONIGHT. MR. MR. MAPLE, GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE TELLING ME THE MEDIA IS THE ENEMY, THE PEOPLE, BUT, UH, THE MEDIA IS GOOD BECAUSE THEY REPORT WHAT HAPPENS. NOW, I'M FROM THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION. THAT'S WHY I'M A VIETNAM VETERAN. I WENT IN THE MILITARY TO GET OUT OF THE MILITARY, ALRIGHT? I WAS A PART OF WHAT YOU CALL THE DRAFT. AND, UM, I'VE PROUDLY SERVED AND I'M STANDING BEHIND A YOUNG MAN WHO HAS SERVED. HE'S A NAVY VETERAN, SO IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD. UH, YOU KNOW, HIS MOTHER AND I WENT TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SHE WAS ONE YEAR BEHIND ME IN SCHOOL. AND, UM, I'VE KNOWN HER BASICALLY ALL HER LIFE. IN FACT, HER MOTHER, MS. HENRIETTA, UH, BLACKWELL ACTUALLY IS MY BIRTHDAY BUDDY. I WAS BORN ON HER BIRTH 19TH BIRTHDAY. SO WE, UM, WE HAVE CONNECTIONS HERE. SO NOW, IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF CLA COUNTY, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE FOR STAYING HERE AND SERVING THE COUNTY. IF YOU CAME TO CLA COUNTY WITH GOOD INTENTIONS TO DO GOOD, WE WANT YOU TO STAY. BUT NOW, IF YOU CAME HERE TO BENEFIT OF CLA COUNTY, WE WANT YOU GO AND I SAY WE, I THINK I'M SPEAKING FOR MOST PEOPLE NOW. I HEARD ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TODAY AND, UM, WELL, I'M, I'LL BE SEVEN, FOUR YEARS OLD. MY BIRTHDAY DECEMBER THE NINTH, IF Y'ALL WANT TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL GETTING ME SOME BIRTHDAY PRESENT. I LIKE MY BIRTHDAY IS DECEMBER THE NINTH. MS. HENRY S BACK. BLACKWELL'S BIRTHDAY WAS DECEMBER THE NINTH, 1933. SO MINE IS DECEMBER THE NINTH, 1952. NOW, I WAS BORN ON THE VERY DAY. BROWN VERSUS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WAS ARGUE BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. I SAID, WOW, GOD GOT THAT WAS CENTRAL HUMOR. NOW, MS. CAROLINE JOHNSON JOHNSON GIN THAT WAS IN DAVID STATION, SOUTH CAROLINA WAS STARTED BY HER IN [00:10:01] 1866. SHE GIN CARTON FOR BLACKS AND WHITES AND FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND, UH, I I I WANNA SAY OUR SINGER, BARRY WHITE, HE MADE A SONG CALLED PLAYING YOUR GABI. HE ALSO SENT ME A SONG CALLED PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. BARRY WHITE WAS BORN IN SEPTEMBER, 1944. THANK YOU, IN GALVESTON, TEXAS. GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU MR. GEORGE. NEXT UP [8. Authorization to place an honorary sign honoring the Alcolu Native, Hallow Wilson. ] WE HAVE THE AUTHORIZATION TO PLACE AN HONORARY SIGN HONORING ALU NATIVE HOLLOW WILSON. YEAH, MR. CHAIRMAN. UM, AT THE LAST MEETING, UH, GENTLEMAN CAME AND DID A PRESENTATION ON, UM, ONE OF THE ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. MR. HOWARD WILSON, UH, GAVE A LOT OF DETAILS AND HE WAS A MILITARY VETERAN AND A BOXER DID A BUNCH OF WONDERFUL THINGS. AND THAT GENTLEMAN CAME BACK OUT WITH ME. UH, WHAT HE WANTS TO DO A COPY OF IT HERE IN THIS PACKET SOMEWHERE. UM, GIMME ONE SECOND. I'LL SHOW YOU THE PICTURE. HE WANTS TO ORDER A SIGN AND IT'S A COMMEMORATE SIGN SO WE'RE NOT, HE, HE WOULDN'T BE CHANGING THE, THE ROADWAY NAME. IT WOULD BE A BROWN SIGN THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS AND IT SAYS HONORARY HALL WILSON WAY. AND HE WOULD AFFIX IT TO THE SAME SIGN POST THAT'S ALREADY THERE ON EACH END OF THAT ROAD. AND THEY'LL HAVE A CEREMONY PRESENTING THIS AND DOCUMENTING FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK IT'S KIND OF A WONDERFUL WAY TO GO. WE GOT ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS? OKAY, DO I HAVE A MOTION? WE APPROVE. SECOND. I GOT A MO MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN RODIN. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARD. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED. AND A MOTION CARRIED. NEXT, WE [9. Resolutions] HAVE RESOLUTION 2026 DASH OH FIVE A RESOLUTION ADOPTING CLAREDON COUNTY PUBLIC FACILITY NAMING POLICY AND AUTHORITY, THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND ADMINISTER TO THE POLICY. UM, SO YOU WANT, YOU WANT THIS IS IS, IS A VERY SIMPLE RESOLUTION. UH, IT SAYS COUNSEL HAS IS AGREEING THAT THEY WON'T NAME PUBLIC FACILITIES AFTER PEOPLE UNTIL THEY ARE DECEASED. IF WE WANT TO HONOR SOMEONE, WE, WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL THEY'RE DECEASED. UM, THERE HAS BEEN QUITE A BIT OF TROUBLE CALLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE IN THE PAST BY NAMING PEOPLE WHO WERE STILL ALIVE AND THEN THEY GO AND DO BAD THINGS AND THEN WE HAVE TO UNDO THAT. UM, THIS WOULD NOT STOP COUNCIL FROM NAMING THINGS AFTER PLACES, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS. UM, BUT THIS IS JUST DEALING WITH, WITH INDIVIDUALS. UM, SO IT'S JUST A GOOD, KIND OF A GOOD PRACTICE FOR CASE. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION? I'D MAKE A MOTION. I GOT A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN COPE. SECOND. SECOND. COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR. A ALL OPPOSED MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP IN THIS SAME, UH, RESOLUTION, WE WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TONIGHT THAT WE ARE GOING TO NAME CLAREDON COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY AFTER MR. AC ENGLISH. AND WE HAVE SOME MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY HERE TONIGHT. WE WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO COME UP AND, UM, LET'S GET A PICTURE IF WE, IF WE CAN. HUH? WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO READ IT? THAT'S FINE. I DIDN'T HAVE THAT IN MY PAPER. OKAY. AND WHERE'S MS. SUSAN AT? DID SHE, IS SUSAN STILL HERE OR DOES SHE HAVE TO LEAVE? LET ME, UM, CAN, CAN YOU TAKE CARE OF THAT? AND WHILE WE'RE GETTING PHOTOGRAPHS, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF IT'S OKAY, I WILL READ THE RESOLUTION. UH, THIS IS THE RESOLUTION NAMING THE CLATON COUNTY ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY AS THE AC ENGLISH ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY IN HONOR OF THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF ANDREW CARL AC ENGLISH JR. WHEREAS ANDREW CARL AC ENGLISH JR. IS A CHERISHED MEMBER OF THE CLARINET COUNTY COMMUNITY. GAVE THE WHOLE OF HIS LIFE THROUGH THE SERVICE OF CLARINET COUNTY, THE PEOPLE WHO CALL IT HOME. AND WHEREAS AFTER SERVING HIS COUNTRY AS AN OFFICER IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, AC RETURNED TO MANNING AND DEVOTED HIS PROFESSIONAL TO THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT AND CASHIER AND CONTINUING HIS SERVICE AS A MEMBER OF HIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNTIL HIS PASSING. AND WHEREAS AC ENGLISH [00:15:01] MADE HIS PROFESSION A SERVICE TO HIS NEIGHBORS, TENDING FAITHFULLY TO THE FINANCIAL NEEDS OF THE FAMILIES AND BUSINESS BUSINESSES OF CLATON COUNTY AND EARNING THEIR LASTING TRUST THROUGH HIS INTEGRITY AND SOUND COUNSEL. AND WHEREAS AC ENGLISH WAS A LEADER IN HIS PROFESSION AND IN CIVIC LIFE, SERVING AS PRESIDENT OF THE INDIVID INDEPENDENT BANKERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AS A MEMBER OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA BANKERS ASSOCIATION, AND FOR FIVE DECADES IN THE MANNING ROTARY CLUB, WHICH HONORED HIM AS A PAUL HARRIS FELLOW. AND WHEREAS AC ENGLISH GAVE GENEROUSLY OF HIS TIME TO THE INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS OF THIS COMMUNITY, SERVING 11 YEARS AS A TRUSTEE OF CLARINET COUNTY SCHOOL, DISTRICT TWO, TWO AS ITS CHAIRMAN AND A TRUSTEE OF CENTRAL CAROLINA TECHNICAL COLLEGE. AND WHEREAS ANSWERING A CALL TO PUBLIC SERVICE, AC ENGLISH WAS ELECTED TO CLARINET COUNTY COUNCIL IN 2008 AND SERVED THIS COUNTY FAITHFULLY ACROSS FOUR TERMS UNTIL JANUARY, 2025. GUIDING THE COUNTY AND ITS COUNCIL WAS STEADY AND THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP. AND WHEREAS AC ENGLISH WAS A DEVOTED MEMBER OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT MANNING, WHERE HE SERVED AS A DEACON AND ELDER AND A FAITHFUL HUSBAND, FATHER, AND GRANDFATHER TO THE FAMILY WHO SURVIVED HIM. AND WHEREAS AC DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON APRIL 19TH, 2026, LEAVING THE CLARENDON COUNTY A LEGACY OF SERVICE INTEGRITY AND DEVOTION THAT MERITS THE LASTING RECOGNITION AND GRATITUDE OF THE COUNTY AND ITS CITIZENS. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF CLARINET COUNTY, THAT THE COUNTY'S ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY IS HEREBY NAMED AND SHALL HEREAFTER BE KNOWN AS THE AC ENGLISH ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY AND LASTING RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE CHARACTER AND SERVICE OF ANDREW CARL AC ENGLISH JUNIOR TO CLARINET COUNTY AND ITS CITIZENS. AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE COUNTY SHALL MAKE PROVISION FOR SUITABLE SIGNAGE AND DEDICATION AND PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS LIFE OF SERVICE DONE AND RESOLVED IN A MEETING OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF CLA COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. DULY ASSEMBLED THIS 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2026. IF YOU A MOTION, DO I HAVE A MOTION WE PASS THIS RESOLUTION NAMING ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY AFTER MR. AC ENGLISH? YES. GOT A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN RODIN. A SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. MS. ANN, THANK YOU FOR SHARING HIM WITH THE COUNTY. UM, YOU DON'T REALLY REALIZE UNTIL YOU SIT UP HERE THAT THIS IS NOT JUST A A ONE PERSON JOB. THIS IS, THIS IS A FAMILY THING. ONCE YOU GET INVOLVED IN IT, I MEAN IT'S, UH, E EVERYBODY'S GOTTA BE ON BOARD FOR SURE. AND, AND WE WANNA THANK YOU FOR, FOR SHARING HIM WITH US. NEXT UP, WE HAVE A RESOLUTION IN THAT SAME RESOLUTION TO NAME THE CLATON COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY. AFTER THE REVEREND WJ FRIERSON, IT WILL BE NAMED REVEREND W WILLIAM JAMES WJ FRIERSON SENIOR PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY. MS. KAY, IF YOU AND ANY OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD, I'M IN TROUBLE THAN NOT HERE. THERE'LL BE MORE OPPORTUNITY MR. CHAIRMAN, IF IT'S OKAY, WHILE Y'ALL DOING THAT, I'LL READ THE RESOLUTION. YOU GOT SOME FRIENDS PROBABLY WANNA TAKE PICTURE WITH YOU. ANY, ANY, UM, CLARATON COUNTY DISTRICT TWO, UH, SUPPORTERS OF KAY WOULD LIKE TO COME AND STAND WITH YOU. PLEASE DO SO. MY CHILDREN ARE NOT HERE. THEY'RE GONNA BE VERY ALRIGHT AS THEY GATHER. MR. CHAIRMAN, THIS IS A RESOLUTION NAMING THE CLARINET COUNTY PUBLIC SERVICES FACILITY AS THE REVEREND WJ FRIERSON PUBLIC SERVICES FACILITY IN HONOR OF THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF REVEREND WILLIAM JAMES WJ FRIERSON SR. WHEREAS REVEREND WILLIAM JAMES WJ FRIERSON SR. A NATIVE SON OF CLAREDON COUNTY, DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO THE SERVICE OF GOD AND TO THE PEOPLE OF CLAREDON COUNTY AND HIS COMMUNITIES. AND WHEREAS REVEREND FRIERSON ANSWERED THE CALL TO MINISTER TO AND SHEPHERD THE FAITHFUL FOR MANY YEARS, INCLUDING 18 YEARS AS PASTOR OF LOVELY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH OF HOLLY HILL, OFFERING COMFORT, GUIDANCE, AND HOPE TO ALL WHO CAME WITHIN HIS CARE AND SERVED AS A LEADER IN THE LOCAL CHURCH COMMUNITY AS VICE MODERATOR OF THE ORANGEBURG CALHOUN MISSIONARY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION. AND WHEREAS REVEREND FRIERSON GAVE COUNTLESS HOURS OF HIS TIME TO SERVE HIS HOME OF CLARINET COUNTY, SERVING ON CLARINET COUNTY COUNCIL ACROSS EIGHT TERMS AND 30 YEARS STANDING THROUGHOUT AS A STEADFAST AND TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR THE CITIZENS OF CLARINET COUNTY. AND WHEREAS REVEREND FRIERSON DEVOTED HIMSELF TO CIVIC AND COMMUNITY LIFE AS A MEMBER OF THE MANNING BRANCH OF THE NAACP, A STEWARD [00:20:01] OF LOCAL EDUCATION THROUGH, THROUGH HIS SERVICE ON THE BOARD OF PHOENIX CENTER CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL AND THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL OF CLARINET COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TWO. AND WHEREAS REVEREND RYERSON'S WISDOM AND LEADERSHIP EXTENDED BEYOND THE BORDERS OF CLATON COUNTY, SERVING ON THE STATE COMMISSION ON JUDICIAL CONDUCT PANEL AND THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES. AND WHEREAS REVEREND FRIERSON WAS A DEVOTED HUSBAND, FATHER, GRANDFATHER, AND GREAT-GRANDFATHER TO THE FAMILY WHO SURVIVED HIM AND A BELOVED FRIEND TO COUNTLESS OTHERS THROUGHOUT CLARENDON COUNTY. AND WHEREAS REVEREND WJ FRIERSON SR MADE HIS TRANSITION ON DECEMBER 26TH, 2025, LEAVING TO CLAREDON COUNTY LEGACY OF FAITH, LEADERSHIP AND UNSELFISH SERVICE THAT MERITS LASTING RECOGNITION AND GRATITUDE OF THE COUNTY ITS OFFICIALS AND CITIZENS. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF CLARINET COUNTY, THAT THE COUNTY'S PUBLIC SERVICES FACILITY IS HEREBY NAMED AND SHALL HEREAFTER BE KNOWN AS THE REVEREND WJ FRIERSON PUBLIC SERVICES FACILITY AND LASTING RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE LEADERSHIP MINISTRY AND SERVICE OF REVEREND FRIERSON TO CLATON COUNTY AND ITS CITIZENS. AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE COUNTY SHALL MAKE PROVISION FOR SUITABLE SIGNAGE AND DEDICATION AND PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS LIFE OF SERVICE. DUNNING RESOLVED IN A MEETING OF THE CLATON COUNTY COUNT. THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF CLATON COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA DULY ASSEMBLED THIS 14TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2026. AND ONCE AGAIN, I'M GOING TO NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THAT. MAKE A MOTION. GOT A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN COKER. SECOND. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIED. OUR PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY IS NOW KNOWN AS W REVEREND WJ FOR IERSON PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY. NEXT UP IS ORDINANCE 2026 [10. Ordinance 2026-11 ] DASH 11, CONSIDERATION OF THIRD AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 11 AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A POLICY REGARDING RE REQUEST FOR PUBLIC RECORDS UNDER THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. DO I HAVE A MOTION? DO I HAVE A MOTION THAT WE PASS THIS ORDINANCE CHAIR MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RODIN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING [11. Public Hearing – Ordinance 2026-13 ] ON ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 13, AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CLAREDON COUNTY ORDINANCE 2025 DASH OH SEVEN, WHICH APPROVED AND ADOPTED FISCAL YEAR BUDGET FOR CLAREDON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. YES SIR. MR. CHAIRMAN, THIS WOULD BE, UM, A PUBLIC HEARING. WE ARE PROPOSING AN ORDINANCE THAT WILL TAKE SOME OF OUR EXCESS THAT WE HAD SOME LEFTOVER MONEY FROM 25 26 AND USE IT TO FUND A PORTION OF OUR UPCOMING DEBT SERVICE NEEDS, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO LOWER OUR DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE AND ALSO TO FUND, UM, FUTURE CAPITAL PROJECT NEEDS, WHICH WOULD OFFSET THE NEED TO BORROW MONEY AND ULTIMATELY LOWER TAXES IN THE LONG RUN. AND AS WELL AS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT USING SOME OF THEIR EXISTING FUND BALANCE TO PAY FOR A PORTION OF THE NEW FIRETRUCK. UH, WE WERE INITIALLY BUDGETED TO PURCHASE THAT FIRETRUCK BY ISSUING DEBT, BUT THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY CAUSE AN INCREASE IN TAXES, MILLAGE, AND ADDITIONAL TAXES TO THE, WE HAD ENOUGH SAVINGS TO PAY FOR THE BULK OF THE TRUCK AND WE WANNA DIP INTO THEIR, THEIR SAVINGS ACCOUNT JUST A LITTLE BIT TO PAY FOR THE REST SO WE DON'T HAVE TO TAX ANYBODY GOING FORWARD. OKAY. SO ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO SPEAK ON THIS SUBJECT, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPEN. GOOD EVENING CHAIRMAN, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR COUNCIL HALL . PATRICIA PRINGLE. THANK YOU. CLATON COUNTY AUDITOR AND I'M ALSO CHAIRMAN OF THE CLATON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY. SINCE WE HAVE AN ACCESS, UH, A, A SET ACCESS OF THOSE FUNDS, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK COUNCIL TO CONSIDER REFUNDING THE CLATON COUNTY CORONER'S BUDGET. 'CAUSE UM, AS YOU KNOW OF, THERE ARE, AS HER SON STATED EARLIER, UM, TERRY, THAT THERE IS SUCH A NEED HERE IN CLARINE [00:25:01] COUNTY TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE SERVICES THAT THE CORONER OFFICE HAD BEEN PROVIDING. UM, IN THE YEARS, YOU KNOW, SINCE SHE HAS BEEN CORONER. AND I KNOW YOU NOTICE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS THE NUMBER OF FATALITIES THAT WE'VE HAD ON I 95 AND NOW THE WINNER'S COMING UP. UM, AND I'M SURE WE CANNOT, YOU KNOW, PREDICT HOW MANY DEATHS THAT WE GOING TO HAVE. SO WOULD YOU CONSIDER USING SOME OF THAT EXCESS FUNDS TO HELP, UM, REFUND THE CORONER'S BUDGET? THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. JUDGE. SENIOR. MR. CHAIRMAN? UM, I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING AND MANAGEMENT, SO IT COMES TO MONEY ACCOUNT. FUNNY ABOUT MONEY. OKAY. UM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL DE BENEFIT FROM THIS ORDINANCE. OKAY, THAT'S ONE QUESTION. NOW I, MY CHURCH IS DOWN ON 3 0 1 AND I NOTICED THE EMS CONSTANTLY GOING PAST 3 0 1. DOWN 3 0 1. AND, AND I, I I, I, I DID, I HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT UNTIL LATELY. SO I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S AN EXCESS OF PEOPLE MOVING OVER TO TURVILLE AREA OR WHAT, BUT I NOTICED THERE'S A BUNCH OF EMSS COMING UP AND DOWN 3 0 1 'CAUSE I'M WORKING AT THE CHURCH. AND ALSO THE OTHER THING, ROAD FEE WILL JUST ALSO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE PLEASANT GROVE ROAD IS ACTUALLY PAVED FROM AU UM, ALDERMAN BRANCH ROAD UP TO THE PALLET FARM. BUT FROM 3 0 1 UP TO THE PALLET FARM, IT'S DIRT. WE THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. JONES. I THINK, I THINK THE, THE EXCESS FUNDS ARE ALREADY APPROPRIATED TO PAY FOR THE FIRE TRUCK. YES, SIR. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE? REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID. THE FUNDS ALREADY WHEN WE VOTE ON, WHEN WE VOTE ON IT, IT'LL BE TO, TO PAY FOR A FIRE TRUCK. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BORROW THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE FIRETRUCK. I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE NEED WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FIRE TRUCKS AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT, BUT I WANT YOU TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE JOB THAT THE CORONER DOES. THINK ABOUT. IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT PASSES AWAY OVER THERE IN REINI AS, AND SOMEONE PASSED AWAY ENVIRONMENTAL AND SHE'S ONLY ONE PERSON AND GOT ONE HALF A PERSON TO HELP HER, THEY CAN'T BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONE TIME. I'M ASKING YOU PLEASE CONSIDER INCREASING HER BUDGET, GIVING HER BACK WHAT YOU, WHAT WAS TAKEN FROM HER, ADDING MORE MONEY TO HER BUDGET BECAUSE THAT'S A JOB. NONE OF US IN HERE KNOWS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A COER. AS A PASTOR, I'VE SEEN THE WORK OF CORONERS, I'VE SEEN THE WORK OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS AND I KNOW FROM MY OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, THEIR JOB IS NOT EASY AND EVERY BIT OF FUNDING IS NECESSARY. SO I'M ASKING THIS COUNTY, PLEASE CONSIDER WHAT WAS ASKED OF YOU BY THE CORONER BY HER SON TERE AND BY THE COUNTY AUDITOR AND BY ME AND THE CITIZENS OF CLARINE COUNTY. DON'T. THE BIBLE TELLS US NOT TO MUZZLE THE OX THAT T OUT THE CORNER. WHAT THAT MEANS IS YOU GOT AN OX WORKING IN THE FIELD, DON'T HOLD HIM BACK. LET HIM DO THE JOB. GIVE WHAT IS NEEDED TO DO THE JOB. OUR CORNER IS A GREAT CORNER. SHE DOES A GREAT JOB AND YOU ALL CAN SEE THAT FROM HER WORK IN THE COMMUNITY. DON'T MUZZLE HER FROM DOING HER JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. DAVIS. CHAIRMAN MEMBER TO THE COUNCIL. I'M KATHLEEN LAWSON GIBSON. I CANNOT SIT HERE AND NOT SUPPORT WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE CORONER'S OFFICE. IF YOU CAN'T GIVE HER ALL WHAT YOU TOOK AWAY, GIVE US SOME OF IT BACK. NONE OF US CAN DO WHAT SHE DOES. THAT'S A GREAT JOB. [00:30:01] SO FIND IT IN YOUR HEARTS. FIND IT IN YOUR BUDGET TO GIVE THE CORONER'S OFFICE MORE MONEY. WE ARE LOOKING AT YOU GUYS TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND WE THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. CAROLINE. HELLO, COUNSEL. MY NAME IS TAMELA GREEN AND I STAND BEFORE YOU BECAUSE I LO I MY, ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS LOST HIS POSITION IN THE CORONER'S OFFICE HERE IN CLAREDON COUNTY. JOBS IS NOT HARDLY EVER AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE. AS, AS A VETERAN THAT HAVE TWO MASTER'S DEGREES. I HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING A JOB, SO MY FAMILY MEMBER HAD TO STRUGGLE TO FEED HIS FAMILY BECAUSE HIS POSITION WAS CUT. BUT WE MOVE ON AND NOT THINK ABOUT IT. AND HIS POSITION WAS PAID BY THE STATE. LET'S THINK ABOUT THAT. LET'S THINK ABOUT HOW FAMILIES GET FED. GOD TELLS US TO LOOK OUT FOR THOSE IN NEED. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. ANYBODY ELSE? YES. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS SUNDAY SANTIAGO. I AM A RESIDENT HERE OF MANNING AND I ALSO AM, UH, UH, OWNER OF, UH, DIGITAL, UM, EXCUSE ME, I'M, I OWN A, A SMALL BUSINESS. AND BASICALLY, UM, AS I WAS STANDING, AS I WAS SITTING THERE AND I WAS LISTENING TO EVERYONE SPEAK ABOUT THE CORONER, I JUST HAVE ONE THING TO ASK YOU GUYS. WHEN YOU GUYS VOTE ON THE DECISION, IS THERE A WAY WE CAN MAKE THE, IS THERE A WAY WE CAN MAKE THE INFORMATION PUBLIC SO THAT THEY CAN SEE EXACTLY WHY THEY ARE NOT GETTING WHAT THEY ASKED FOR? IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN BREAK DOWN EXACTLY WHY THEY ARE NOT GETTING WHAT THEY ASKED FOR? IS THERE A WAY THAT THE PUBLIC CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHY THIS IS HAPPENING THE WAY IT'S HAPPENING? AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY MA'AM. MA'AM, ALL OF THAT WAS PUBLIC ACTUALLY. BUT THE REASON WE MADE OUR DECISION LIKE THAT WAS EVERY CORONER'S OFFICE IN THIS STATE, WE BASED IT ON THE SIZE COUNTY. THIS WAS HOW MANY DEATHS IT WAS. MM-HMM . AND I BELIEVE SHE, THAT DEPARTMENT'S OVER IS, IS ACTUALLY MAKING MORE, IS GETTING MORE IN THEIR BUDGET THAN ANY COUNTY. THAT SILENCE NEARLY THOUGH. OKAY, WELL DEATH WISE POPULATION, OKAY, DEATH WISE AND, HOLD ON, HOLD ON. LEMME FINISH. MM-HMM . AND EVERYBODY THINKS THAT'S THE ONLY DEPARTMENT WE CUT. WE DID NOT, WE CUT A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS AND WE CUT DEPARTMENTS MORE MONEY THAN WE CUT HER. OKAY. YEP. OKAY. WELL CAN I ALSO SAY THIS, YOU SAID THAT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, HOW MUCH? WELL NOT EXCLUDING THE SALARY INCREASES, IT WAS ABOUT $300,000 THAT WAS CUT OUT OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. THE ONLY THING BLOWING UP IS THE CORONER'S OFFICE. WE DIDN'T JUST CUT THE CORONER'S OFFICE, WE CUT A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS. OKAY. YOU SAID THIS WAS MADE PUBLICLY, BUT MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE A A A MAIN SOURCE? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENDAS, A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES. THE PUBLIC, LIKE RESIDENTS LIKE ME WHO IS NOT A PART OF ANY COUNCIL OR ANY TYPE OF, UM, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT TO CALL YOU GUYS, BUT LIKE RESIDENTS LIKE ME WHO, WHO LIVE IN THE, THE CITY WHO DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF THE, UM, THE, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON, LIKE WHERE DO WE FIND THIS SPECIFIC INFORMATION? IT, IT'S EASILY FOUND. YOU CAN GO BACK ON OUR WEBSITE AND WATCH THE, THE VIDEOS OF THE COUNCIL MEETINGS AND THAT INFORMATION WAS PUT UP. SO I HAD TO WATCH A VIDEO IN ORDER TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT'S NEEDED AND I HAD TO FOLLOW THE VIDEO AND TRANSCRIBE IT MYSELF. IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TO ME. NO MA'AM. YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRANSCRIBE ANYTHING. IT'S, IT'S ALL OUT THERE FOR, FOR THE VIEWING. BUT ALL THE NUMBERS THAT ARE ON IT AND INFORMATION THAT'S PRESENTED IN DETAIL FOR US TO REALLY UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I HEAR YOU SAYING THAT THERE'S OTHER, IT WAS ONLY, IT WAS ONLY THREE, THE THREE THAT WAS ON THE BUDGET, IT WAS THREE DIFFERENT READINGS SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WATCH BUT THREE COUNCIL MEETINGS. YEAH. I'M THINKING IT WAS THE JUNE 8TH MEETING WHERE, WHERE MOST OF THE STUFF ABOUT THE CORONER CAME OUT. BUT MR. CHAIRMAN, IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO ELABORATE ON, ON ANY OF THIS FURTHER, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO YOU WANNA COME UP DO MONEY DECISION? MM-HMM. THE DECISION MADE FOR YOU BUY FIRE. YEP, YEP. EXACTLY. NO MA'AM. THAT THAT, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT SOURCE OF FUNDS THAT THE FIRETRUCK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CAR'S BUDGET. BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING. YOU'RE SAYING THAT THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT SOURCE OF FUNDS. SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE ANY WAY WE COULD SEE ALL THE ALLOCATED FUNDS IN ONE SPACE INSTEAD [00:35:01] OF HAVING TO KEEP WATCHING? YES MA'AM. IT, IT'S, IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE. OUR BUDGET DOCUMENT IS ON OUR WEBSITE. IT'S VERY, VERY DETAILED AND YOU CAN GO AND LOOK AT EVERY BIT OF IT. OKAY. WELL, UM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND DO SOME MORE RESEARCH 'CAUSE I DID LOOK AT YOUR BUDGET AND I, UH, I MEAN I DID LOOK AT THE WEBSITE AND IT'S VERY, VERY COMPLICATED TO, UM, MANEUVER, ESPECIALLY AS A RESIDENT. SO, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN. NELSON CAN HELP YOU. I'M SORRY? YOU GIMME YOUR EMAIL? YES, I CAN. YEP. SURE. THANK YOU. LET ME SAY THAT I DID IT IN MY SPEECH. SAY I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS CUT OTHER BUDGETS. YOU KNOW, I DID, DID SAY THAT IN MY SPEECH. I DID SAY THAT IT'S YOUR JOB AS, AS THE COUNCIL TO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMMUNITY, THE TAXPAYERS AND SO FORTH. I DID SAY THAT. ALRIGHT. I DIDN'T SAY THE NUMBERS, THE 700,000. I DIDN'T, THE 1 42, I DIDN'T MENTION NUMBERS FOR A REASON. YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD, ANYTIME YOU GUYS TALK SHOULD LET PEOPLE KNOW, HEY, THIS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING AND IN DETAIL, THIS IS HOW WE HAVE, WE HAVE A SURPLUS OF THIS AMOUNT, WHICH IS A A LOT OF MONEY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF MONEY. AND I, I I'M IN THIS COMMUNITY, UH, AND I, I DO A LOT OF WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY. I KNOW WHAT GOES ON TO TRADE SOME OF THE STUFF FOR A FIRETRUCK WHEN SOME OF THE COUNTIES CAN'T EVEN GET FIRE TRUCKS. YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE GOT BEAUTIFUL FIRE TRUCKS AND BEAUTIFUL CARS AND BEAUTIFUL STUFF AND A LOT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT I KNOW AROUND HERE BECAUSE WE SEE 'EM EVERYWHERE. EVERYWHERE, YOU KNOW, EVERYWHERE. IT'S LIKE THEY DOUBLING. BUT WE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER, BUT DO NOT TRADE THE COMPASSION AND EXCELLENCE IT TAKES TO GO TO SOMEONE HOME AND BE THERE THROUGHOUT A WHOLE PROCESS. AND WE ARE ALL ALSO DOUBLING IN AMOUNTS OF DEATHS. I HAVE THE PROOF OF 208 DEATHS STARTING WITH THE LAST CORNER ENDING IN 8 3 85. SHE STARTED AT 360 4. RIGHT NOW WE ON PACE TO BEAT THAT NUMBER FROM LAST YEAR. I'M AT CLARITY CARE DURING THE POWERPOINT, AS I SEE AS MANY DEATHS GOING THROUGH THE FACES AND THE FAMILIES OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED ALONG IN CLARAN COUNTY. WE AS A PEOPLE, WE CAN'T SIT BACK AND WATCH SOMEONE BUY A NEW FIRE TRUCK WHEN WE HAVE OTHER THINGS. THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO LOSING PEOPLE, FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND SO FORTH. GIVE WHAT NEEDED. AND I, I KNOW IT'S A WAY THAT IT CAN COMPROMISE, BUT TO SAY THAT Y'ALL ALREADY HAVE A DECISION, WHAT IS USED FOR THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT. SEE, WE DIDN'T, WE'RE NOT BUYING THE FIRETRUCK. LIKE RIGHT NOW, WE MADE A DECISION THAT WE HAD TO HAVE A FIRE TRUCK. HOW LONG AGO? TWO, THREE YEARS AGO. THREE. IT'S JUST COMING UP. THAT'S HOW LONG IT TAKES TO BILL 'EM AND GET 'EM IN. WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT JUST POPPED UP AND SAY WE'RE ORDERING FIRE TRUCKS. I UNDERSTAND FIRE TRUCK'S JUST COMING IN AND WE, WE GONNA HAVE TO START PAYING. I UNDERSTAND. SO INSTEAD OF PAYING THE, THE HIGH INTEREST, I'M NOT REAL SURE THE MONEY, BUT BEING, BEING OUTSIDE OF THAT NOTICE THAT PEOPLE, WE, WE ARE GETTING OLDER AS WE RETURN HOME. MY FRIENDS HAVE GONE OUT THEIR OWN BUSINESSES CAME VERY SUCCESSFUL. WHERE SOME OF US TEACH AT HARVARD, WHERE SOME OF US WORK FOR NASA, WE'RE COMING BACK HOME. WE'RE GONNA INVOLVE OURSELF IN THE COMMUNITY. WE WANT Y'ALL TO REMEMBER THAT MM-HMM . BECAUSE Y'ALL SETTING THE PRECEDENT AND HOW Y'ALL SET STANDARDS AROUND HERE, YOU KNOW, AND SO WHEN WE GO TO CHANGE THAT, WE'RE GONNA MAKE BIG IMPACT CHANGES. NOW Y'ALL HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO IT NOW. WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TILL LATER. Y'ALL HAVE A CHANCE TO DO IT NOW. DO WHAT'S RIGHT, DO WHAT'S BEST FOR CLA COUNTY. AND THE FIRE PATROL IS NOT BEST FOR CLAT COUNTY. THE PEOPLE ARE, THE PEOPLE VOTED WHO THEY WANTED IN THAT OFFICE. THEY HAD A REASON WHY NO MATTER WHO RAN SIR, THAT FIRE MIGHT DROP THAT RATE, THAT DEATH RATE SOME OFF. I, I'M, I'M NOT EXACTLY, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW WE GOT HERE BECAUSE THE BUDGET WAS FINALIZED IN JUNE. JUNE, I MEAN THE FIRE TRUCK AND, AND THE, THE BUDGET IS THE BUDGET. IT'S BEEN APPROVED AND IT WAS APPROVED IN JUNE. I MEAN IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT BUDGET THEN WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT NEXT JUNE. NOT, NOT TONIGHT. YEP. I DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING. OKAY. I'M WILL BRIGGS, THAT'S THE ONE MAKE A SHORT STATEMENT. I THINK THAT THE BUDGET SHOULD BE PRINT OUT AND LET THE, THE RESIDENT SEE EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON IN BLACK AND WHITE. OTHER THAN THAT A POINT THAT, UH, SOMEONE MADE THAT IF SOMEONE THAT DIED IN ROMANIZED, IF SOMEONE THAT DIED IN TURVILLE, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW TO FEEL UNLESS ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE HOUSE AND THE CO IN HAVE A PROBLEM IN IZED AND CAN'T PICK UP YOUR BODIES AT SIX OR EIGHT, EIGHT HOURS LATER. [00:40:01] AND IT COULD BE YOUR MOTHER OR YOUR CHILD. WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THAT, THEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SAY. THANK YOU. GOOD. A GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS VICTOR ALDO. I'M FAIRLY NEW TO CLATON COUNTY, BUT UH, I WAS KIND OF ACTIVE IN SUM COUNTY COUNTY. I UNDERSTAND THE BUDGET HAS BEEN PASSED AND I UNDERSTAND THE BUDGET HAS BEEN PASSED. THERE'S THINGS TO CONSIDER TOO WITH THE FIRE TRUCK. JUST LIKE WE ASK OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO DO WAY MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINED EMTS AS ACCIDENTS ON I 95 INCREASE. THAT FIRETRUCK CAN BE A BENEFIT BECAUSE THOSE FIREFIGHTERS ARE ALSO EMTS. THEY DON'T JUST RESPOND TO FIRES. THEY'RE EQUIPPED TO RESPOND TO TRAGEDIES LIKE ACCIDENTS, TRAFFIC, SUICIDES, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. SO LET'S TAKE, KEEP THAT INTO CONSIDERATION TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I I I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. NOBODY SAID TAKE A AWAY THE FIRE TRUCK. NOBODY SAID NOT GET THE FIRE TRUCK. WE ARE ASKING THAT THE COUNTY INCREASE THE BUDGET INCREASE WHATEVER SURPLUS ARM MIGHT HAVE, ALLOCATE THAT TO ASSIST THE CORONER'S OFFICE WHERE SHE CAN GET ANOTHER PERSON TO HELP HER. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING. THANK YOU. UM, ADMINISTRATOR. THE FIRE TRUCK THAT YOU ARE, THAT'S THE QUESTION. AND I KNOW WE DO NEED FIRE TRUCKS, WE NEED A LOT MORE EQUIPMENT AS WELL. UM, ISN'T THAT, HASN'T THAT ALREADY BEEN BUDGETED EARLIER TO BE PAID FOR OUT OF THEIR DEBT SERVICE AS YOU SAID BEFORE, THAT'S ALREADY BEEN IN THE DEBT SERVICE? NO, NO MA'AM. SO THE FIRETRUCK HAS BEEN PURCHASED, IT REPLACED THE 1978 MODEL FIRETRUCK. THE ORIGINAL INTENT WAS TO BORROW THAT MONEY, WHICH THEN WOULD HAVE REQUIRED ADDITIONAL TAXES, INCREASING THE DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE ON ALL THE CITIZENS. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS WE HAD ENOUGH SAVINGS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PAY FOR THE BULK OF THE FIRETRUCK AND WE WANT TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THEIR FUND BALANCE, THEIR SAVINGS ACCOUNT MONEY TO PAY FOR THE BALANCE OF THE FIRETRUCK WITHOUT HAVING TO ACTUALLY BORROW THAT MONEY, WITHOUT HAVING TO INCREASE THE DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE. SO WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING THAT ADDITIONAL TAX BURDEN OFF OF THE CITIZENS FOR A FIRETRUCK THAT WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GET, LIKE AS I SAID, IT WOULD'VE PLACED A 1978 MODEL FIRETRUCK. BUT HAVEN'T THE DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED FOR THIS YEAR? NO MA'AM. THAT, THAT WOULD'VE, THAT WOULD'VE REQUIRED ADDITIONAL DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE, WHEN THE TREASURER SENT YOU THE DEBT SERVICE INFORMATION LAST WEEK, THERE WAS NO DEBT FOR THAT NEW FIRETRUCK ON THAT REPORT. SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO, TO RAISE THE DEBT MILLAGE TO PAY FOR THE NEW FIRETRUCK. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN A DEBT SERVICE MILLAGE FROM THE TREASURY YET. WELL, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS HE SENT YOU THE REPORT LAST WEEK. WELL, I HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT IN MY, WELL, WELL, I'M SORRY. SPAM MAIL OR SOMETHING, BUT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT YET. YEP. OKAY. BUT LIKE I SAY, WITH THE FIRE TRUCK, WE DO KNOW THAT WE DO NEED EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, UM, USED TO BE WAS A CERTIFIED EMT WHEN I WORKED PREVIOUSLY AT A CHEMICAL COMPANY IN, UM, ORANGEBURG AND I, YOU KNOW, AND I WORKED WITH THE SERVICES, WE, THEY TRAIN, UH, WE TRAIN OUR OWN FIREFIGHTERS. UM, BUT UM, THE CORONER'S OFFICE, AS THEY WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I LIVED IN THE REMINI AREA AND SOMEONE AS THEY SAY IN TURVILLE AREA, IF YOU ONLY GOT TWO PEOPLE WORK AND JUST THE CORONER AND NOW HER DEPUTY BECAUSE SHE HAD TO CUT TWO STAFF MEMBERS BECAUSE OF YOU, BECAUSE OF THE BUDGET BEING STAFFED, I MEAN BEING CUT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I HIRED ONE OF HER STAFF MEMBERS SO THAT THAT YOUNG LADY WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT A JOB. I HIRED HER IN MY OFFICE BECAUSE THERE WAS, I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE AND I HAD BEEN ADVERTISING AND IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERVIEWING, BUT AFTER THAT HAPPENED, UM, AND I'M GLAD I DID BECAUSE SHE'S VERY, VERY GOOD, YOU KNOW, IN OUR OFFICE. SO WE HIRED HER JUST TO KEEP HER FROM BEING OUT OF THE JOB, UM, TOO, BECAUSE OF THE TWO STAFF POSITIONS THAT WAS CUT. UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH MY OFFICE, I GOT THREE PEOPLE IN THERE AND I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE A CORONER'S OFFICE WITH ONLY TWO PEOPLE TO RUN A 32,000 POPULATION COUNTY FROM ONE END OF THE COUNTY TO THE NEXT. IF YOU HAVE A FATALITY HERE, YOU KNOW HOW A MASS CASUALTY, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE YOU GONNA HANDLE THAT WITH ONLY TWO CORONERS IF ONE IS SICK OR SOMETHING HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS THE CORONER'S OFFICE SUPPOSED TO DO? JUST SHUT DOWN AND AS UM, PASTOR WOODS WAS [00:45:01] SAYING AND LET THAT LOVED ONE LAY THERE FOR EIGHT HOURS BEFORE YOU CAN GET SOMEONE TO COME OUT AND ASSIST. AND THEN THE CARS THAT SHE HAVE OR SOME OF THE OLDEST AND THEY, YOU KNOW, SHE DON'T EVEN HAVE UP TO DATE CARS. SHE GOTTA GET CARS THAT'S GIVEN TO HER USED CARDS FROM THE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT, BECAUSE WE, SHE DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY NEW VEHICLES. SO IF THAT VEHICLE BREAK DOWN, YOU KNOW, YOU ON ONE END OF THE COUNTY, YOU LOVED ONE LAYING THERE FOR EIGHT HOURS. CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING IN A HOUSE YOU ALREADY GRIEVING AND A LOVED ONE LAYING THERE FOR EIGHT HOURS BEFORE YOU CAN GET THE CORONER'S OFFICE THERE BECAUSE YOU'VE CUT HER BUDGET THAT WAY. HOW, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL? THANK YOU. YEP. YOU DON'T WANT ME TO ADDRESS ANY OF THIS? YOU WANT ME TO ADDRESS ANY I HAVE QUESTION. YEAH. YES MA'AM. UM, I'M HEARING THE COUNCIL SAY THAT YOU HAVE NOT BOUGHT THE FIRE TRUCK. SO THEN I'M HEARING YOU SAY THAT WE'VE ALREADY BOUGHT IT. THE FIRE THE FIRE TRUCK IS ORDERED. NO, IT IS ACTUALLY HERE. IT WAS, IT WAS OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL MEETING A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN IT CAME IN. IT WAS ORDERED THREE YEARS AGO AND IT HAS, IT HAS ARRIVED, BUT INSTEAD OF BORROWING THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR IT OUT OF SOME COST REDUCTIONS THAT WE DID AND TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY OUT OF THE SAVINGS ACCOUNT SO WE DON'T HAVE TO RAISE TAXES TO PAY FOR THE FIRE TRUCK. WE'LL PAY CASH FOR IT BASICALLY. SO THESE PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO RELEASE THE FIRE TRUCK TO US WITHOUT GIVING THEM MONEY? NO MA'AM. WE, WE PAID FOR IT. WE JUST, ALL WE'RE DOING IS ADJUSTING THE BUDGET. OKAY. YOU FOLLOW? YEAH. INSTEAD OF PAYING INTEREST IN, IN INSTEAD, INSTEAD OF BORROWING THE MONEY AND PAYING PROBABLY A HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES IN INTEREST OVER THE LOAN, WE'RE GONNA SAVE THAT MONEY. THE TAXPAYERS DON'T HAVE TO TAKE ON ANY ADDITIONAL BURDEN TO PURCHASE THAT FIRE TRUCK. I HAVE A QUESTION IN HOW COME THAT WASN'T, UM, PROPOSED BEFORE YOU GUYS ORDERED A TRUCK? BECAUSE IT WAS ORDERED THREE YEARS AGO AND I DON'T THINK VERY MANY PEOPLE WERE HERE AND WE IN A MUCH DIFFERENT FINANCIAL SITUATION BACK THEN. SO HOW DID KNOW WHERE Y'ALL WERE GONNA GET THE MONEY FROM, FROM THEY, THEY INTENDED TO BORROW THE MONEY BACK THEN YOU DIDN'T NO MA'AM. NO MA'AM. THAT'S, THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID. THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID. DID YOU SAY I, I SAID YOU ASKED WHY DIDN'T WE MAKE THE PLAN AND I SAID, 'CAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS WASN'T HERE THREE YEARS AGO WHEN THE FIRE TRUCK WAS ORDERED. MR. CHAIRMAN. I, I THINK WE'RE GETTING WAY TOO MUCH BACK AND FORTH. UM, IF, IF, IF WE NEED TO HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP ON, ON, ON FINANCES AND, AND LEASE PAYMENTS AND LOAN BORROWINGS, THINGS LIKE THAT, MAYBE WE NEED, MAYBE WE NEED TO SET THAT UP. ASK A QUESTION. HOW MUCH? ABOUT 680,000 BUCKS. YEP. ASKING WHY, WHAT'S THAT AMOUNT AGAIN? ABOUT SIX 80 I I THINK WAS THAT NUMBER? 6 87? 7 33. 6 87. 7 33. AND I THINK BY THAT SAME NEW TRUCK TODAY, IF WE ORDERED ONE TODAY TO GET IT THREE YEARS FROM NOW, IT'S RIGHT. A MILLION DOLLARS. FIRE TRUCKS ARE OUTTA THIS WORLD. MY NAME IS LOUISA FRAZIER MERRIT, UM, I'M A RETURNING RESIDENT TO MANNING. I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE. I WAS APPALLED, APPALLED TO FIND THAT FUNDS ARE NOT USED TO HELP THE PEOPLE AS MUCH AS I WOULD'VE EXPECTED. IT'S, I LEFT HERE IN 1965 AFTER GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M GONNA STAY ON TOPIC IT CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF DEATH IN SOUTH CAROLINA VERSUS THE NUMBER OF FIRES. DID YOU GIVE THAT CONSIDERATION? NO, I DON'T THINK, I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU WANNA PUT ON THAT RABBIT HOLE. THERE IS NO, THERE'S MORE FIRES IN A MONTH THAN THERE IS DEATHS IN A YEAR. SO FIRE TRUCK RUNS S CALLS TOO. I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. WHAT IS THE LIFE OF A FIRE TRUCK? WELL THE LAST ONE WAS, YEAH. YEAH. WE, WE WERE REPLACED IN A 1978 MODEL TRUCK. SO, SO 30 YEARS? 40, THAT'S 48 YEARS. 48 YEARS. UM, THAT TRUCK SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUTTA SERVICE A LONG TIME AGO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND IT SOUNDS AS IF YOU'VE ALREADY MADE A DECISION AS TO WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WITH THE EXCESS FUNDS. IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN YES, YOU ARE WASTING OUR TIME COMING UP, MAKING COMMENTS. SO IF YOU HAVE IT ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE YOU'RE THINKING PERHAPS WE CAN REDISTRIBUTE THOSE EXCESS FUNDS OTHER PLACES, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO [00:50:01] CONSIDER DOING THAT. TO HAVE A CORONER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF CLAREDON COUNTY'S DEATH OR IS THERE MORE THAN ONE CORONER? THERE'S ONLY ONE . WE REALLY NEED TO RECONSIDER A PORTION OF THAT MONEY TO ASSIST THE CORONER'S OFFICE. AND IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT MONEY USED TO HIRE ANOTHER PERSON TO ASSIST, THEN PROVIDE HER SOME TRANSPORTATION. I'M HEARING NOW THAT SHE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S THE PERSON I'VE HEARD OF THAT, YEP. THE CORONER HAS NEARLY A BRAND SUFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION. UM, AND THE CORONER HAS PLENTY OF MONEY IN HER BUDGET TO HIRE ALL THE DEPUTY CORONERS. SHE WANTS TO PAY THEM ON A PER CALL BASIS. SHE ACTUALLY HAS ENOUGH MONEY IN HER BUDGET TO NEVER HAVE TO GO ON A CALL HERSELF. SHE CAN HAVE A DEPUTY CARER GO ON EVERY SINGLE CALL. I SEE. THE CORONER'S OFFICE AVERAGES A, A DEATH CALL EVERY 3.4 DAYS AND THAT'S ACCORDING TO OUR 9 1 1 RECORDS. YES. SO IS THERE SOMETHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN FISCAL YEAR 25, 26 AND WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED FOR 26 20 SEVENTH? SO 26 27 HAS ALREADY PASSED. 25 26. THE CORONER'S OFFICE HAD A BUDGET OF ALMOST $418,000 IN A COUNTY OF 32,000 PEOPLE RUNNING ABOUT 350 DEATHS PER YEAR. THE ORANGEBURG COUNTY CORONER STOOD AT THAT SAME PODIUM AND TESTIFIED THAT HE HAS A COUNTY OF 90,000 PEOPLE WITH 900 DEATHS FOR 318,000 MILES A YEAR. A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS LESS TO DO THREE TIMES AS MANY DEATHS. SO WE WERE VERY, VERY JUSTIFIED IN DOING WHAT WE DID. OKAY, SO WHAT WITH THE CORONER'S BUDGET? THE CORONER'S BUDGET IS MORE THAN AMPLE AT THIS POINT. WHAT WAS THE, WHAT WAS THE CORONER'S BUDGET THEN PRIOR TO THE 418,000? I THINK IT WAS, I THINK IT WAS FOUR 18,000. $700 WAS WHAT IT WAS IN 25, 26 PRIOR. AND IT WAS VERY, IT WAS ALMOST IDENTICAL THE YEAR BEFORE. IT WAS IDENTICAL, ALL NEARLY IDENTICAL THE YEAR BEFORE. IT IS MY RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU RECONSIDER, UM, A PORTION OF THAT BUDGET TO HELP THE CORONER. I MEAN THE FOLKS THAT HAVE SPOKEN, THEY'VE BEEN HERE, THEY'VE SEEN SOME OF THE RESULTS AND THE SUFFERING. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP ONE ANOTHER. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU RECONSIDER. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I REALLY WAS NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING AND THANK EVERYONE FOR GETTING UP AND SAY WHAT THEY SAID, BUT THERE'S A FEW THINGS I NEED TO CLARIFY. NUMBER ONE, MY BUDGET WAS 412,000 LAST YEAR. ONLY BECAUSE THE STATE BAND DATED THAT WE HAD TO GET NEW WALKIE TALKIES. EVERYBODY ACROSS THE STATE HAD TO GO FROM THE OLD SYSTEM TO THE NEW SYSTEM. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON IT WENT OVER $400,000. IF I HAD AN AVERAGE OF 300 AND SOMETHING THOUSAND SINCE I WAS IN OFFICE AND THAT INCLUDED MY STAFF, TWO PEOPLE OTHER THAN ME AND IT TOOK FIVE YEARS EACH YEAR. COUNTY COUNCIL WOULD DENY ME HAVING AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT UNTIL LAST YEAR. SHE WAS THERE IN JANUARY AND THEN IN JULY I HAD TO LET HER GO. LEMME CLARIFY SOMETHING ELSE. WHEN YOU TOOK AWAY THE FULL-TIME PEOPLE AND SAY I CAN GET PART-TIME, I CAN'T GO AROUND AND GET A PART-TIME PERSON LIKE I CAN DO THAT WORK AT WALMART BECAUSE THE CORNER BASIC, WHICH IS MANDATED, IS ONLY EVERY TWO YEARS. SO I CAN'T GO AND PICK UP SOMEBODY OFF THE STREET TO SAY, YOU'LL DEPUTY CORNER, YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE FOR TWO YEARS. I CAN'T DO THAT. I JUST CAN'T DO THAT. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. MY BUDGET AND I COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED, IF THEY DID NOT RECEIVE A LETTER FROM THE CORONER OF WILLIAMSBORO COUNTY, WHO MY BUDGET CUT WAS COMPARED TO, FIRST OF ALL, IF SHE WAS HERE. AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID WHEN I SHOWED HER WHAT WAS PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, SHE SAID, THAT'S NOT MY BUDGET. I DIDN'T GET THAT. SHE HAS A COUNTY SUPERVISOR WHO IS ALSO A COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. BOTH OF THEM CONTACTED [00:55:01] ME. THEY MADE HER BUDGET COMPARED TO WHAT MY BUDGET USED TO BE. THEY BROUGHT HER UP. I CAN PROVE THAT BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MINIMUM OF WHAT WE NEED TO RUN THIS COUNTY. JUST JUST PAST TWO WEEKS. FOR INSTANCE, THE THE FIRE ON I 95, 2 PEOPLE GOT BURNED UP IN THAT TRUCK. I CAN'T GO BY WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY. WELL THAT'S WHO IT IS. I HAD TO FIND A FORENSIC ORTHODONTIST, JUST COMPARE TEETH I HAD ALL WEEK LONG. I'VE BEEN WORKING THAT FOR THE LAST EIGHT DAYS. I HAD TO WORK BECAUSE FRANK NEEDED SOME TIME OFF. HE WAS GETTING BURNT OUT. IT'S JUST TWO OF US. WHILE I WAS AT ANOTHER CALL ON THE LAKE THIS PAST WEEKEND, I GOT A SECOND CALL TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR AN ER DEATH. THEY HAD TO WAIT UNTIL I FINISHED UP THE OTHER CALL BEFORE I CAN GET TO THE SECOND CALL. MY AVERAGE TIME SINCE JULY 1ST, MY DAYS ARE LIKE ALMOST 24 HOURS. I CAN LEAVE HOME, I CAN GET CALLS ALL NIGHT LONG. AND OF COURSE THEY SAY THAT WE DON'T DO HOSPICE CALLS. NO, WE DON'T GO UNLESS THE FAMILY PANICKED AND CALLED 9 1 1. THEN WE HAVE TO GO, BUT WE HAVE TO GET UP OUTTA OUR BED. DEATH COME ALL THE TIME OF NIGHT. WE HAVE TO GET UP OUTTA OUR BED. THEY CANNOT HAVE POSSESSION OF THAT BODY UNLESS I DO A BRT THAT'S CALLED A PERMIT FOR THEM TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THAT BODY. SO I'M WORKING THAT CASE WHETHER I GO TO THAT HOUSE OR NOT. AND IF YOU ARE AWAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, IT'S TWO OR THREE TIMES WITH HOSPICE DEATH. YOU JUST CAN'T FALL BACK TO SLEEP AND HAVE TO BE TO WORK AT EIGHT 30 THE NEXT MORNING. THAT DOESN'T WORK. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WHEN I'VE HAD SO MANY CALLS, THEY FORGET THAT I HAVE INTERSTATE NINE, FIVE. THE COUNTIES THAT I WAS COMPARED TO DO NOT HAVE AN INTERSTATE. THE COUNTIES THAT I WAS COMPARED TO DO NOT HAVE A STATE PRISON. I HAVE TO GO TO THOSE STATE PRISON AS WELL. SO THOSE CALLS THAT I GET IS NOT LIKE, OH, UM, HE OR SHE IS DEAD AND I GO HOME. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORK. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORK. I HAVE TO DO THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS ON SUN. ON PAST SUNDAY, NOT YESTERDAY BUT THE SUNDAY BEFORE GETTING READY FOR CHURCH, I GOT A CALL, THERE'S A BODY IN THE POND. I HAD TO IDENTIFY THAT PERSON AND HE WAS A DECOMP. HE'D BEEN IN THE WATER FOR THREE DAYS. WHO WAS THERE? FIRE PATROL. EMS RESCUE, EMS, FIRE RESCUE SHERIFF DEPARTMENT. WHEREVER THEY GO, I GO 9 1 1 IS NOT THE ONLY CALLS WE GET. WE GET CALLS FROM OTHER AGENCIES FROM OUT OF STATE. IN STATE, WE GET DEATH NOTIFICATIONS. WE HAVE TO GET UP. SO SUPPOSE YOU HAVE SOMEBODY DIE IN THIS, SAY FLORENCE COUNTY AND THEIR RELATIVE LIVES IN NEXT. SO KEN LIVE IN CLARINE. I HAVE TO GO FIND THAT NEXT KIN NO MATTER WHAT TIME IT IS THE NIGHT AND I HAVE TO TELL THEM, YOUR LOVED ONE IS DEAD. WE HAVE TO DO THAT. SO THIS JOB IS NOT EASY. IT IS HARDER BECAUSE IT IS WEARING AND TEARING ON OUR BODIES. JUST TWO PEOPLE. I CANNOT JUST GO AND HIRE ANYBODY FOR PART-TIME. I CAN'T DO THAT. THIS PERSON HAS TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF DEATH, DEATH INVESTIGATION EXPERIENCE AND THEN THEY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OUR NEXT BASIC CLASS AT THE POLICE ACADEMY FOR THEM TO GET CERTIFIED IN ORDER TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. SO THIS BUDGET IS GONNA RUN OUT ALMOST BEFORE THE NEXT TIME THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE ACADEMY. I JUST CAN'T DO THAT Y'ALL, I JUST CAN'T DO THAT. I'M ONLY ONE PERSON. I AM 72 YEARS OLD, WILL BE 73 IN JULY. I HAVE DEVOTED OVER 40 YEARS OF MY LIFE TO CLARINET COUNTY. I HAVE STARTED OUT 1977 AS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL DISPATCHERS WHO MADE THE 9 1 1. WHAT Y'ALL HAVE TO DATE. THEN I BECAME THE FIRST FEMALE DEPUTY SHERIFF IN THIS COUNTY FOR 12 LONG YEARS. I WAS THE ONLY FEMALE AND, AND SET THE PRESIDENT SO THAT OTHERS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN COME BEHIND ME. I SPOKE TO THE LADY AT THE STATE ETHICS COMMITTEE COMMISSIONED THE OTHER DAY AND WE FINALLY GOT THAT LITTLE FLAW, WHICH WAS NOT MY FAULT, THAT WAS KEEPING ME FROM DOING WHAT I [01:00:01] HAD TO DO. SHE TOLD ME, SHE SAID, FIRST I WANT TO TELL YOU, I APPLAUD YOU. SHE SAID, I AM, I LEFT LAW ENFORCEMENT. SHE SAID, IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT THE REST OF US WERE ABLE TO WORK IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE OPENED THE DOORS FOR LADY LAW ENFORCEMENT, BELONGED TO A MALE. IT WAS AN ALL MALE OCCUPATION UNTIL WE CAME ALONG. I DID IN CLARINET COUNTY AND PERRY, PATTY, GARRETT, DENNY, SUMTER COUNTY. I'M JUST DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHERE OR WHERE THIS THING IS COMING FROM. WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN THE, THE, THE CORONER'S OFFICE IS THE TARGET. I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE IF YOU ASK ANY FUNERAL DIRECTOR IN AND OUT OF CLATON COUNTY, WE HAVE SET A GOOD STANDARD AS ANY FI ANY FAMILY THAT WE HAVE SERVED SERVE, WE HAD SET A GOOD STANDARD. JUST THE OTHER DAY I HAD SOMEONE FROM, I HAD TO COME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO RELEASE A BODY BECAUSE THEY HAD TO COME FROM CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA AND THEY, THAT'S THE ONLY TIME THEY COULD HAVE COME AND I STILL HAD TO COME TO WORK THE NEXT DAY. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL WE DO UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES. YOU CAN THINK YOU KNOW WHAT A CO DOES, BUT UNTIL YOU WORK MY JOB, THEN YOU CANNOT MAKE THOSE KIND OF DECISIONS OF HOW MY OFFICE SHOULD RUN AS FAR AS AS DEDICATION. THOSE GUYS THAT I HAD, PETER AND FRANK, YOU SAW PETER AT THE LAST, AT THE LAST BUDGET MEETING, PETER HAS A YOUNG BOY, A YOUNG CHILD, AND A SICK MIDWIFE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HE WAS TOLD THAT HIS, HIS, HIS BENEFITS WERE GONE. HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? AND THE STATE PAID OUT OF QUOTE UNQUOTE $45,000 TO PAY PAY 35,000. SO YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT FOR EVERY PERSON IN THIS COUNTY, CLARINE COUNTY PAYS OVER $10,000 OR MORE FOR EACH PERSON IN ESSENCE TO WHAT THEIR SALARY IS. I COULD HAVE TAKEN THAT $35,000 AND DO LIKE A LOT OF OTHER CORONERS DID AND PUT THAT MONEY ON MY SALARY. I DIDN'T DO THAT. I AM NOW, I AM OFFICIALLY THE LOWEST PAID ELECTED OFFICIAL IN CLATON COUNTY. I DIDN'T MAKE NO FORM ABOUT THAT BECAUSE LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I RAISED UP EATING PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES AND I GOT A ROOF OVER MY HEAD AND CLOSED ON MY BACK AND I THANK GOD FOR THAT, FOR THAT. SO WHETHER YOU DECIDE TONIGHT, AGAIN, WHEN I CAME IN JUNE, ALL I ASKED Y'ALL TO DO SINCE SOME OF THEM HAD JUST GOT MY PACKET AND SAW WHAT THE STATE ATTORNEY JOURNAL SAID AND SOME OF THEM HAD JUST, I HAD ALL OF THAT IN THERE AND ALSO WHAT THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES WHO GOVERN Y'ALL, WHAT THEY SAID THE LAWYER SENT ME AND I STILL GOT GOT THE EMAIL HE SENT ME. WHAT THEY SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THAT 35,000? THEY CANNOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH THAT 35,000. THAT'S HOW I HIRED MY TRANSPORTATION PERSON, PETER. BUT I ALSO DEPUTIZED HIM, WHICH HE WASN'T GETTING PAID FOR THAT BECAUSE IT WAS HELPING ME WITH SOME OF THE CASES. NOW, SINCE JULY 1ST, I'VE HAD TO HIRE OUTSIDE AGENCIES TO TRANSPORT. I CANNOT DETERMINE HOW MANY AUTOPSIES I GOT TO HAVE. I CAN'T DETERMINE HOW MANY DEATH I'M GONNA HAVE. AUTOPSY ONLY DO WHEN THERE'S A WRECK INVOLVED AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHY. THERE ARE SMART LAWYERS NOW THAT CAN SAY, WELL THEY HAD A HEART ATTACK BEFORE THE WRECK AND THEN THEY GET OUT OF A LAWSUIT. I HAVE TO DO THOSE SUSPICIOUS OR UNEXPLAINED DEATH OR THE ONLY TIME WE DO AUTOPSIES. SO NOW THAT I HAVE TO HIRE SOMEBODY OUTSIDE, I LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED PRIOR TO ME WHEN OUTSIDE AGENCY WERE COMING AND BELIEVE ME THE, THE PRICE OF IT IS CUT IN HALF. THIS YOUNG MAN SAID, MS. JACKIE, YOU NEED ME. I'M GONNA BE THERE TO HELP YOU 'CAUSE EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. I DON'T UNDERSTAND. I RAISED UP IN CLARINET COUNTY BLACK AND WHITE. MY MOTHER RAISED FIVE WHITE CHILDREN, DR. KING [01:05:01] CHILDREN ALONG WITH US, NINE OF US. SO THERE WAS NEVER A BLACK OR WHITE ISSUE THERE. I'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT WERE REPUBLICANS AND THEY WERE DEMOCRAT. I USED TO BE THE BEFORE RAN FOR OFFICE. I WAS THE CLERK AT AL PRECINCT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND I THINK SYLVIA WAS ONE YEAR SHE CONFESS VERIFIED THAT WE GOT ALONG. IT WAS NO SUCH THING AS BLACK AND WHITE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS. I HAD 13,000 PEOPLE VOTED FOR ME MY FIRST TERM. SOMEBODY THINK THAT I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE THEY DID. THE LAST TIME I HAD ALMOST 11,000 BECAUSE 3000 PEOPLE DIDN'T COME OUT AND VOTE. SO SOMEBODY THINK THAT I WAS DOING A GOOD JOB. THE FUNERAL HOME DIRECTORS ARE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE DEVIL UP POPPED THE DEVIL UP, POPPED THE DEVIL AND IT TURNED MY OFFICE UPSIDE DOWN. I CAN'T DO MY ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF AND TRY TO TAKE CARE OF THE CALLS THAT I HAVE. I'M GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER BACK. I CAN'T, I DON'T HAVE TIME. WHEN I HAD THE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT THERE, SHE WAS PUTTING ALL THE STUFF IN OUR NEW SOFTWARE. THAT SOFTWARE IS NOT JUST FOR CLATON COUNTY, IT'S FOR NATIONAL AND STATE LEVEL. I HAD THIS SU, THIS LADY CALL ME. THAT'S THE DRUG OVERDOSE PEOPLE. THEY CAN, THEY CAN IF WHEN I LET THEM IN, THEY CAN GO INTO OUR SYSTEM AND I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT REPORTING ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY CAN PULL IT FROM OUR RECORDS. RIGHT NOW WE ARE SO FAR BEHIND BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO PUT THE STUFF IN. YES, I DO NEED AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT AND OUT OF THE MOUTH CAME. YOU DON'T NEED AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. YES, I DO. HOW MANY OFFICERS IN HERE OF BUSINESS PEOPLE THAT NEVER HAD THAT, THAT CAN WORK THEIR OFFICE WITHOUT AN ASSISTANT? YOU SHOW ME. YOU TELL ME BECAUSE THAT THAT JUST NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. THIS IS NOT THE WATER DEPARTMENT. THIS IS NOT ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT. I'M AN ELECTED OFFICIAL WITH THE RULE CHANGES AS THE LEADER OF THE HEAD OF THAT DEPARTMENT. ALL I ASKED THEM TO DO AT THE LAST MEETING, THE LAST BUDGET MEETING WHEN I SPOKE, SINCE THE IN INFORMATION WAS NEW, PLEASE POSTPONE READING THAT THIRD READING TO THE END OF AUGUST. I MEAN END OF JUNE BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE BUDGET END UNTIL YOU HAD TIME TO READ OVER EVERYTHING SO THAT YOU WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION. SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW IS TELLING ME THAT $142,000 OUT OF THE CORONER'S OFFICE WAS, WAS CUT. SO THAT HELPED Y'ALL GET TO GET THAT 700 AND SOMETHING DOLLARS SURPLUS FOR Y'ALL TO TAKE AND PUT IT ANYWHERE Y'ALL WANT TO. MS. BLACKWOOD, MS. BLACK? NO. MS. BLACKWOOD? NO. THE MONEY'S COMING OUT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESERVE. THAT WAS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THIS, THIS AGENDA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CORONER'S OFFICE ON IT, BUT IF SOMETHING'S CHANGED THIS YEAR, IF ANYTHING'S CHANGED THIS YEAR, I WILL BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH YOU. JUST LINED UP WITH WALK AND WE CAN SIT DOWN. BUT THE CORONER'S OFFICE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS AGENDA. WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE THE COUNTY SOME MONEY ON THE FIRE TRUCK. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CORONER'S OFFICE. IF YOU WANT, IF YOU WANT, IF SOMETHING'S CHANGED. HOLD NO ONE ELSE WAS HOLD, NO ONE ELSE WAS, WAS INTERRUPTED EXCEPT FOR ME, MA'AM. IF ANYTHING, NO ONE ELSE WAS INTERRUPTED EXCEPT FOR ME. HOLD ON. IF ANYTHING'S CHANGED, PLEASE SET UP SOMETHING. I'LL BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND WALK AND WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO FIGURE OUT. I TRIED. I'VE HAD FIVE MEETINGS WITH MR. WALT EVER SINCE HE CAME HERE. CALL NELSON, SIR. AND NOTHING CHANGED. NOAM MA'AM NELSON SAID GET A RESET. NO, MS. BLACKWELL, YOU SHOWED UP FOR ONE MEETING AND HE WALKED IN AND SAID THERE'S NO NEED FOR ME TO TALK. HERE'S WHAT I GOT. NO SIR. I GOT IT DOCUMENTED. MS. BLACKWELL, YOU GOT WITNESSES THAT WERE IN OUR MEETING. MS. BLACKWELL, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO ON THIS AGENDA WITH THE CORONER'S OFFICE. THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE RESERVE ON THE RESERVE BUDGET FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PAYING FOR A FIRETRUCK. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BUDGET. IT HAS, THAT'S NOT WHAT ORDER IT SAYING. I'M JUST CURIOUS, IS THAT THE ONLY OPTION FOR THAT SURPLUS IS TO GO TOWARDS THIS FIRE TRUCK OR IS THERE ANOTHER OPTION THAT THE ONLY THING WE'RE DISCUSSING IS WE DON'T NEED IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE. FIRE. YEP. WE, WE SO THE MONEY FOR THE FIRE TRUCK IS NOT SURPLUS MONEY. IT'S OUT OF THEIR SAVINGS ACCOUNT. SO THEY HAVE SAVED THAT MONEY THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. WE'RE GONNA USE THAT TO PURCHASE THE FIRETRUCK. THAT MAKE SENSE? I JUST GOT, THE OTHER MONEY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS MONEY THAT WAS SAVED LAST YEAR. I JUST GOT ONE MORE THING [01:10:01] TO SAY. SOMEONE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, EMS, FIRE RESCUE AND, AND DEPUTY AND ALL OF THEM GO OUT AND ALL THIS. I GO THROUGH THEM TOO, WHERE THERE'S DEATH. I GOT TO GO IN THE SAME SITUATIONS. TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION, PLEASE. WE DO EVERYTHING CAN BE A, THERE'S A, THERE'S A FAMOUS LINE IN COMING TO AMERICA WHEN THE, WHEN THE QUEEN SAID, WHEN THE, WHEN THAT PRINCE WANTED TO MARRY THE GIRL FROM AMERICA AND THEY WERE ON THE WAY. THE CASE SAID, NO, IT'S TRADITION, THE QUEEN TO SIMPLY LOOK AT HIM AND SAID, AREN'T YOU THE KING? SO AREN'T Y'ALL HAVE, DON'T YOU HAVE THE POWER TO AMEND THE BUDGET TO HELP ME? THAT'S ALL OF THAT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. JACOB. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HERE. UM, ANYBODY UP HERE GOT ANYTHING TO SAY? UM, NEXT [12. Ordinance 2026-13 ] UP IS ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 13, CONSIDERATION OF THIRD AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 13 AND ORDINANCE TO AMEND CLA COUNTY ORDINANCE 2025 DASH OH SEVEN, WHICH APPROVES AND ADOPTS A PHYSICAL YEAR 20 25, 26 BUDGET FOR CLA COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. DO I HAVE A MOTION? MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON? SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN COPE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP WE HAVE [13. Ordinance 2026-14] ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 14 CONSIDERATION OF THE THIRD AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 14, AN ORDINANCE TO PROVIDE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION EFFECTIVELY EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST, 2027 OF THE REDUCTION IN TAXABLE VALUE OF VOTES. MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HAD TO MAKE A MINOR CHANGE TO THAT ORDINANCE TITLE AND I WANNA THANK OUR AUDITOR FOR BRINGING THIS TO, TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, THE LAW THAT WAS WRITTEN THAT DID THIS IS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY GRACE OVER. HOWEVER, UM, WHAT THE LAW SAID, THE CURRENT LAW ALLOWS FOR AN EXEMPTION OF 42.75%. THE NEW LAW WOULD MAKE THE EXEMPTION 42.8571%. SO A LITTLE OVER ONE 10TH OF 1%. HOWEVER, THE WAY THEY WROTE IT, IT APPEARS THAT WE CAN ONLY ROLL THE EXEMPTION BACK TO 42.75 UNTIL TAX YEARS BEGINNING AFTER 2029, WHERE IT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY GO TO 42.8571. DID I GET THAT RIGHT MS. PATRICIA? IT'S VERY CONFUSING. UM, SO WE MADE THE ORDINANCE CHANGE FROM ROLLING IT BACK TO 42.8571 TO 42.75. BUT WE WON'T NEED TO GO BACK IN THE FUTURE AND DO ANYTHING. IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY GO DOWN THAT LAST LITTLE TEENY TINY BIT. EXCUSE ME. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. AUTOMATICALLY GO DOWN. YOU STILL WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND WELL, WE INCLUDED IT IN THE SAME ORDINANCE SO IT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY GO DOWN AT THAT TIME. SO YEAH, THEY'LL REPEAL THAT, RIGHT? YEAH, THE FOUR, YEAH. THE, THE OTHER PART IS AUTOMATICALLY REPEALED IN THE LAW AS OF 2029. AND SO BY DOING THE ORDINANCE THIS WAY NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND REDO IT ALL AGAIN TO CAPTURE BASICALLY A 10TH OF A PENNY, UM, IS, IS WHAT IT AMOUNTS TO A 10TH OF A PENNY. OKAY. UM, SO WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT? YEP. OKAY. I HAVE A MOTION MAKE A MOTION A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN CO SECOND. ONE SECOND. SECOND ONE. COUNCILMAN RODINE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? AND MOTION CARRIES. NEXT STATE. YES, MA'AM. TALKED TO THE BOAT AND MOTOR. UM, I KNOW AT THE LAST, WHEN ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEETINGS IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE MOTORS WILL NOT, WILL BE EXEMPTED FROM PAYING TAXES, BUT THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, CORRECT. THE MOTORS AND BOATS WILL BE COMBINED ON THE SAME TAX BILL. AND IF YOU DO HAVE, AND WE JUST FOUND OUT OUT THIS AT THE LAST LEGISLATIVE UPDATE MEETING THAT WE WERE AT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, UM, IF YOU DO HAVE A MORTAR THAT'S NOT CONNECTED TO A VOTE, JUST A MORTAR BY ITSELF, THAT'S STILL GONNA BE TAXED AT 10.5%. JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW , SO WHEN THEY GET A TAX BILL FOR 10 AND HALF PERCENT WITH JUST A MOTOR ONLY, THAT'S NOT ATTACHED TO A BILL WITH THE, UM, BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT A PART OF THE LAW. SO HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GO BACK IN AND UPDATE THE LAW TO INCLUDE THAT AS WELL. RIGHT? [01:15:01] THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. NOT TO MAKE ANYTHING SIMPLE. YEAH. THANK YOU MR. PATRICIA. APPRECIATE THAT. NEXT UP WE HAVE PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE 2026 [14. Public Hearing – Ordinance 2026-16] DASH 16 IN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CLATON COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK MASTER AGREEMENT AND ESTABLISHED THAT CERTAIN QUALIFIED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS SHALL CONTRIBUTE 20% OF COUNTY PROPERTY TAXES TO THE CLATON COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE FUND. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH PROJECTS RECEIVE A FEE IN LIEU OF TAX AGREEMENT, SPECIAL SOURCE REVENUE CREDIT, OR OTHER COUNTY INCENTIVES, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT. YOU COMING TO SPEAK? YES, I'M . OKAY. I'M GONNA READ FROM MY PHONE. SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT MY GLASSES. HI, MY NAME'S MEINA TRULOVE. I AM NEW TO THE COUNTY. MOVED HERE LAST YEAR. I'M ACTUALLY THREE MILES FROM WHERE THIS PROJECT IS PROPOSED. SO THIS ACTUALLY HITS PRETTY CLOSE TO HOME. I LISTENED TO FRIDAY, FACEBOOK LIVE. I'M NOT SURE IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD A CHANCE, UM, ON THE DATA CENTER. AND I FELT LIKE I WAS SITTING IN A SALES PITCH, IF I'M BEING HONEST. UH, THE INFORMATION BEING PRESENTED FELT VERY ONE-SIDED, BUT WE ALSO HEARD SOMETHING MORE THAT WAS MUCH MORE CONCERNING TO ME THAT BY REJECTING THIS PROJECT COULD EXPOSE THE COUNTY TO LEGAL RETALIATION. AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT. HOW DID WE GET THERE? AT WHAT POINT DID A COMPANY THAT WANTS TO BUILD A DATA CENTER HERE GAIN ENOUGH LEGAL RIGHTS THAT WE'RE BEING TOLD THERE COULD BE CONSEQUENCES FOR SIMPLY SAYING NO CLARETT, HAVE THE PEOPLE OF CLARATON COUNTY ALREADY LOST OUR RIGHT TO REJECT THIS? CLARETT COUNTY HAS NO SPECIFIC LAW FOR DATA CENTERS. WE ALL KNOW THAT PROJECT 59 WAS HANDLED UNDER SECTION 32.04 USE IS NOT LISTED AND TREATED AS SIMILARLY ENOUGH TO JUST LIGHT INDUSTRIAL. THEN THEY WERE TOLD THE COUNTY WASN'T LEGALLY NOTIFIED ABOUT IT UNTIL AUGUST 18TH. SO WHAT HAPPENED? THAT CHANGED OUR ABILITY TO SAY NO, THAT'S WHAT THIS MORATORIUM NEEDS TO ADDRESS. CLOSING THE SECTION 32.04 PATH THAT LED AN UNDEFINED, USE THIS LARGE MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ITS OWN CLASSIFICATION AND FIX 55.08 SO THAT OUR LARGE SCALE PROJECTS COVER THESE SORT OF THINGS, GIVING DATA CENTER AS THEIR OWN CLASSIFICATION. AND I NEED Y'ALL TO THINK PAST THE COMPANY HERE TODAY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE IS OVER 25 YEARS IN IT EXPERIENCE, I HAVE BEEN ALL OF THE TRAINERS. I PROBABLY TAUGHT SOME PROGRAMMERS THAT BUILT AI OVER THE YEARS WORKING FOR CISCO SYSTEMS, LENOVO, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE, AND ET CETERA. I'M RETIRED IN A LOT OF WAYS, , I STILL TEACH AI LOCALLY. I HAVE COURSES THAT I WOULD LOVE TO HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES LEARN HOW TO ACTUALLY USE IT, NOT LOSE THEIR MONEY OVER IT, USE IT RESPONSIBLY, ET CETERA. HOWEVER, THAT GIVES ME A DISTINCT BACKGROUND. I ALSO HAVE NINE IT CERTIFICATIONS, ONE OF WHICH BEING DATA ADMINISTRATION. WHAT NORMALLY HAPPENS WITH THESE DATA CENTERS IS THAT ONE COMPANY AND THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR, THE COMPANY TIED TO PROJECT 59 APPEARS TO BE AN ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY BASED OUTTA CHARLOTTE. THAT'S ONE QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH, JUST LOOKING UP THE NEXT, WHAT THEY TEND TO DO IS WE'LL ACQUIRE LOT LAND LEASE BUILD THE WAREHOUSE, AND THEN THEY SELL IT BACK TO GOOGLE, BACK TO MICROSOFT, BACK TO ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY THE COMPANIES THAT ACTUALLY WANT THE DATA. SO WHAT WE NEED TO ALSO THINK ABOUT WHEN WE'RE RE-LOOKING AT THESE LAWS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH A TRANSFER? WHAT HAPPENS WITH A SALE? WHAT HAPPENS WITH A LEASE OR A SUBLEASE WHO OWNS IT IN FIVE YEARS, IN THREE YEARS? DO THEY GET SPECIAL TAX EXEMPTIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE A WHOLE NOTHER LEVEL OF CONGLOMERATE. THOSE THINGS MATTER. SO THE RULES MUST BE FOLLOWED. SALE TRANSFER, YOU DON'T WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN. WE ALSO NEED, I THINK, UH, CONNECTION TO THE UTILITY COMPANY. WE'RE ALL SAN COOPER'S CUSTOMERS TOO. NOT JUST THEM. SO WHY SHOULD WE ACCEPT IT? WE NEED TO FIX THE LAW. SURE, BUT THAT'S FOR ANY PROJECT. WHY SHOULD WE ACCEPT THIS DATA CENTER? WE'RE TOLD THERE'S 28 PERMANENT JOBS, BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THOSE 28 JOBS WILL GO TO PEOPLE WHO EVEN LIVE IN THIS COUNTY APART FROM THE JANITOR MAYBE. OR IF THEY HAVE A CAFETERIA, MAYBE A COUPLE OF COOKS, RIGHT? COUPLE OF HVAC GUYS. UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THEY'RE CLOSED WATER LOOPS. AGAIN, I'M IN FROM IT. THEY'RE SPECIALIZED TRAINING. THEY'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT CALLING SAM'S AC DOWN THE ROAD. OKAY? SO COMPANIES LIKE, UM, THEY NEED TO GO TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE. COMPARE THAT WITH HOMAN, WHO'S A GERMAN COMPANY [01:20:01] THAT'S INVESTING $250 MILLION INTO CLAREDON COUNTY, CREATING OVER 300 LOCAL JOBS THAT'S COMING IN TWO YEARS. THAT KIND OF PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ACTUALLY BENEFIT THIS COMMUNITY. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS ON. THAT'S INVESTING IN THE IN, IN. SO WE'RE LEFT WITH MAINLY PROJECTED TAX REVENUE, BUT MORE TAX MONEY COMING IN TO THE COUNTY SHOULDN'T MEAN EASING THE BURDEN OF THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LIVE HERE. RIGHT? IF THAT TAX MONEY IS THE REASON WE'RE BEING ASKED TO ACCEPT THIS PROJECT, I DON'T WANNA LOOK BACK IN FIVE YEARS AND SEE THAT Y'ALL GOT PAY RAISES NEXT YEAR. NO OFFENSE BONUSES AND BIGGER GOVERNMENT PAYROLLS, OR A $20 MILLION BONUS FOR THE CEO OF SANTI COOPER, YOUR SEATS EXIST TO BETTER THIS COMMUNITY. IF WE'RE TAKING THE RISK, WE SHOULD SEE THE BENEFIT. WE HAVE SHOPS STRUGGLING TO STAY OPEN, EMPTY BUILDINGS, PEOPLE ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH A RISING COST OF LIFE. USE THAT MONEY TO EASE THOSE BURDENS WHEREVER WE CAN. AND WHERE THE INDEPENDENT EEC, WHERE ARE THE INDEPENDENT ECONOMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, NOT JUST WHAT THE PROJECT DEVELOPER BROUGHT TO YOU OR WHAT WE'RE WAITING ON, BUT WHAT IT COULD ACTUALLY COST THE ECONOMY. WE ALREADY HAVE CLAT COUNTY SELLS LAKE MARION FISHING RECREATION IN THE OUTDOORS. I HAVE YET TO SEE ONE GOOGLE SEARCH OF, SHOW ME A VACATION NEXT TO A DATA CENTER, HAVE YET TO SEE IT. I'VE LOOKED EVERY DAY. I'M NOT SEEING THEM. SO WHAT IS THAT NOT GONNA BRING IN? OKAY, IT MAY NOT BE SITTING ON MAIN STREET, BUT PEOPLE ARE GONNA KNOW IT'S HERE. SO HAS ANYBODY EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT OR LOOKED FOR WAYS OF HAVING AN INDEPENDENT STUDY ON FROM OUR SIDE OF THINGS, NOT JUST THE BIG WIGS? UH, HAS ANYBODY LOOKED AT WHAT THE ACTUAL IMPACT TO TOURISM, RECREATION, PROPERTY VALUES, FUTURE GROWTH ON AVERAGE? ONE GOING IN IN VIRGINIA RIGHT NOW, THEIR PROPERTY VALUES HAVE DROPPED 2.3% ALREADY. NOW THAT'S GOOD FOR PROPERTY TAXES, OKAY. THAT BRINGS THE PROPERTY TAXES DOWN, BUT IT ALSO BRINGS EVERYTHING ELSE DOWN, RIGHT? SO, UH, WE, WE DEFINITELY WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT JUST WHAT THAT IMPACT IS. SO THE DEVELOPER WANTS THIS PROJECT, SAN ELECTRIC AND SANTA COOPER BENEFIT FROM SELLING POWER, BUT THEY SHOULDN'T BE THE ONES TELLING US THIS IS A GOOD DEAL. SO AGAIN, I LIVE ABOUT THREE MILES FROM THIS INDUSTRIAL PARK. I DIDN'T MOVE HERE LAST YEAR TO LIVE NEXT TO ONE OF THESE. I'M GONNA TELL YOU RIGHT OUT. WE DIDN'T SPEND THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY WE DID FOR A FARM. WE HAVE HORSES STARTING MY FIRST GARDEN. OH BOY. AND WE, THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ENVISION FOR OUR RETIREMENT. I'M GONNA TELL YOU THAT MUCH IS TO HAVE A BEEHIVE DOWN THE ROAD. SO I DO OPPOSE PROJECT 59. ABSOLUTELY. AND I'M A SUPPORTER OF AI IN A LOT OF WAYS, BUT I DON'T LIKE HOW FAST IT'S MOVING. AND I DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT THE TREND IS THEY'RE MOVING INTO SMALL TOWNS WHERE JUST LIKE OUR LAWS ARE ARCHAIC, THEY'RE NOT UP TO DATE, THEY'RE NOT NOT PROTECTIVE OF THESE THINGS. EVEN THEN THEY'RE COMING AS QUICK AS IT POSSIBLY CAN. SO I, I APPRECIATE MORATORIUM, I APPRECIATE THE PS I APPRECIATE LOOKING AT THESE LAWS. UH, AND I THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE PASSED. WE SHOULD USE THESE SIX MONTHS TO CLOSE THE LOOPHOLES IN THESE, IN THESE LAWS AND PUT THE PUBLIC BACK INTO THE PROCESS. AND I COME BACK TO THE QUESTION THAT BOUGHT ME, BROUGHT ME HERE. DO THE PEOPLE OF CLARATON COUNTY STILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY NO TO THIS? OR IS IT A DONE DEAL? THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE AND WILL LIVE WITH THIS DECISION SHOULD BE THE VOICE THAT MATTERS, NOT THE COMPANIES OR UTILITIES THAT STAND TO MAKE BILLIONS FROM IT. THANK YOU THAT I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT THAT WASN'T REALLY THE RIGHT ONE. THIS, THIS, THIS WAS ABOUT SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. BUT , I DIDN'T STOP YOU THOUGH. I I'LL LET YOU GO AHEAD AND TALK. YEAH, IT'S COMING UP SO I YEAH, YEAH, SHE'S GONNA HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. YEAH, I'M CAN CAN YOU COME UP AND SAY EVERYTHING OVER AGAIN? ONE MORE. I'M JUST PICKING AT YOU HERE. I'M JUST PICKING AT YOU. I, UM, THIS IS ON, UM, 20% OF ANY INCOMING BUSINESS BEING GIVEN TO, UM, OUR DEVELOPMENT BOARD WHERE THEY CAN TURN AROUND AND REINVEST THAT MONEY INTO, UH, INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. OKAY. BASICALLY WHAT IT, BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS WHERE WE KIND OF GOT CAUGHT WITH THE, WITH SANIA COOPER, BRENT, LINDA, THIS BUILDING, WE'RE GOING TO INVEST IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THEY [01:25:01] HAVE TO COME TO US BEFORE THEY CAN PUT SOMETHING IN THERE. WE'LL HAVE CONTROL OF IT. WE DIDN'T HAVE CONTROL OVER IT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE INVESTING IN THIS FUND. SO THE COUNTY WILL OWN THESE BUILDINGS INSTEAD OF SAN COOPER ELECT. SAN ELECT. YEAH. SO THAT WE, WE CAN CONTROL WHAT ON IT'S MORE, MORE PROTECTION FOR THE COUNTY, BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. RIGHT. ANYBODY ELSE WANNA SPEAK ON THAT? 16? NO. 16. THAT WAS THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ORDINANCE. 2026 DASH 16. YEAH. WE'RE ON NUMBER 14 ON THE ITEM AGENDA. YEP. NUMBER 14. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. YES. I'M SORRY. I'M, I'M THINKING ORDINANCE NUMBER AND YOU'RE TALKING AGENDA ITEM NUMBER, SORRY. MISCOMMUNICATION. WELL, IF NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK ON THAT, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO ORDINANCE 2026 DASH [15. Ordinance 2026-16] 16, CONSIDERATION OF THE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 16 AND ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CLARINE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK MASTER AGREEMENT. DO I HAVE A MOTION ON THAT? SO, MOTION. GOT A MOTION. COUNCILMAN RICHARD, SECOND. COUNCILMAN COKER. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIED. NEXT, UH, WE HAVE ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 17. THIS WILL [16. Public Hearing – Ordinance 2026-17 ] BE A PUBLIC HEARING ON ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 17 AND ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CONVEYANCE OF REAL PROPERTY OF CLA COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERE TO, I THINK I'M RIGHT WHEN THIS IS THE PROPERTY FOR THE CITY OF MAN. YES, SIR. YEAH. WHERE THE NEW PARKS BEING BUILT? WHERE THE NEW PARK BEING BUILT. ASK QUESTION. WHAT WHAT DO YOU MEAN PROPERTY? LAND? LAND? YEAH. IT'S 0.2 SOMETHING ACRES OF LAND. IT'S, IT'S A TRACK OF LAND ABOUT THE SIZE OF THIS ROOM. OKAY. THAT BUILDING, WELL, ACTUALLY, THERE IS A BUILDING ACTUALLY, MAN, ACTUALLY THE CITY OF MANIN STARTED BUILDING THAT PARK RIGHT BESIDE THE OLD HEALTH DEPARTMENT THERE. OKAY. AND THEY ACTUALLY BUILT A BUILDING ON THE COUNTY LAND. SO NOW WE, WE ARE CONSIDERING CONVEYING THE PROPERTY TO THE CITY OF MANNING WHERE WE WON'T OWN HALF OF THEIR BUILDING. SO WOULD THAT BE FOR JUST THAT PARCEL ONLY? YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. YEP. IT'S ACTUALLY PART OF A PARCEL. THE PARCEL IS SHAPED WEIRD AND THE LITTLE CORNER THAT STICKS OFF IS WHERE THEY GOT PART OF THE BUILDING SITTING ON IT. AND I GUESS THEY JUST DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL THEY STARTED BUILDING IT. SO, SO THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT. WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK ON THAT? ALL RIGHT. NOBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THAT. I, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT AND WE'LL MOVE [17. Ordinance 2026-17 ] ON TO ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 17, CONSIDERATION OF THE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 17 AND THE ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CONVEYANCE OF REAL PROPERTY OF CLATON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERE TOO. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. GOT A MOTION FROM COUNCIL LADY FRIERSON, OR SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT UP, WE HAVE [18. Public Hearing – Ordinance 2026-18 ] A PUBLIC HEARING ON ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 18, AN ORDINANCE IMPOSING A MORATORIUM ON THE CONSIDERATION OF ISSUANCE OF ALL LAND AND OTHER USE OR DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS FOR DATA CENTERS AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE FACILITIES. WELL, BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR INTO THIS, UM, THIS TECHNICALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PROJECT 59. PROJECT 59 HAS NOT ASKED FOR ANY TAX BREAKS. THEY HAVE NOT ASKED FOR ANYTHING FROM THE COUNTY. SO THAT PROJECT TECHNICALLY DOES NOT COME BEFORE US TO EVEN VOTE ON THIS. THIS IS THE MORATORIUM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT IN PLACE TO STOP AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT LOOPHOLE GETS CLOSED AND WE DON'T END UP IN THAT SITUATION AGAIN. SO, AS OF RIGHT NOW, Y'ALL ARE GOING TO STOP THE PROCESS OF THE DATA CENTER COMING IN? YES, SIR. THAT SET, EXCEPT THE INDUSTRIAL PARK, THE MORATORIUM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE INDUSTRIAL PARK 'CAUSE IT FITS ALL THE CRITERIA OF SOMETHING GOING INTO THE INDUSTRIAL PARK. WELL, THAT MR. UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, WE ALSO ALREADY HAVE SOME PROTECTIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK BECAUSE THERE ARE NO EXISTING BUILDINGS IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK. SO ANY NEW [01:30:01] FACILITY WOULD HAVE TO COME AND GET VOTED ON TO GET THE PROPER PERMITS AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF LIKE THAT. SO, SO THE PROTECTIONS ARE THERE FOR BASICALLY VACANT LOTS IN INDUSTRIAL PARK. BUT WE KINDA GOT CAUGHT WITH OUR PANTS DOWN. I, OUR PROBLEM WAS, UP UNTIL THIS MOMENT RIGHT HERE, YOU COULD HAVE WALKED IN AND APPLIED FOR A PERMIT FOR A DATA CENTER AND WE COULD NOT TURN YOU DOWN BECAUSE IT, IT CHECKED ALL THE BOXES. IT FIT ALL, ALL, ALL THE, THE SPECIFICATIONS. IT FIT BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY, AND I KNOW EVERYBODY IN HERE'S ABOUT TO MAKE A FROWNY FACE, BUT THE GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY CONSIDERS A DATA CENTER A WAREHOUSE THAT STORES DATA. SO THAT BUILDING OUT THERE, THAT'S ANTI ELECTRIC OWNS IS A WAREHOUSE. SO WHENEVER THEY CAME IN AND THEY APPLIED FOR THE PERMIT, IT QUALIFIED TO GO IN THAT BUILDING BECAUSE IT'S A WAREHOUSE. AND THAT'S HOW THE GOVERNMENT CLASSIFIES IT. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE TRYING TO PUT A MORATORIUM IN PLACE TO STOP ALL APPLICATIONS, WHICH UP UNTIL RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD'VE CAME IN AND PUT AN APPLICATION AND, AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN BAD FOR US. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO STOP ALL APPLICATIONS PERIOD UNTIL OUR PLANNING COMMISSION HAS TIME TO STUDY AND PUT IN A ORDINANCE THAT FITS OUR COUNTY BETTER. AND, AND, AND KIND OF CLOSE DOWN THE LOOPHOLE SO WE'RE NOT WIDE OPEN, BUT ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. GO AHEAD. HOW MANY HAVE BEEN APPROVED? IT, IT, IT'S NOT E WELL, THE, THE PERMIT WAS APPROVED BY PLANNING COMMISSION. THE, THE ACTUAL PROJECT HAS STILL NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BETWEEN, AM I CORRECT ON THAT? CORRECT. THE, THE PROJECT HAS STILL NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BETWEEN SANTEE ELECTRIC AND PROJECT 59. UM, THEY, I THINK THEY'RE STILL WAITING ON POWER STUDY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT, UM, THAT, THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE GOT IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE THEY CAME IN AND APPROVED AND, AND APPLIED FOR A PERMIT FOR THE WEAR FOR THE WAREHOUSE, WHICH AUTOMATICALLY THEY'RE APPROVED THROUGH PLANNING AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO STOP. OKAY. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS CANDACE MCCRAY. I'M ALSO A NEW RESIDENT OF CLAREDON COUNTY, BUT I DO HAVE STRONG FAMILY ROOTS HERE. I UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT IN MOTION, BUT I DO HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE YOU ALL ARE ABLE TO ANSWER FOR ME, UM, REGARDING THIS DATA CENTER. UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHO ARE THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS, DEVELOPERS, OPERATORS, AND ULTIMATE CUSTOMER? AND ARE THERE ANY FUTURE PHASES OR ADJACENT PARTIALS UNDER CONSIDERATION? YOU WANT TO TACK THAT? YEAH, SO WE KNOW THE DEVELOPER IS FIVE NINE DIGITAL. WE DO NOT KNOW WHO THE OPERATOR OR THE OWNER OPERATOR WILL BE. THERE ARE NO FURTHER PARCEL UNDER CONSIDERATION BESIDES ONE THAT IS OWNED BY SANTI ELECTRIC. UM, MY NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT DID THE SANIA ELECTRIC, UM, SANTI COOPER CA CAPACITY STUDY CONCLUDE? WHERE, WHERE WILL THE ENERGY COME FROM? WHAT GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, SUBSTATION AND FEEDER UPGRADES ARE REQUIRED? YEP. THAT HAS NOT COME BACK YET. WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THAT, SO THERE'S NO CONCLUSION. GOT IT. AND HOW WERE THE 28 JOBS SALARY RANGE AND 4.5 MILLION ANNUAL TAX FIGURE CALCULATED? DO THE FIGURES ACCOUNT FOR DEPRECIATION, ABATEMENTS, CONTRACTORS AND LATER INCENTIVE REQUESTS? THEY DO. THERE ARE NO INCENTIVE REQUESTS. SO THERE WILL BE NO CHANGE IN THAT. AND THEIR INVESTMENT WILL BE 30 TO 50. WILL THE APPLICANT COMMIT TO LOCAL HIRING, APPRENTICE APPRENTICESHIP PATHWAYS, PREVAILING WAGES, BENEFITS, SAFETY STANDARDS, AND PUBLIC REPORTING? I THINK THAT'S A GOOD CONVERSATION WE CAN HAVE WITH THEM. UM, BUT JUST LIKE WHEN YOU RECRUIT A HOSPITAL COME IN, DO THEY HIRE EVERYBODY LOCAL? DOES THE SCHOOL BOARD HIRE EVERYBODY LOCAL DOES THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE CAN'T FORCE SOMEONE TO HIRE THEM, BUT WE CAN PARTNER WITH THEM TO PUT, UH, SOME NEW PROGRAMS IN PLACE. HOPEFULLY RESIDENTS, WE ARE THAT OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE, UM, TAKING STEPS TO START OFFERING, UM, CLASSES AT TECH. MM-HMM . THAT WAS, THAT WOULD TRAIN PEOPLE FOR THIS TYPE OF POSITION. YEP. IT'S A LITTLE EASIER, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF SOMEBODY'S COMING IN, IF A COMPANY COMES IN AND THEY ASK FOR TAX INCENTIVES AND CONCESSIONS AND THAT TYPE THING, THEN WE CAN KIND OF GUIDE THAT. BUT THIS COMPANY'S NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING, SO REALLY WE CAN ONLY ASK THEM. UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO, TO REALLY BACK 'EM INTO A CORNER AND FORCE 'EM TO DO ANYTHING. TWO MORE QUESTIONS AND I'LL BE SEAT, UM, SEATED. WILL THE COUNTY HOLD A PUBLIC WORK SESSION AND RECORDED VOTE AFTER THE MISSING STUDIES AND RESPONSES ARE AVAILABLE RATHER THAN TAKING FINAL ACTION THE SAME NIGHT? THERE IS NO [01:35:01] ACTION TO TAKE. SO I MEAN, IT DOESN'T COME BEFORE COUNCIL, SO THERE'S NO ACTION TO TAKE. OKAY. NO, I THINK WHAT SHE'S ASKING IS ONCE, IF IT COMES BACK THAT THE POWER STUDY GOES THROUGH AND THEY, THEY DO INTEND ON PUTTING THE DATA CENTER THERE, WILL THE COUNTY HAVE LIKE A PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING TO I ACTUALLY THINK IT WOULD BE VERY APPROPRIATE, MR. CHAIRMAN. UM, AS WE ARE, ONCE THIS PROJECT MOVES TO THE NEXT STEP, IF IT MOVES TO THE NEXT STEP AND WE ACTUALLY FIND OUT MORE DETAILS, UM, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHO THE OPERATOR PERSON IS. UM, SO WE JUST KNOW SOME OVERARCHING DETAILS. ONCE WE FIND OUT THOSE DETAILS, WE CAN DEFINITELY COME BACK AND HAVE A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION. GOT IT. YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MEET THE OPERATOR, THE OWNER OPERATOR. AND I GUESS I, I THINK MY THING IS WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THESE DECISIONS AREN'T MADE WITHOUT THE PUBLIC VOICE. I THINK, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT EVEN WHEN IT CAME TO THE CORONERS AND THE FIRE, THE WHOLE THING. LIKE WE DEFINITELY WANNA HAVE A WORD WITH THE DEVELOPER, UM, AS WELL AS ENSURING THAT THE PEOPLE OF CLARITIN AND MANNY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, A, TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND ALSO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE IF IT'S COMING, 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE SOME DECISIONS ARE MADE WITHOUT US, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A VOICE IN THIS BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT EFFECT UPON THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTY. UM, AND JUST THE LAST THING THAT I'LL SAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO PROTECT FAMILIES FROM CALL SHIFTING THE PROJECTS CENTERS, ITS OWNERS, NOT RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS SHOULD PAY THE FULL AND VER VERIFIABLE COST OF DEDICATED FEEDERS, SUBSTATIONS, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, BACKUP GENERATION, AND SYSTEM IMPACTS. THAT IS ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS RONALD KOON. I AM A LIFETIME RESIDENT OF CLARENDON COUNTY. I WAS ACTUALLY BORN AT MCLEOD MEDICAL CENTER, SOMEWHERE THAT DIRECTION. SO MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE MORATORIUM IS THAT IT'S CURRENTLY TEMPORARY, BUT THE COUNTY IS PLANNING TO MAKE IT PERMANENT TO PREVENT ANY FUTURE BUILDING OF DATA CENTERS OR BATTERY WAREHOUSE, PLACES LIKE THAT. CORRECT. BASICALLY, YEP. OKAY. SO MY QUESTION IS, IS LIKE, SO WE SAID, WE ALREADY SAID THAT WE DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS OWNER OPERATOR IS. WE DON'T KNOW RIGHT? WAIT, WAIT, WE NEED TO CORRECT SOMETHING RIGHT HERE. YEAH, SORRY. HE SAID THAT WE WERE PLANNING ON MAKING THIS MORATORIUM PERMANENT LIKE FOREVER, SO NO, SO, SO A MORATORIUM IS SIMPLY A PAUSE WHERE NOTHING NEW CAN HAPPEN WHILE WE GET OUR REGULATIONS IN ORDER. THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IS LIKE DURING THE MORATORIUM, THE PLAN IS TO MAKE REGULATIONS AND RULES THAT WOULD KEEP THOSE PLACES FROM COMING HERE AT ALL. NO, NO, NO. IT, IT, IT WOULDN'T BE TO KEEP 'EM FROM COMING HERE AT ALL. IT WOULD PUT THE NECESSARY REGULATIONS TO WHERE COUNCIL THEN WOULD HAVE A DECISION IN A VOICE, IN A DECISION. UNLIKE THIS ONE WHERE IT JUST CAME IN AND THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO TO STOP IT. OKAY. SO WE CAN'T JUST SAY NO, YOU CAN'T EVER PUT ANYTHING IN, BECAUSE THEN THAT BECOMES A DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE. SO WE HAVE TO PUT A NARROW SET OF PROCEDURES IN PLACE SO THAT IF THOSE FOLKS COME IN AND THEY CAN MEET THOSE PROCEDURES AND DO WHAT, WHAT COUNCIL DEEMS NECESSARY, THEN THEY CAN COME AT THAT POINT. BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW WELL DEFINED THOSE, THOSE CRITERIA ARE. DURING THE MORATORIUM, NO APPLICATIONS COULD BE ACCEPTED DURING THE MORATORIUM. SO IT'S SIX MONTHS. NO APPLICATIONS COULD BE ACCEPTED FOR SIX MONTHS UNTIL THE ORDINANCE COMES BEFORE COUNCIL. THEN COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO APPROVE, APPROVE THE NEW PLAN COMMISSION ORDINANCE, UH, WHICH WOULD TAKE THREE READINGS. THREE READINGS, YES. SO YOU'VE GOT SIX MONTHS PLUS THREE MONTHS, THREE READINGS. SO THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE NINE MONTHS OF NO NEW APPLICATIONS, EXCEPT THAT GIVES EVERYBODY TIME TO RESEARCH, STUDY AND FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING THERE IS TO FIGURE OUT ABOUT. YEAH, THERE'S QUITE A BIT TO IT, YOU KNOW, THE MORE YOU DIG INTO IT, THE MORE YOU FIND OUT IS A LOT. WELL, ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OF COUNSEL WHILE YOU ARE MAKING YOUR DECISIONS IS THAT LAKE MARION, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR MAIN ECONOMIC RESOURCES, NOT JUST FOR TOURISM, BUT FOR ALSO FISHING AND AGRICULTURE, IF YOU HAVE A, WELL, YOU RELY ON IT FOR DRINKING WATER. I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT COUNCIL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION OF OUR ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER, LOCAL ECONOMIC, THE LOCAL ECONOMY'S DEPENDENCE ON IT, OUR RESIDENTS DEPENDENCE ON IT, AND AS WELL AS THE WILDLIFE. CLAREDON COUNTY IS KNOWN FOR NOTHING SHORT. IF NOT, ITS BEAUTIFUL. WILDLIFE. SANTI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE HAS HOW MANY FACILITIES IN CLAREDON COUNTY? I DIDN'T COUNT THEM, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S AT LEAST THE CODO UNIT. THERE ARE MULTIPLE PLACES DOWN IN SUMMERTON NEAR SANTEE. AND I WOULD LIKE COUNSEL TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ENVIRONMENTS AND THE NATURAL SITES OF CLARENDON COUNTY ARE SOMETHING THAT ARE WORTH PRESERVING AND KEEPING IN MIND IF [01:40:01] WE ARE GOING TO ALLOW BUSINESS HERE. THAT'S FINE. THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. HELLO AGAIN. MY NAME IS SUNDAY SANTIAGO. OF COURSE, I LIVE IN MANNING. AND THIS ORDINANCE REALLY HITS HOME FOR ME BECAUSE I OWN A DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE BUSINESS NOW. UM, I DO WANNA BE PRECISE. I KNOW THAT, UM, PROJECT 59, IT MAY NOT BE LEGALLY SUBJECTED TO THE NEW MOR THE NEW MORATORIUM, BUT MY CONCERN IS THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE RULES THAT EXISTED WITH WHEN PROJECT 59 ENTERED THE PROCESS AND THE DATA CENTER STANDARDS. THE COUNTY IS NOW CONSIDERING NOW CLARINE COUNTY'S AUGUST PUBLIC MATERIALS IDENTIFIED PROJECT 59 AS A PROPOSED DATA CENTER WITH PRELIMINARY CHARACTERISTICS INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 18 MEGAWATTS OF ANTICIPATED ELECTRICAL DEMAND. APPROXIMATELY 8,000 GALLONS PER DAY OF WATER USE APPROXIMATELY 1400 GALLONS PER DAY OF WASTEWATER, COOLING AND MECHANICAL NOISE AND INTERMITTENT BACKUP GENERATED OPERATIONS. TONIGHT COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING ORDINANCE TO 2026 THROUGH 18 CONCERNING A MORATORIUM ON ADDITIONAL DATA CENTER AND BATTERY STORAGE DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS. SO MY FIRST QUESTION WILL BE WHAT EXISTING STANDARDS APPROVALS, CONDITIONS OR MONITORING REQUIREMENTS GOVERN PROJECT 59 WHILE THE DATA CENTER DEVELOPS? EXCUSE ME, WHILE THE DATA CENTER DEVELOPS IS DATA CENTER STANDARDS. MY SECOND QUESTION IS THIS. IF PROJECT 59 MATERIALLY CHANGES, FOR EXAMPLE, SUB SUBSTANTIALLY MORE ELECTRIC DEMAND WATER USE GENERATORS, BUILDINGS, ACREAGE, OR A DIFFERENT COOLING SYSTEM, WHAT WOULD TRIGGER A NEW COUNTY REVIEW REAPPLICATION OR PUBLIC NOTICE OR OTHER APPROVAL? I'M ASKING BECAUSE THE COUNTY'S EXISTING DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS RECOGNIZES THAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES CAN REQUIRE ADDITIONAL REVIEW. I WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW THE PRINCIPAL APPLIES TO A DATA CENTER ALREADY IN THE PIPELINE. WHAT PUBLIC PROCESSES CAN RESIDENTS USE TO TRACK PROJECT 50 NINES CURRENT STATUS, OUTSTANDING APPROVALS AND MATERIAL CHANGES? MY GOAL IS A PRECAUTION NOT CONFLICT. IF THE COUNTY IS CREATING STRONGER PROTECTIONS FOR THE NEXT DATA CENTER, I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE PROTECTIONS GOVERN THE, AND THE ONE THAT'S ALREADY IN THE PIPELINE. ESPECIALLY THE ONE THAT'S ALREADY IN THE PIPELINE. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL YOU WANT ME TO HANDLE? ANY OF IT? ALRIGHT, WHICH QUESTION DO YOU WANT ME TO ANSWER? ? OKAY. WELL BASICALLY MY UM, THE TRANSITION, UM, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PROJECT 59 AND HOW IT, SO WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY WERE APPROVED, THEY WERE APPROVED FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT BUILDING MM-HMM . THAT IS WHAT THEY WERE IN. WHAT WOULD TRIGGER A NEW APPLICATION WOULD BE IF THEY WERE TO PHYSICALLY EXPAND THAT BUILDING BEYOND A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET. SO IF THEY SAID, HEY, WE WANT TO GROW IT TO 200,000 SQUARE FEET, THAT WOULD TRIGGER A NEW APPLICATION THAT WOULD HAVE TO GO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. SO THERE'S, THERE'S A TRIGGER. UM, FROM THE POWERS PERSPECTIVE, WE DON'T, CLATON COUNTY DOES NOT CONTROL POWER. RIGHT? THAT IS BY SAN COOPER AND SAN ELECTRIC. SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO SAN ELECTRIC AND SAY, HEY, WE WANT MORE POWER. AND THEN SAN ELECTRIC CAN SAY, YES YOU HAVE OR NO, YOU CAN'T GET IT. BUT THAT ALL COMES FROM SANTA COOPER. WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE POWER, THE WATER, THE CITY HAS CONTROL OVER THE WATER. SO THEY HAVE ASKED AND GOT A WILL SERVE LETTER FOR 8,000 GALLONS, I THINK IS WHAT WE SAID. 8,000. 8,000. YEAH. SO THEY HAVE A WILL SERVE LETTER FROM THE CITY THAT SAYS WE CAN SERVE YOU MM-HMM . RIGHT NOW, 8,000 GALLONS A MINUTE. THAT DOESN'T PUT A DRAW ON OUR SYSTEM. THAT WOULD HAPPEN. MM-HMM . ANYTHING ELSE? A DAY? NOT A MINUTE. I'M SORRY. A DAY. YEAH. YEAH. ALL THE MINUTES ARE RUNNING TOGETHER A DAY. SO IF THEY WERE TO NEED ADDITIONAL WATER USAGE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE CITY AND REQUEST THAT FROM THE CITY. SO THE CITY CONTROLS WATER SAFETY, COOPER CONTROLS ELECTRICITY, WE CAN CONTROL WHERE THEY GO. THE COUNTY, MEANING THE COUNTY CAN CONTROL WHERE THEY GO. AND WHAT REGULATIONS WOULD THIS ORDINANCE COME IN PLACE TO STOP FUTURE, UH, DEVELOPMENTS TO JUST COME IN AND BE ABLE TO DO WHAT THEY WANT. NOT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO, BUT THE ORDINANCE CAN, CAN COVER A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE BASED ON, YOU KNOW, COULD WE DO, UH, ACOUSTIC BARRIERS AROUND BUILDINGS? MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE. COULD WE REQUIRE A NOISE STUDY TO BE DONE? YES. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THE NEW ORDINANCE COULD ACCOMPLISH, BUT APPROVED. OKAY. BUT OKAY, SO THERE IS A NO CAP ON THIS ONE. CORRECT? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WAS SAID IN THE MEETING ONLINE. THERE WAS A ZERO CAP ON THIS PARTICULAR, THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE SO THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO. HOW BIG THEY WANT TO DO THIS PROJECT WOULD 18 MEGAWATTS, THAT IS WHAT THEY'RE APPROVED FOR. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR. RIGHT. SAID ZERO CAP ON THIS PARTICULAR DATA, COME [01:45:01] AND ASK THEY NEEDED MORE WATER, SAID NO, WE'RE NOT GONNA GIVE THEM WATER. BUT IF THEY CONTRACT ZERO CAP EXACTLY. POTENTIALLY COULD THEY SUE THE CITY IF THEY HAVE CAPACITY? POTENTIALLY, YES. AS FAR AS THE RECORDINGS OF THE INFORMATION, YOUR QUESTION IS ZERO CAP. SO THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO, HOW BIG THEY WANT TO BE. SO HOW ARE WE, MY THING IS, SO HOW ARE WE GONNA SEE THIS INFORMATION? I HEAR YOU SAYING THEY WILL BE PROPOSING, UM, ARE WE, HOW ARE THE RESIDENTS GONNA SEE THIS AS IT'S HAPPENING? WE DON'T WANNA HEAR THREE YEARS FROM NOW WHAT HAPPENED? WE WANNA BE IN THE PROCESS AS IT'S HAPPENING. WELL, WELL, WELL I THINK WE ADDRESSED THAT WHEN THE OTHER YOUNG LADY STOOD UP, UM, AND ASKED, YOU KNOW, WOULD THIS INFORMATION BE PUT BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS SOON AS WE ACTUALLY HAVE INFORMATION TO PROVIDE? BUT HOW, CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW? YEAH, YEAH. I I THINK WE DID WHAT WE SAID WAS WE WOULD, WE WOULD ENTERTAIN A, A WORKSHOP, A PUBLIC INFORMATION WORKSHOP TO COME BACK ONCE WE HAD INFORMATION TO SHARE. RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOING A LOT OF SPECULATING. SO ARE YOU GOING TO SEND NOTICE OUT TO THE RESIDENTS? ARE YOU GONNA LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING? RIGHT NOW YOU'RE JUST SAYING, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, BUT HOW ARE THE PEOPLE GOING TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO? WORKSHOP. AND WE WOULD INVITE THE PUBLIC TO COME IN. SPEAK. JUST, YEAH. WELL THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR. WE WANNA HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO. NOT WELL. WELL, I MEAN, SO, SO FAR THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT NOW TWICE IN PUBLIC MEETINGS, BUT NOT INFORMATIVE. NO MA'AM. WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE PUT IT OUT ON OUR FACE ON OUR COUNTY FACEBOOK PAGE. WE PUT IT OUT ON OUR COUNTY WEBSITE PAGE. IT INFORMATIVE. WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD UM, BUT IS IT INFORM, IS IT PROPERLY INFORMATIVE? MA MA'AM? I, I WAS TRYING TO GET MY POINT ACROSS. THANK YOU. UM, SO, SO WE, WE HAVE PUT INFORMATION OUT EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONCRETE DETAILS AND EVEN THOUGH THIS PROJECT IS NOT A DONE DEAL YET, WE HAVE PUT OUT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE POSSIBLY HAVE. WELL, EVIDENTLY IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT WE'RE CONFUSED. IF WE'RE CONFUSED AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. THAT MEANS YOU GUYS HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU'RE GONNA GO ABOUT PUTTING OUT YOUR INFORMATION BECAUSE EVIDENTLY IT'S NOT, IT'S IT'S VAGUE. YEAH, WE, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. WELL, WE, WE CAN, WE CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHAT WE KNOW. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT WE DUNNO. I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT NOW. BUT UM, AS I SAID AGAIN, YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY. I'LL GO AHEAD AND FINISH DOING MY RESEARCH NOW. THE BACK DOOR. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THEN WHEN YOU GOT YOUR CAR, YOU DECIDED TO HAVE A MEETING. OKAY. EXACTLY RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MONICA LAN AND I'M A STAFF ATTORNEY AT THE SOUTH CAROLINA ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROJECT. SCALP IS A NONPROFIT PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FIRM AND OUR MISSION IS TO USE OUR LEGAL EXPERTISE TO PROTECT LAND, WATER, AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE. I WANNA BEGIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE WORK YOU AND YOUR STAFF HAVE PUT INTO THIS. ENACTING RESPONSIBLE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR DATA CENTERS IS AN EXTREMELY WORTHY GOAL BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE NEGATIVE IMPACTS THESE FACILITIES HAVE UPON OUR ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITIES. DATA CENTERS GUZZLE BOTH WATER AND ENERGY AND ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS, STRAINING ESSENTIAL NATURAL RESOURCES AND ELECTRIC CAPACITY, AND ULTIMATELY CAUSING EVERYDAY PEOPLE TO SUBSIDIZE THE WATER AND ELECTRIC BILLS OF THESE FACILITIES. THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR COUNTY IS TO PASS A MORATORIUM AND TO PASS STANDARDS FOR ALL ZONES. THE COUNTY CAN IMPLEMENT A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON ALL DA, ON ALL NEW DATA CENTER APPLICATIONS. AND IF NECESSARY INCLUDE CARVE OUTS FOR ALREADY APPROVED PROJECTS WITH VESTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS RATHER THAN GREEN LIGHT. OR RATHER THAN PROVIDE A GREEN LIGHT FOR FUTURE PROJECTS IN INDUSTRIAL ZONES. THIS, THIS SAME REASONABLE APPROACH IS BEING FOLLOWED BY A GROWING LIST OF COUNTIES ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA, INCLUDING CHESTERFIELD, GREENWOOD, SPARTANBURG, YORK, CHESTER, ANDERSON, ORANGEBURG, ORANGEBURG, SUMPTER, LAWRENCE, AND MORE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR YOU TO ADOPT THIS MORATORIUM AND AMEND IT TO STRIKE THE EXCLUSION FOR INDUSTRIAL ZONES. BUT IF THAT IS A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE THAT REQUIRES PUBLIC NOTICE AND OR, AND YOU SHOULD CONFIRM THIS WITH YOUR COUNSEL AND YOUR STAFF, UM, I PROPOSE TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS. OPTION A IS TO PASS THIS MORATORIUM THIS EVENING AND THEN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, PASS AN AMENDMENT. SO IT APPLIES TO ALL ZONES. OPTION B IS TO DEFER THIS OR TO, TO DEFER THIS MORATORIUM SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE THE AMENDMENT BUT ALSO INVOKE THE PENDING ORDINANCE DOCTRINE. SO PROTECTIONS AREN'T DELAYED. AND I'LL GIVE YOU THREE REASONS ON WHY THIS MORATORIUM SHOULD APPLY TO INDUSTRIAL [01:50:01] ZONES AS WELL. FIRST IS FROM THE RIVER KEEPER OF THE BLACK RIVER WATERSHED. UH, SHE SAID THAT BEING LOCATED IN A, IN, IN, IN AN INDUSTRIAL ZONE DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE PARTICULAR USE HAS NO IMPACTS ON NEIGHBORING RESIDENTIAL, AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL, RECREATIONAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES. THE COUNTY SHOULD ESTABLISH APPROPRIATE STANDARDS FOR THESE EMERGING USES BEFORE ASSUMING THAT EXISTING INDUSTRIAL ZONING PROVIDES SUFFICIENT SAFEGUARDS. THE SECOND REASON, AND SOMETHING THAT I ALREADY TOUCHED ON, IS THAT THERE ARE OTHER COUNTIES THAT HAVE PASSED MORATORIUMS THAT APPLY TO ALL ZONES. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, I PRINTED OUT COPIES OF AN EXAMPLE MORATORIUM FROM COLTON COUNTY AND IT CONTAINS A SECTION THAT SAYS, UM, VESTED RIGHTS AND THAT THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THERE ARE NO PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS OR PROJECTS THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE PROGRESSED BEYOND THE VESTING POINT FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF VESTED RIGHTS. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'LL NEED TO CONFIRM WITH PROJECT 59, WHETHER OR NOT IT HAS PROGRESSED TO THE POINT WHERE IT HAS VESTED RIGHTS. BECAUSE TONIGHT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT THERE'S NOT A CLEAR ANSWER. UM, AND THEN THE THIRD AND FINAL QUESTION OR REASON WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER EXPANDING THIS MORATORIUM TO APPLY TO ALL ZONES IS I'M GONNA ASK THE PEOPLE HERE, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WOULD LIKE FOR THIS MORATORIUM TO PASS OR TO APPLY TO ALL ZONES, INCLUDING INDUSTRIAL. THERE'S OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THAT. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT I PROPOSE. ONE IS TO PASS IT THIS EVENING AND THEN QUICKLY AMEND IT. UH, THE SECOND IS TO DEFER SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN AMENDMENT BUT THEN INVOKES THE PENDING ORDINANCE DOCTRINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I'M WENDY LAND. I I PAY TAXES IN CLARATON COUNTY. I DON'T LIVE HERE, BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. WHAT IS A DATA CENTER FOR SPECIFICALLY? WE HAVE NO IDEA THEN. THEN WHY? YEP. THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO KEEP THEM FROM COMING HERE. LEMME NOT SAY WE HAVE NO IDEA. WE'LL STORE SOME SORT OF DATA. WELL THAT'S A GIVEN. UM, DO WE HAVE FLOCK CAMERAS OR AXON CAMERAS HERE IN MANNING OR CLARATON COUNTY? YES. DO THEY TIE, DO THE CAMERAS TIE INTO THOSE DATA CENTERS? I WOULD ASSUME SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD. OKAY. SO WE'RE BEING SURVEILLED. WE WILL BE SURVEILLED. SO I'M SURE THERE'S SOMETHING SOMEBODY CAN COME UP WITH. LET'S FIGHT THIS AND NOT LET THIS HAPPEN. WHO OWNS THE INDUSTRIAL PARK? THE BUILDING'S OWNED BY SAN, THE BUILDING'S OWNED BY SAN ELECTRIC PROPERTY IT SITS ON IS OWNED BY SAN ELECTRIC. YEAH. SO ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE DATA CENTER. WHY WOULD A COMPANY OUT OF ILLINOIS BRICKS, MOORE PROPERTIES WHO IS POTENTIALLY OWNED BY VANGUARD'S OTHER INVESTORS WANNA PUT A DATA CENTER HERE? THEY'RE PUTTING 'EM ALL OVER SOUTH CAROLINA. I KNOW. SO IT'S NOT THIS COUNTY. I KNOW. WHY, WHY? SO WE CAN, SO WE CAN BECOME A COMMUNIST COUNTRY SO WE CAN BE WASH AT EVERYTHING WE DO. I MEAN IT'S SERIOUS Y'ALL. HAVE Y'ALL WATCHED PERSON OF INTEREST? YES. WATCH IT. THEY TARGET SMALL, THEY TARGET THESE COUNTY. SURE THEY DO. THEY THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN TRY AND BRING SMALL CAPITAL. THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE FUNDING TO FIGHT BACK. EXACTLY. SO IF WE GIVE UP, IF WE GIVE UP THIS LITTLE LIBERTY RIGHT HERE, WHAT ELSE ARE WE GIVING UP? WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR WATER? THE WASTEWATER? WHERE DOES IT GO MA'AM? IS IT TREATED? MA'AM, THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO NOW. OKAY, BUT DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE WASTEWATER? THE WASTEWATER GETS PUMPED BACK OUT INTO TRUCKS AND HAULED OFF AT THIS TIME. CLEAN AND PUT RIGHT BACK IN THE PLANT. SO THEY SAY THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY AND THAT'S ALL WE CAN GO BY RIGHT THIS SECOND HAUL IT OFF. THEY HAVE TO PUT IT ON TRUCKS AND TAKE IT TO A SPECIALIZED FACILITY TO TREAT THE, THE COOLING WATER. EVERY 10 YEARS. YEAH, EVERY 10 YEARS. 10 YEARS. THERE'S EPA REGULATIONS, WHAT IS TREATED FOR 10 YEARS. 10 YEARS. THEY HAVE TO CLEAN THE WATER AND PUT IT BACK 10 YEARS. THEY, THEY RECYCLE THE SAME WATER THAT'S IN IT. THE 40,000 GALLONS THAT WAS INITIALLY PUT IN IT. OKAY. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. COURT HAS PASSED. SO Y'ALL COULD PASS REGULATIONS AND THEY MEET ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS. WHAT IS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT STILL STOP Y'ALL? LIKE I KEEP HEARING YOU SAY IT'LL GO BACK TO A VOTE TO THEM, BUT IF THEY MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS, CAN WE LEGALLY STOP THEM? LIKE IF Y'ALL STILL VOTE? NO. WOULD THEY STILL BE ABLE TO SUE AGAINST INSTANCE IF THEY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS THAT Y'ALL SET UNDER THESE REGULATIONS? NO, SIR. IF THEY MET ALL THE GUIDELINES THAT WE, THAT, THAT WE PUT [01:55:01] IN PLACE. I MEAN IT'S JUST LIKE THE, THE SOLAR FARM. THE SOLAR FARMS WE PUT IN MORATORIUM ON, ALRIGHT, IT'S PASSED. WE GOT AN ORDINANCE ON IT. NOW IF THEY JUMPED THROUGH EVERY HOOP, EVERY HOOP, AND IT'LL BE THE SAME AS THIS TIME WHEN THEY COME, THEY WALKED IN THERE. SEE THAT BUILDING DIDN'T BELONG TO US. THAT BELONGED TO SAN ELECTRIC. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO COME TO US. IF THEY WERE TO ASK FOR A TAX BREAK, IT WOULD'VE BEEN RIGHT HERE. AND WE COULD SAID NO, WE'RE NOT GIVING YOU NO TAX BREAK OR NO NOTHING. IT'S NEVER HAPPENED IN THIS COUNTY BEFORE. REGULATIONS, IF THEY JUMPED THROUGH WHAT I, WHAT WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE PASSING THIS TO STOP IT, WE'RE PASSING THIS TO STOP IT FOR SIX MONTHS TO GIVE PLANNING TIME TO GET SOMETHING IN FRONT OF US WHERE ALL THE GUIDELINES SAYS YOU GOT HAVE THIS GUIDELINE, THIS GUIDELINE, THIS GUIDELINE BEFORE YOU CAN BUILD A DATA CENTER HERE. RIGHT? IF THEY JUMP THROUGH EVERY, IF THEY JUMP DOESN'T WANT, SO ONE OF YOU VOTED AGAINST IT, THEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF IT JUMPS THROUGH ALL THE GUIDELINES, IT'LL NEVER COME IN FRONT OF US. THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENED THIS TIME. IF IT, IF THEY FALL THROUGH EVERY GUIDELINE, IT'LL NEVER COME IN FRONT OF US. IT WON'T GO IN FRONT OF PLANNING COMMISSION. IT'LL BE JUST, IT'LL BE JUST LIKE YOU WALKING IN THERE IN A, IN A HOUSE ON LAND, A ZONE. THESE REGULATIONS, YOU HOLD ON, LEMME FINISH YOU QUESTION, JUST GIMME ONE SECOND. IT'S JUST LIKE YOU GO IN AND BUYING A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT YOU KNOW IS ZONED FOR A 3000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE OR 2000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE. AND YOU WALK IN THAT DOOR AND SAY, I WANT A PERMIT TO BUILD A 2000 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE AND PLAN. THEY'LL GIVE YOU THE PERMANENT BOOM. IT DON'T COME AHEAD. IT DON'T COME IN FRONT OF US. IT DON'T COME IN FRONT OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THEY'RE GONNA GIVE YOU THE PERMIT. 'CAUSE IT MEETS ALL THE CRITERIA. THEY DIDN'T COME TO US 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T OWN THE BUILDING. I MEAN, IT WOULD BE JUST LIKE YOU TRYING TO SELL A HOUSE. ARE THEY GONNA COME TO US? 'CAUSE WE COLLECT THE TAXES TO SELL THAT HOUSE? OR ARE THEY GONNA GO TO THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE? NO, WE KNOW THE GUY THAT WE COULD, WE COULD PUT, WE COULD PUT, AND I ANSWER, I'M ANSWERING IT RIGHT NOW. WE CAN PUT ALL THE GUIDELINES WE CAN PUT ON IT. YOU COULD PUT ALL THE GUIDELINES. BUT IF THEY JUMP THROUGH ALL THE HOOPS, IT'S NOT GONNA COME BACK IN FRONT OF US AGAIN. BUT THERE'S WAVE THAT MR. CHAIRMAN, WE GOT A YOUNG LADY UP HERE WAITING IF THEY YEAH, YOUR HANDS ARE TIED, BUT YOUR HANDS AREN'T TIED. YES MA'AM. HELLO, MY NAME'S CHRIS WASH AND I HAVE A QUICK, UH, QUESTION. SO WE HAVE CONTROL OVER THE WATER, WHICH WE'VE TOLD THEM WE CAN GIVE THEM $8,000, 8,000 GALLONS A DAY. NO MA'AM. THE COUNTY DOES NOT. NO, THAT WOULD BE THE CITY OF MAN. CITY OF MANNING. CITY OF MANNING. YES MA'AM. SO THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU GUYS? NO MA'AM. THEY'RE A SEPARATE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY. SO MY QUESTION IS, UM, INSTEAD OF GIVING 'EM ALL THIS WATER, WHY CAN'T SOMEBODY PUT SOME MANDATES ON THEM? THERE ARE, UH, THINGS OUT THERE THAT ARE CLOSED WATER SYSTEMS THAT COULD COOL ANYTHING THEY HAVE TO. COOL. WHY DO THEY HAVE TO USE OUR WATER? WELL, MA'AM, THEY'RE PRIMARILY FLUSHING THE TOILETS WITH THIS WATER AND WASHING THEIR HANDS. THE THE WATER FOR THE COOLING GOES IN ONE TIME AND STAYS IN THERE 10 YEARS. OKAY. THE EIGHT, THE UP TO 8,000 GALLONS PER DAY IS FOR THE WORKERS WHO ARE IN THERE. MOP FLOORS, USE THE BATHROOM, WASH THEIR HANDS IN THE SINK, THAT KIND OF THING. MAYBE THEY WASHING DOWN THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING OR WHATEVER. IT'S NORMAL EVERYDAY WATER USAGE. THEY, THEY PROBABLY WILL WATER THEIR PLANTS AND WATER THE GRASS AROUND THE BUILDING. THAT'S WHAT THEY'LL BE USING THE WATER FOR. IT'S A CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEM. OKAY. SO THE WATER RECIRCULATES TO ITSELF. THAT'S MY QUESTION. SO HOW OFTEN DO THEY HAVE TO TAKE THAT WATER OUT? EVERY 10 YEARS. 10 YEARS. OKAY. YES MA'AM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO ONE MORE QUESTION. WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THAT DATA BESIDES STORE IT? DO THEY SELL IT? YEAH. WELL IT'S, SO WE KNOW WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. LET, LEMME TRY TO CLEAR THIS UP. FOR SOME FOLKS WHO DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS, THE COUNTY AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ANYBODY WHO HAS A BUSINESS TYPICALLY USES CLOUD SYSTEMS. WE STORE OUR INFORMATION ON THE CLOUD. THE CLOUD DOESN'T EXIST IN THE AIR. THE CLOUD IS A DATA CENTER. IT IS A BUILDING SOMEWHERE WITH COMPUTER SERVERS IN IT. IT IS MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE FOR US TO PAY SOMEBODY TO MAINTAIN AND STORE OUR INFORMATION AND OUR DATA THAN IT IS FOR US TO STORE IT IN HOUSE. IT'S ABOUT THOUGHT. YEP. WE GOT A TIME, HER TIME POLICE SYSTEM. YEP. I I THINK WE'VE GOT A YOUNG LADY UP HERE, MS. JIM THAT WAS LOOKING TO TALK. I DON THINK SO. GO AHEAD MISS. OKAY. UM, BACK AGAIN. I'M LANE WOOD AND I'M FROM SUMMERTON. UM, I GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR Y'ALL IN THIS GENTLEMAN OVER HERE. UM, THIS [02:00:01] BUILDING I KNOW IS ALREADY BUILT, BUT IF THEY WANTED TO EXPAND, WOULD THEY HAVE TO COME BACK TO US TO HAVE TO AGREE TO EXPAND? YES. THAT'S WHAT, OKAY. ALRIGHT. WE'LL HAVE TO REAPPLY TON TO STOP ANY RE ANYBODY FROM REAPPLY IT. OKAY. ALL NOT TO US. TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. RIGHT. WOULD NOT COME BEFORE COUNCIL. IT WOULD NOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION A PHYSICAL EXPANSION AND THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND WE WOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THIS. BUT MS. LAN, THERE'S A NO CAP ON THAT ALREADY. IT'S ALREADY BEEN ADMITTED IN THE LAST MEETING. THERE'S, ARE YOU ASKING TO BE NOTIFIED? YES, I AM. THEN WE COULD NOTIFY YOU IF THEY COME BACK. YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WHY DO WE NOT KNOW WHO THE OPERATOR OF THE DATA CENTER IS? MA'AM? I MEAN IT'S, MA'AM IT'S COMING, BUT IT'S JUST LIKE, I JUST EXPLAINED IT ALL. THEY DIDN'T COME TO US. WE DIDN'T OWN THE BUILDING. IT'S JUST LIKE IF YOU HAD A HOUSE OR SALE AND YOU WERE SELLING THE HOUSE, THEY WOULD COME TO THE COUNTY. THEY ASK TO BUY YOUR HOUSE. THEY, THEY DEALT, THEY DEALT WITH THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE, MS. LANS. BECAUSE THE OTHER COMPANIES, THE BIGGER COMPANIES WILL COME OUT THE, THAT'S WHY. YEP. BASICALLY. SO THE OTHER COMPANIES WON'T COME OUT. MS. IT'S KIND OF LIKE THIS. THAT'S WHAT I JUST MA'AM, DO YOU WANNA GET IN LINE, GET UP THERE AND GET IN LINE? I I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL FOR TWO YEARS. I SAT THROUGH A WHOLE YEAR OF PROJECT BONNO. I HAD NO CLUE THAT THE COMPANY WAS NAMED BECAUSE THE COMPANY COMES TO US AND THEY SAY, YOU ARE NOT TO RELEASE OUR NAME. IF YOU RELEASE OUR NAME, WE OUT JUST LIKE THAT. BUT THAT DID NOT HAPPEN THIS TIME. THIS COMPANY NEVER CAME TO US. WE, I I, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, HALF THE HALF THE POPULATION OF THIS COUNTY KNEW ABOUT THE PROJECT BEFORE COUNTY COUNCIL DID. THEY WENT TO SANTEE ELECTRIC IS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY. THEY WENT THE OWNER OF THE BUILDING, THEY WENT TO THE OWNER. THEY DIDN'T COME SANT ELECTRIC. OKAY. SO WE, IF THEY YES MA'AM. IF THEY WOULD'VE ASKED FOR ANY KIND OF TAX BREAKS, ANY FEE IN LIEU OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT WOULD'VE COME STRAIGHT TO US. BUT THE WAY THAT THE ORDINANCE WAS WRITTEN, THEY WENT IN, THEY APPLIED FOR A PERMIT FOR A WAREHOUSE AND THEY IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK AND THEY GOT APPROVED FOR IT. AND THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR TAX BREAKS. SO IT DIDN'T COME TO US. I MEAN THAT, THAT'S WHY WE SAY WE COULDN'T STOP IT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT COME TO US. BUT WE ARE GOING TO STOP WITH THAT. RIGHT MA'AM. WE WILL PUT A STOP TO THAT. CORRECT. WE, THAT'S WHAT THIS MOR TOLD MR. OKAY. VERY GOOD. I GOT A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS THAT I'M THROUGH. UM, JUST TRAINING THE CHILD. WANT THE, UM, PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH. ARE WE PAYING FOR THEIR TRAINING OR DO THEY PAY FOR THEIR TRAINING? I'M SORRY, I I COULDN'T MAKE THAT UP. THE TRAINING THAT YOU SAID THAT THESE PEOPLE WOULD BE GOING THROUGH THAT WOULD BE WORKING THERE. YOU TOLD THIS YOUNG LADY BACK HERE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO TO GET TRAINING. DO WE PAY FOR THEM TO GET TRAINING? NO MA'AM. NO MA'AM. THEY PAID THEMSELVES. YES MA'AM. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, UH, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT AT LAKE WATER AND I KNOW THAT WAS BROUGHT UP TOO. UM, HOW SAFE CAN THAT BE FOR OUR LAKE WATER, CONSIDERING WE ALREADY HAVE THE SITUATION IN PINEWOOD WHERE THAT PLACE WAS SUPPOSED TO BEEN A KITTY LITTER DISTRIBUTION AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE FOR ALL THESE BAD CHEMICALS. NOW HOW DO WE NOT KNOW IF THIS IS GOING TO GET OUTTA LAND? ADE? YEAH, ADE. WHERE WHEREVER IT IS OUT THERE, WE DON'T, WELL IT, THIS, THIS THING NEVER TOUCHES THE LAKE. YOU GOT WATER COMING IN FROM THE CITY OF MANNING AND THEY'LL USE TO FLUSH TOILETS AND THAT KINDA STUFF. AND THEN IT GOES RIGHT BACK INTO THE MANNING SEWER SYSTEM. IT'S NORMAL BATHROOM WATER AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. AND UNLESS WHATEVER THEY'RE PUTTING ON THEIR PLANTS ON THE OUTSIDE FOR WATER AND GRASS AND SHRUBBERY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT THE WATER THAT ACTUALLY GOES INTO THE SYSTEM, IT'S A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM AND IT, IT RUNS LIKE THE RADIATOR IN YOUR CAR AND THEN EVERY 10 YEARS THEY FLUSH IT OUT AND THEY TAKE IT TO A SPECIALIZED TREATMENT FACILITY. IS THAT, THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A LAKE. IS THAT SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS CENTER ARE HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT TOO. I HAVE. I I I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S AT. CAN WE FIND OUT? YEAH. WELL, I MEAN I, I WOULD NOT EVEN WANT THAT IN SOUTH CAROLINA. AND IF WE NEVER HAD A DATA CENTER HERE, WHY DO WE NEED IT NOW? I MEAN, I KNOW EVERYTHING'S IN THE CLOUD. YEAH, I KNOW THAT. YEP. BUT GREAT THINGS WHEN, WHEN YOU GO HOME AND WATCH NETFLIX [02:05:01] DATA CENTER EVERY TIME YOU ON FACEBOOK YEAH. DATA CENTER EVERY TIME YOU, ON, EVERY TIME YOU'RE ON THE INTERNET DATA CENTER. I, I KNOW, BUT WE, WE HAD THIS FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE NEEDING ALL THESE THINGS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. WE'RE TRYING TO PUT WE'RE TRYING TO STOP. YOU'RE TRYING TO, WHAT? WE'RE TRYING TO PUT GUIDELINES IN HERE WHERE THIS CAN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. CAN WE STOP IT? NOT THIS ONE. WHY? BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING IN PLACE TO STOP IT. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT WE DON'T. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU . GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CHERYL DAVIS AND I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION. MY QUESTION IS, YOU'VE HEARD MANY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THAT THEY DO NOT WANT THIS DATA CENTER HERE OR YOU, THE PEOPLE THAT REPRESENT US OR YOU WILLING TO FIGHT FOR US AND SAY WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS DATA CENTER COMING TO CLAREDON COUNTY. BECAUSE WHAT I'M HEARING NOW IS IT'S ALL OUT OF OUR HANDS. IT'S ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE. BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR THE PEOPLE OF CLAREDON COUNTY? ARE YOU WILLING TO GET A LAWYER AND LOOK THROUGH THE FINE LINES? USE MY TAX MONEY FOR THAT VERSUS TELLING ME THAT IT'S A DONE DEAL? BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN FIVE YEARS WHEN THAT LINE POP AND GETTING TO OUR UNDERGROUND WATER SYSTEM. IT'LL BE AT LATE MARION. GOOD EVENING AGAIN, MY NAME'S VICTOR. I LIVE HERE IN MANNING. UM, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. I I UNDERSTAND. PROJECT 59, IT'S A DONE DEAL BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY CAME IN. SO NOW THE MORATORIUM PUT A STOP TO ANY FUTURE ONES COMING IN, PUT IN APPLICATIONS. I UNDERSTAND THAT DURING THE MORATORIUM, WILL THE COUNTY HAVE MEETINGS TO WHERE THEY COULD GET, UM, RESIDENT INPUT AS FAR AS WHERE THE MORATORIUMS GOING? WHAT POLICIES HAVE BEEN LOOKED INTO POSSIBLY APPLIED TO THE, THE FINAL DRAFT? I TAKE THAT. YEP. WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, TO HELP ANSWER THAT QUESTION, UM, PART OF THE PROCESS WILL BE PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL BE DRAFTING THE INITIAL ORDINANCE FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. SO THOSE ARE A PUBLIC MEETINGS AS WELL. AND THEN THE COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE A PUBLIC PUBLIC MEETINGS AS ALSO OKAY. SO THERE'S MULTIPLE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DRAFTING OF THAT ORDINANCE. OKAY. THAT MAKES SENSE. ALRIGHT. APPRECIATE IT. AND I ANSWERED THE LAST QUESTION ACTUALLY. WE HAVE BEEN, OUR LAWYER HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ALL THIS. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THE LAWYER OVER AND OVER AND OVER. THAT'S WHY WE'RE SAYING WE DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A WAY OUT OF THIS BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE TELLING US IS POSSIBLY, LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL. BUT WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS BECAUSE THEY MET ALL THE CRITERIA HERE. IF WE COME IN AND SAY, WHAT? NO, YOU JUST CAN'T COME HERE, THEY CAN END UP SUING US AND WE WOULD LOSE. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. SO WE'RE WE ARE TALKING BOYS WHO THEY'RE HUH? WHAT IF I EXPOSED WHO THEY'RE, YEAH. WHAT IF THEY'RE CHILD? WHAT IF THEY'RE ARRESTED? I MEAN, YOU FIGHT THAT. THEY'RE NOT. I'M NOT. WHAT IF THE, WHAT, WHAT IF THE DEAL'S DAMAGED BETWEEN SANDY PAPER AND THEM WHOSE WELL THAT, I MEAN, LIKE I SAID, IT'S GONNA BE WITH THE ATTORNEYS THAT SAY I HAD JURY. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY UP HERE WANTS THE DATA CENTER TO COME HERE. WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREVENT THIS. AND THE ONES COME IF WE COULD STOP IT. THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE MORATORIUM IS TO TRY TO PREVENT THEM FROM COMING IF WE CAN'T STOP THIS ONE. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE SOMETIMES YOUR HANDS ARE TIED BECAUSE OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN. WE ARE, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE FROM THESE THINGS. UM, AND THAT'S PART OF THE MORATORIUM. WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS AGO I DIDN'T REALLY, I MEAN I HEARD THE WORD DATA CENTER, BUT I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT HERE. YOU KNOW, IT WAS SOMETHING EVERYBODY ELSE WAS DEALING WITH. UM, NOW THAT IT'S HERE, WE HAVE TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH IT. AND NOW WE'RE ALL TRYING [02:10:01] TO UNDERSTAND IT, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. UM, ALL THE IMPACTS THAT IT'S GONNA HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY. WE, WE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT. THAT'S WHY THE MORE AUTHORIAL SO THAT WE CAN GET A BIG, BIGGER PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON. TO KNOW WHAT BOUNDARIES WE CAN BE STOP THESE PEOPLE AT. THE QUESTION WAS LIKE, YOU HAVE A LAWYER. YOU HAVE A LAWYER, SOMEONE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU COULD GET A LEGAL PROCEED, BUT YOU GET A LAWYER THAT WOULD SPECIFY IN THIS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE POSSIBILITY OF WHAT WELL, WE HAVE COUNTY ATTORNEY AT THIS MOMENT, BUT LIKE I SAID, I'M SURE IF IT COMES DOWN MORE YEAH. WE'LL HAVE IT ALL LOOKING INTO IT. YEAH. WE GOT SIX, WE GOT NINE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS TO LOOK INTO THAT. YEP. WE GOTTA DO ALL THAT. WE CAN DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. DO WE. OKAY. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. PATRICIA PRINGLE, CHAIRMAN COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I JUST HAD A FEW QUESTIONS. WILL COUNCIL MAKE THE COMMITMENTS ENFORCEABLE FROM PROJECT 59? LIKE ANY PROMISES ON THE LOAD, THE NOISE, THE WATER, JOBS, WAGES, LOCAL HIRING, TAX REVENUE, AND FUTURE EXPANSION. AND WILL THAT BE WRITTEN INTO ENFORCEABLE PERMITS OR AGREEMENTS? YOU KNOW, WITH MONITORING AND CONSEQUENCES? THEY DIDN'T, THEY'RE NOT COMING BEFORE US IN PROJECT 59. THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING. IT'S THE FIRST TIME IT'S EVER HAPPENED. EVERY PLANT OR ANY BUSINESS COMES, THEY ASK FOR, THEY ASKED FOR TAX BREAKS OR SOMETHING. THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING. IT'S NOT COMING IN FRONT OF US. OKAY. THIS IS FOR A MORATORIUM TO STOP THAT, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT ANY INDUSTRY CAN LOCATE ANY INDUSTRIAL PARK AND DON'T HAVE TO ASK YOU FOR ANYTHING AT ALL IF IT MEETS THE CRITERIA. YES MA'AM. SO WILL THEY GET, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX CREDIT THAT THE COUNTY HAVE WITH THE OTHER INDUSTRIES? THEY'RE NOT GETTING ANY BREAKS. WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM ANY BREAKS. THAT'S NOT A BREAK. THAT'S WHAT OTHER INDUSTRIES, WELL THAT'S EVERY, EVERY TAX PAYER GETS THE LOCAL OPT SALES TAX CREDIT. RIGHT. I KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING. SO THE MANUFACTURERS ARE, I KNOW THE MANUFACTURERS DO THE FIVE YEAR, UM, WELL, WELL THAT'S, THAT'S, THEY'RE NOT GONNA DO ABATE YEAR ABATEMENT. THAT'S, THAT'S NOT LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX. RIGHT. THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE FIVE YEAR ABATEMENT. BUT THESE PEOPLE AREN'T RIGHT. THEY AREN'T MANUFACTURERS. SO THEY DON'T QUALIFY FOR THE FIVE YEAR ABATEMENT. SO THE DATA CENTERS ARE CONSIDERED AS A MANUFACTURING? NO, THEY ARE NOT A MANUFACTURER. OKAY. ONLY MANUFACTURERS GET THE FIVE YEAR EXEMPTION. RIGHT. SO THEN THEY WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE LOCAL OPS AND SALES TAX CREDIT THEN JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER TAXPAYER. YES MA'AM. SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING, WILL Y'ALL ALLOW THEM TO HAVE THAT OR YOU CAN, HOW COULD YOU STOP? YOU CAN'T STOP 'EM FROM DOING IT. OKAY. RIGHT. ALRIGHT. AND THE LOCATION, I KNOW IT'S IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK AND IT'S, UM, SANTI ELECTRIC, BUT HOW LONG DID THE DEVELOPMENT BOARD KNOW THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE THERE? WE WERE NOTIFIED ON, UH, SET THIS DATE MANY TIMES WHEN THE, UM, PLANNING COMMISSION ISSUED THEIR LETTER ON, UM, JULY 17TH. OF THIS YEAR. OF THIS YEAR. SO LET'S SEE WHAT, THREE TO FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN YOU SOLD THAT PROPERTY TO SANTI ELECTRIC AND CREATED THE CLATON COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARD, LLC. AND YOU STILL HAVE IT IN CARE OF SANTI ELECTRIC. THAT WAS AT 32. LLC HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CLATON COUNTY. THAT IS, THAT IS SANTI ELECTRIC'S. THAT IS THEIR ARM THAT THEY BUY AND SELL PROPERTY WITH. THAT IS ELECTRIC. THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEVELOPMENT BOARD. DEVELOPMENT BOARD OWNED THE PROPERTY YEARS AGO. SOLD IT TO SANTI ELECTRIC. MM-HMM . ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. OKAY. SO THEY COULD BUILD A BUILDING AT SOME POINT. A SPECULATIVE BUILDING. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE END USER IS. COULD HAVE BEEN SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE STREET LIKE LATITUDE COULD HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, WESTING HOUSE, WHICH IS IN ANOTHER ONE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE NINTH SPEC BUILDING THAT'S IN THAT INDUSTRIAL PARK, UM, THAT HAS DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS IN IT AND NOW A POTENTIAL, UH, DATA CENTER. SO WHY HAVE THEY BEEN EXEMPTED FROM TAXES FOR THE PAYING TAXES FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS? AND IF THE, IF THE, THE SANTEE ELECTRIC THAT YOU HAVE, THE 32 ACRE PROPERTY THAT YEAR THAT THEY BUILT THAT SPEC BUILDING? I HAVE NO IDEA. ARE THEY I HAVE NO, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY'D BE EXEMPT FROM, FROM THAT PROPERTY. WELL THEY ARE FOR THE LAST, WHAT, FIVE YEARS? THEY HAVE NOT PAID TAXES ON THAT LANE OR THAT 32 ACRE PARCEL OR EITHER OF THAT BUILDING. THAT WOULD BE A DOR QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WOULD BE. NO, IT'S NOT UNDER DOR YET. IT'S UNDER THE COUNTY. IT'S NOT UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE. 'CAUSE Y'ALL HADN'T TURNED IT OVER TO THEM YET BECAUSE NOTHING IS IN THERE. IT'S NOT OPERATING YET. YEP. DRR DON'T TAKE POSSESSION [02:15:01] OF IT UNTIL THERE'S AN OPERATION GOING ON INSIDE THE BUILDING. I THINK THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. IT'S NOT COMPLETE. THERE'S NO CO ISSUES. RIGHT. BUT IT'S STILL A BUILDING AND LAND THAT NO TAXES ARE BEING PAID ON UNTIL THE, UNTIL IT'S DONE. AND THE DOR ISSUES THAT, DO THEY NOT, NOT ON ALL THE PROPERTIES THAT'S IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIAL PARK. 'CAUSE SOME IS UNDER THE COUNTY JURISDICTION AND SOME IS UNDER DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE JURISDICTION. MOST OF THE ONE UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE IS THOSE THAT YOU HAVE A NEGOTIATED FEE WITH. THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT FALL UP ON THE NECK. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. I MEAN, I CAN FIND OUT. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA KNOW. WE HAVE EVERYBODY HERE WANTING TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, THE INFORMATION AND ALSO DOES THE PRO, SO YOU KNOW WHY THEY HAVE NOT PAID TAXES ON A SHELL BUILDING AND, AND PROPERTY THAT'S OWNED INDUSTRIAL. THAT IS YOUR QUESTION. SO I CAN LOOK, SO I CAN LOOK INTO THAT, RIGHT. THAT YOU HAVE. YEAH. AND IT'S STILL UNDER CLARINE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT, LLC IN CARE OF EE ELECTRIC. THAT IS THEIR BUSINESS. THAT IS THEIR BUSINESS. MM-HMM . OKAY. YEAH. SO WHY, YEAH. SO WHY ARE THEY BEING EXEMPTED FROM PAYING TAXES? RIGHT? RIGHT. YES SIR. AND DOES PROJECT 59 HAVE VESTED RIGHTS AND YOU KNOW, WHAT DATE, WHAT ACT AND DATE ALLEGEDLY CREATED THEM? IF THEY DO, THAT'S AN ATTORNEY QUESTION. RIGHT. AND OUR LEGAL COUNSEL HAS SAID YES, THEY HAVE VESTED RIGHTS. THE COUNTY'S ATTORNEY. OKAY. ANOTHER QUESTION. WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR, UM, ANY OR EVERY DIRECT AND UPSTREAM SYSTEM COSTS? WILL WE PROJECT FEE? YEP. OKAY. SO THEY WILL ACCEPT A BINDING COMMITMENT THAT ALL HOUSEHOLDS AND SMALL BUSINESSES WILL NOT SUBSIDIZE THE PROJECT. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THEY'RE PAYING FOR A DEDICATED FEE TO THEIR FACILITY. YES. AND ONE OTHER QUESTION. WILL THE PROJECT RELY ON BACKUP GENERATORS DURING THE CURTAILMENT? DO YOU KNOW OF, UH, ON A 19 MEGAWATT PROJECT THERE WILL BE FOUR GENERATORS. YES. OKAY. AND MY OTHER QUESTION THEN LAST ONE, UM, HOW WAS THE $4.5 MILLION CALCULATED THAT YOU WERE SAYING THAT THE COUNTY IS SUPPOSED TO BE BRINGING IN? IS THAT FOR PROPERTY TAXES? WE'RE BASING THAT OFF $130 MILLION INVESTMENT. THE LANDED BUILDINGS WERE GUESSTIMATING 15 MILLION IN THE LAND BUILDING WHEN THEY UPFIT THE BUILDING, THAT WOULD BE ASSESSED AT 6%. AND THEN ALL MACHINERY EQUIPMENT, ALL THE SERVERS ON THE INSIDE WOULD BE 10 AND HALF. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. AND MY LAST QUESTION TO COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, WILL YOU PLEASE READ THE MORATORIUM TONIGHT SO THAT WE CAN HEAR WHAT'S IN IT AND ALSO CONSIDER MAYBE EXTENDING IT FOR ONE YEAR INSTEAD OF SIX MONTHS? 'CAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU STILL NEED TO GET DONE HERE. THANK YOU. I JUST GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS. HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON? HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN ABOUT IT? GEORGE JUST ANSWERED THAT QUESTION. NO, I'M, I'M, I'M, I'M ASKING Y'ALL, HOW LONG HAVE Y'ALL KNOWN ABOUT LIKE, LIKE WE'VE HAD HOW MANY MEETINGS NOW? JUST IN JUNE. JUST IN GENERAL. JULY 17TH. JULY 17TH. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT A CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEM IS? YES. OKAY. EXPLAIN THE WHOLE, I MEAN THE ENTIRE PROCESS. THE ENTIRE PROCESS. DO YOU KNOW THE ENTIRE PROCESS? I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEMS. I'M NOT ASKING YOU, I'M ASKING HIM. I'M NOT AN EXPERT IN CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEMS. BUT THE BEST, THE BEST LAY PERSON DESCRIPTION THAT I CAN GIVE YOU IS A CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEM WORKS LIKE A RADIATOR IN YOUR CAR. IT RECIRCULATES THE COOLING WATER THROUGH A SERIES OF LIKE YOUR RADIATOR. AND IT PULLS THE HEAT OUT OF THE WATER. THAT WATER IS THEN RECIRCULATED BACK THROUGH THE SYSTEM TO PULL ADDITIONAL HEAT OUT OF IT. AND IT JUST RECYCLED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT STAYS IN NO FRESH WATER IS BEING ADDED LIKE THE OLD TIMEY CHILLERS WHERE YOU SEE RIGHT ON TOP OF BUILDINGS. YES. RIGHT. THAT THE BEST DESCRIPTION I CAN GIVE YOU. AND THAT'S THE BEST. OKAY. OKAY. SO YEAH. WHAT, TEN SECOND DESCRIPTION ON SOMETHING HE'S KNOWN ABOUT SINCE WHAT, TWO MONTHS? JULY, AUGUST, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, TWO MONTHS. YOU KNOW WHAT A NO CAP IS, RIGHT? YOU KNOW WHAT A NO CAP MEANS? YOU, YOU, YOU'LL HAVE TO, YOU'LL HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT. WELL, I MEAN, YOU EXPLAINED IT [02:20:01] TO US ON THE MEETING ONLINE. WHAT A NO CAP WAS. NO MA'AM. I DIDN'T ON DEVELOPMENT. ON DEVELOPMENT WHEN THAT YES, YOU DID GO, GO BACK AND REWATCH IT BECAUSE YOU EXACTLY, YOU SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT THERE WAS A NO CAP ON DEVELOPMENT. OKAY. SO IN OTHER WORDS, THEY CAN DEVELOP AS MUCH AS THEY WANT. THEY CAN DEVELOP AS BIG AS THEY WANT. NO MA'AM. THAT WOULD NOT, AND THEN THEY CAN START ACCESSING THE LAND NEXT TO IT AND NEXT TO IT AND NEXT TO IT AND NEXT TO IT. OKAY. BUT THAT WAS A BIG THING THAT WAS ONLINE THAT DAY. OKAY. MY ONLY, AND AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND THEY'RE GREAT QUESTIONS. MY MAIN THING IS HOW LONG HAVE ALL OF Y'ALL SAT THERE AND KNOWN ABOUT THIS? OKAY, JULY 17TH. WE'VE ANSWERED THAT QUESTION. THEN. WHENEVER EVERYONE GOT ALL UPSET AND ALL AGGRAVATED ABOUT IT ONLINE AND YOU SAW THAT AND THE REPRESENTATIVE CALLED YOU OUT ABOUT IT, ABOUT HIDING IT FROM CERTAIN PEOPLE. OKAY. WHAT RESEARCH HAVE Y'ALL DONE SINCE THEN? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT A CLOSED LOOP COOLING SYSTEM IS. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH WATER IS GONNA USE. YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE GENERATORS. YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE LAND. YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. YOU DON'T KNOW THIS AND YOU DON'T KNOW THATAM AND MA'AM. WHAT, SO WHAT IS THE MEETING ABOUT MA'AM KNOW. 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION FOR WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE FOUR GENERATORS. WE KNOW THE CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM'S GONNA HOLD 40,000 GALLONS OF WATER. WE KNOW THEY PUT IN WITH THE POWER COMPANY. WE HAVE NOTHING TO SO IT HOLDS 40,000 GALLONS, YOU'RE SAYING? BUT IT'S GONNA ONLY RIGHT. ABOUT 40,000. BUT I FEEL SURE IF THEY MISS A GALLON OR TWO, I'LL BE CALLED OUT ON. RIGHT. BUT YOU'RE SAYING THAT ONLY NEEDS 8,000, RIGHT? 8,000. THE SYSTEM ITSELF 40,000 GALLONS. YEAH. THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS CHARGED ONE TIME WITH 40,000 GALLONS APPROXIMATELY. BUT THE COMPANY, THE BUILDING THE FACILITY WILL USE ABOUT 8,000 GALLONS A DAY WITH ABOUT 1400. RIGHT. OF THAT BEING SEWER WATER, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE ANSWER. I'M GOOD. I KNOW THE ANSWER. WELL, MY QUESTION, YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT I SAID THINGS THAT I DIDN'T SAY, BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT'S GOING OVER YOUR HEAD. MY POINT IS, NO MA'AM. IT'S NOT MY YEAH, IT IS. MY POINT IS, YOU'VE KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIMES. YOU GOT CAUGHT HIDING SOMETHING, MA'AM. AND THEN YOU WANTED TO DO IT. MA'AM, AS SOON AS WE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT, WE SENT IT BACK TO PLANNING TO GET A MORATORIUM PUT IN FRONT OF US WHERE WE COULD VOTE ON IT THREE TIMES. WE SPED UP, WE TRIED TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS BY HAVING A SPECIAL CALL MEET AND WE, I GOT IT PUT ON A SPECIAL CALL ME TO SPEED IT UP TO GET, BUT THAT WAS AFTER THE REPRESENTATIVE OUTAGE. Y'ALL ON, ON, HOLD ON. I'M GONNA TELL YOU SOMETHING SOCIAL ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. I'M GONNA TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. IT WILL BITE YOU WHERE YOU DON'T WANT IT TO BITE YOU SOMETIMES. YOU'RE RIGHT. AND IT COULD HAVE DONE IT THIS TIME. 'CAUSE WE GOT IT IN. WELL IT DID. WE GOT IT IN PUBLIC. WE GOT IT IN THE PUBLIC THAT THIS COULD GO ANYWHERE. IT COULD GO INSIDE YOUR HOUSE. SOME STUFF DON'T NEED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC. THAT'S WHY I RECKON THEY VOTE ON US TO GET US UP HERE TO MAKE THE DECISIONS. BUT IT COULD HAVE, IT COULD HAVE BIT US IN THE WRONG BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE WENT ANYWHERE. AND IF WE DON'T MAKE THE BOOT ON MY, IT STILL COULD GO ANYWHERE. IT STILL GOING OVER YOUR HEAD. HOW MUCH RESEARCH HAVE Y'ALL DONE AND HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW NOW AS YOU'RE NOT, CAN I FINISH RESEARCH YOURSELF? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S MY POINT. WANTS WHAT HAVE Y'ALL DONE? I KNOW MORE ABOUT IT. I EVER CARED CARE TO KNOW MUCH, BUT EVERY QUESTION WE ASK, THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO ANSWER. I'M NO EXPERT, BUT, BUT IF YOU ARE AN EXPERT, PLEASE CALL ME. I MIGHT DO THAT. MR. AND ACTUALLY, I DID SAY SOMETHING AT THE LAST MEETING AND, AND I, I SAID, WHAT WAS GOING ON? BECAUSE I TALKED TO OUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SHE THANKED ME FOR BRINGING IT OUT. AND WE STILL DON'T KNOW A LOT. BUT I DID BRING IT OUT AND SHE DID SAY THAT THEY WERE SORRY FOR ADDING MY NAME INTO THAT BECAUSE SHE BLANKETED IT BECAUSE I BROUGHT IT OUT. WELL HER AND I DON'T SEE EYE TO EYE, BUT I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S STILL WRONG WHAT YOU DID. WELL THAT, THAT DOESN'T, I MEAN, THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT. YEAH. UM, I JUST KNOW THAT WE'RE TELLING WHAT WE KNOW. I DIDN'T FIND OUT ABOUT IT UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE THE LAST MEETING. THE THING IS, IS HOW MUCH ARE YOU EDUCATING YOURSELVES ON THE PROCESS WITH THIS GENTLEMAN? THIS GENTLEMAN'S DOING HIS JOB. HE'S GOT A BUS. YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GOT TO DO WHAT THEY GOTTA DO. AND I RESPECT THAT. YOU KNOW, NO PROBLEMS WITH YOU. MY PROBLEM IS WITH THESE PEOPLE RIGHT HERE, THAT'S NOT, WE'RE DOING RESEARCH AND NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO MUCH WHEN YOU'VE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR HOW LONG. BUT THAT'S WHAT THE MORATORIUM IS ALL ABOUT FOR US. WE GOTTA FIND OUT WHO'S BRINGING IT. WHAT THERE'S, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST LOOKING AT DATA CENTERS. YOU CAN GO OVER HERE TO MONK'S CORNER AND LOOK AT ONE. IT'S NOT GONNA BE ANYTHING THE SAME AS WHAT WE HAVE. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE UPGRADING. THEY'RE DOING THINGS DIFFERENT. WE, WE GET, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND [02:25:01] OUT EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE BRINGING US. OKAY. SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT. WE'RE, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WORKSHOPS SO WE CAN EDUCATE EVERYBODY ON WHAT WE FIND OUT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT, BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO A, A DATA CENTER. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE BRINGING HERE. WELL, THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN HERE, UH, I'M NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE LAST MEETING OR THE MEETING BEFORE LAST. HE WAS WILLING TO DIRECT YOU GUYS AND HOW THEIR COUNTY ACTUALLY DENIED TWO OR THREE DATA CENTERS. HE WAS WILLING TO COME HELP AND HE WAS TOLD NO, HE COULDN'T TALK. SO, UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT'S WILLING TO HELP YOU, BUT YOU CAN'T DENY THEIR HELP. AND THE LAST THING I WANNA LEAVE Y'ALL WITH IS JUST, UH, YOU REALLY DO NEED TO THINK ABOUT EDUCATING YOURSELF. YOU REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT HERE, OUR FARMERS HERE, OUR AGRICULTURE HERE, THE ANIMALS HERE. YOU REALLY NEED TO TALK WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN OTHER AREAS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR TRUTHFUL ANSWERS. YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET YOUR TRUTHFUL ANSWERS FROM THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SORRY. YOU KNOW. NO, BUT I'M JUST SAYING I'M NOT DEVELOPING, YOU KNOW? YEAH. I, I , I, I, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET YOUR ANSWERS FROM SOMEBODY THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIDDLE. YOU, HE'S GONNA AN ANSWER FROM SOMEBODY TO TAKE YOU. YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THE ANSWERS THAT YOU NEED DESERVE AND THESE PEOPLE DESERVE. YOU NEED TO TALK TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO BECAUSE I HAVE, WE HAVE TO. AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW YEAH. IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE RESULTS WE HAVE. YOU ABOUT TO GET A RUDE AWAKENING. YES. YOU ABOUT TO GET A RUDE AWAKENING. YES. YES. CAN I JUST SAY ONE MORE THING? I'VE HEARD EVERYBODY TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS, YOUR PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND YOUR GOVERNOR. THEY DON'T ANSWER AND STILL LEAVE A MESSAGE. SHE DON'T. I CALL ALL THE TIME, HONEY. SHE, SHE DON'T TALK. I MAYBE I'M JUST IGNORANT TO THE FIGHT, BUT I WANT Y'ALL TO TELL ME THIS. ALL THIS HELL IS BEING RAISED ABOUT THIS DATA BUILDING. WHERE IS IT? IT'S IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK, IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK. RAM BAY INDUSTRIAL PARK. OKAY. AND Y'ALL BROUGHT UP SANT AND Y'ALL BROUGHT, UH, SANT COOPER. WHAT PART THEY SUPPLY THE POWER. SAN SANT ELECTRIC IS DISTRIBUTES THE POWER THAT SANT COOPER GENERATES. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, SANT ELECTRIC ACTUALLY OWNS THE BUILDING AND THE FACILITY. OKAY. AND THE OTHER SERIOUS QUESTION IS, IF A PIPE WERE BUST, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO OUR DRINKING WATER AND WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA? WELL, I WOULD IMAGINE, AND I'VE NEVER RAN A DATA CENTER, BUT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF MANUFACTURING FACILITIES. UM, THEY HAVE, THIS STUFF WILL BE INSIDE THAT BUILDING. SO THE WATER WILL BE ANY RUPTURE, PIPE RUPTURE WOULD BE CONTAINED INSIDE THE BUILDING. AND THEN THEY WOULD CLEAN IT UP FROM THERE. THAT IF IT COULD CONTEND, BECAUSE I'M LOOKING AT THESE NUCLEUS SITES AND THEY HAVE A MELTDOWN. THIS TOOK PLACE IN RUSSIA WAS JUST A LITTLE CRACK BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HARM. NO ONE CLAIM THAT ONE PERSON DIED. BUT THAT SMALL LITTLE CRACK TRAVELED 600 MILE AND FOUR OH MILE WIDE. THEY COULDN'T EAT NO MEAT DRINK, NO COW MILK OR HAVE NO VEGETABLE. RUSSIA HAD TO BROUGHT THEIR FOOD INTO THOSE PLACES FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS. YEP. AND, AND RADIATION IS CAN BE BAD. YES. YOU'RE ALL RIGHT. BECAUSE WE, WE, WE TRY TO MAKE PROGRESS, BUT SOMETIME THEY COULD BITE YOU IN THE BUTT. SO THAT WHY, I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT Y'ALL PUT IT IN PLACE AND PICK THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND WHAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE IN WHAT IZED THE BIG TIME LAWYERS SAY NO, HIS SEAL, BUT IT LEAKING INTO THE UNDERGROUND WATER BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE USE, UH, FRESH WATER. AND SOME OF THE BABIES ARE BORN DEFORMED. SOME OF THE WOMEN HAIR STOPPED FALLING OUT, BUT YET STILL BIG TIME LAWYERS SAY, NO, EVERYTHING'S GOOD. THANK YOU. IF THAT'S IT, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MORATORY [02:30:04] AND I WILL TAKE, UH, NEXT UP [19. Ordinance 2026-18 ] IS ORDERED 2026 DASH 18 CONSIDERATION OF THIRD AND FINAL READING OF AN ORDER IMPOSING A MORATORIUM ON THE CONSIDERATION AND ISSUANCES OF ALL OTHER LANDS AND APPROVALS FOR DATA CENTERS AND BATTERY STORAGE SYSTEMS. DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MOTION I GOT A MOTION. COUNCILMAN RODIN SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN COOK. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? NEXT UP, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR AN ORDINANCE POSTPONING THE QUAD LATERAL REASSESSMENT FOR PROPERTY AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERE TOO. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT TO ME? , MR. ELAINE? WE ARE, WE ARE POSTPONING. REASSESSMENT TILL NEXT YEAR. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU. . YEAH, I'M PR I PROPERTY TAXES WERE REASSESSMENT. YEP. RIGHT. NO, THIS, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON, ON REASSESSMENT MORATORIUM. I ASKED TO READ. HAVE IT READ. YOU GONNA READ THAT? OH, MR. TR YOU BETTER GET SOMEBODY TO READ BETTER THAN ME TO DO THAT. CAN I CAN GIVE YOU A COPY THAT YEP. AND WE'LL, WE'LL POST IT ONLINE TOO. BUT THE CITIZENS THAT CANNOT READ OR WRITE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF RULES, IT'S A RULE COUNT. A LOT OF CITIZENS CANNOT READ OR WRITE. SO WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO THOSE CITIZENS HAVE TO GET A COPY OF IT? BECAUSE WE HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL CITIZENS AND, AND WE HAVE A LOT HERE IN CLA COUNTY. WELL, IF YOU WANNA READ IT, WE EVEN GOT A COPY OF TWO PAGES HERE. I CAN READ IT. THANK YOU. THIS IS ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026 DASH 18, AN ORDINANCE IMPOSING A MORATORIUM ON THE CONSIDERATION AND ISSUANCE OF ALL OTHER LAND USE OR DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS FOR DATA CENTERS AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF CLATON COUNTY, THE COUNCIL THAT'S IN QUOTATIONS, UH, THE GOVERNING BODY OF CLATON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA IN QUOTATIONS, THE COUNTY AS FOLLOWS. SECTION ONE FINDINGS, THE COUNCIL HEREBY MAKES THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS OF FACT IN CONNECTION WITH THE ENACTMENT OF THIS ORDINANCE, WHICH IS THE ORDINANCE THE COUNCIL IS IN POWER PURSUANT TO SECTION 4 9 25 OF THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA 1976 AS AMENDED TO ENACT REGULATIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES, NOT INCONSISTENT WITH THE CONSTITUTION AND GENERAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN QUOTATIONS, THE STATE, INCLUDING THE EXERCISE OF THESE POWERS IN RELATIONS TO HEALTH AND ORDER IN THE COUNTY, OR RESPECTING ANY SUBJECT AS APPEARS TO THE COUNCIL NECESSARY AND PROPER FOR THE SECURITY, GENERAL WELFARE AND CONVENIENCE OF THE COUNTY OR FOR, OR FOR PRESERVING HEALTH, PEACE, ORDER, AND GOOD GOVERNMENT THEREIN. THE COUNCIL IS ADDITIONALLY POWERED PURSUANT TO TITLE SIX, CHAPTER 29, ARTICLE FIVE OF THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA 1976 AS AMENDED IN QUOTATIONS, THE ACT TO REGULATE LAND USE WITHIN THE COUNTY PURSUANT TO THE ACT, THE COUNCIL HAS AN ACT OF DECLAR AND COUNTY UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE IN QUOTATIONS, LAND USE LAND, WHICH REGULATES DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE WITHIN THE COUNTY. CAPITALIZED TERMS USED IN THIS ORDINANCE AND NOT OTHERWISE DEFINED SHALL HAVE THE MEANING OR USAGE GIVEN TO SUCH TERM IN THE LAND USE CODE. TABLE THREE DASH THREE OF THE LAND USE CODE SETS FORTH THE VARIOUS USES THAT, THAT ARE ALLOWED WITHIN THE ZONING DISTRICTS TO FIND UNDER THE LAND USE CODE AS PERMITTED, CONDITIONAL, OR SPECIAL EXCEPTION USES. HOWEVER, THE LAND USE CODE DOES NOT EXPRESSLY ADDRESS DATA CENTERS. A DATA CENTER IN QUOTATIONS OR BATTERY EN ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IN QUOTATIONS BESS AS A PERMITTED CONDITIONAL OR SPECIAL EXCEPTION USE IN ANY ZONING DISTRICT. THE COUNTY COUNCIL FINDS THAT DATA CENTERS AND B SS ARE IN, THAT'S KIND OF A BAD WORD OR INVOLVE EMERGENCY, INVOLVE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAY PRESENT UNIQUE PLANNING AND PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES THAT REQUIRE CAREFUL EVALUATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO. FIRE PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE CAPABILITIES, WATER AVAILABILITY AND CONSUMPTION, ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION AND UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE. NOISE IMPACTS, VISUAL IMPACTS, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, COMPATIBILITY WITH ADJACENT RESIDENTIAL, AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL [02:35:01] AND REC. RECREATIONAL LAND USES TRAFFIC IMPACTS DURING CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION, LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE AND DECOMMISSIONING REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL, POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THE CLAREDON COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN QUOTATIONS. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. THE COUNTY COUNCIL IS ADVISED BY STAFF OF THE COUNTY'S PLANNING, ZONING AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT PLANNING STAFF IN QUOTATIONS THAT DATA CENTERS AND BSS ARE SUFFICIENTLY SIMILAR TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL USES, SUCH THAT THEY MAY REASONABLY, REASONABLY BE ALLOWED IN THE AREAS OF THE COUNTY ZONE. THE INDUSTRIAL ONE AND TWO, PURSUANT TO SECTION 32 0 4 LAND USE CODE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. TO THE EXTENT THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION OF SUCH USES WITHIN THE INDUSTRIAL AND ONE AND INDUSTRIAL TWO ZONING DISTANCE ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE RELEVANT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DO NOT GENERATE GREATER OFFSITE IMPACTS THAN ADJACENT LAND USES, AND ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR TO THE O OTHER PERMITTED USES IN THE INDUSTRIAL ONE AND INDUSTRIAL TWO ZONING DISTRICTS TO GIVE THE COUNCIL THE CLAIN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION QUOTATIONS, PLANNING COMMISSION AND PLANNING STAFF ADEQUATE TIME TO CONDUCT SUCH A REVIEW AND CONSIDER APPROPRIATE A AMEN AMENDMENTS TO THE LAND USE CODE. THE COUNCIL HAS DETERMINED THAT IT IS APPROPRIATE TO IMPLEMENT TEMPORARY MORATORIUMS IN PARENTHESES EACH A QUOTATION MORATORIUM AND TOGETHER THE MORATORIUMS IN QUOTATIONS ON APPROVALS RELATED TO I THE LOCATION OF DATA CENTERS WITHIN ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTY OTHER THAN AREAS ZONE INDUSTRIAL ONE OR TWO, AND THE LOCATION OF BEES, BE SS WITHIN ALL CARRIERS OF THE COUNTY. ALL AS SET FORTH IN GREATER DETAIL IN SECTION TWO OF THIS ORDINANCE. SECTION TWO MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER APPROVALS. BY AND THROUGH THE ENACTMENT OF THIS ORDINANCE, THE COUNCIL HEREBY IMPOSES THE FOLLOWING MORATORIUMS ON THE CONSIDERATION OR ISSUANCE OF ANY LAND USE OR DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS OR APPROVAL AS APPLICABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DATA CENTERS OR BESS IS IN ANY AREA OF THE COUNTY OTHER THAN AREA ZONED INDUSTRIAL, ONE OR TWO FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THE ENACTMENT OF THIS ORDINANCE. SECTION THREE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING DATA CENTER REGULATIONS DURING DEPENDENCY OF THE MORATORIUMS PLANNING STAFF AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION ARE HEREBY DIRECTED TO STUDY THE AREAS OF THE COUNTY WHERE DATA CENTERS AND BESS MAY BE APPROPRIATE. LAND USES AND THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH DATA CENTERS AND BESS MAY APPROPRIATELY BE DEVELOPED WITHIN SUCH AREAS. THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNTY STAFF ARE FURTHER DIRECTED TO PREPARE AND RECOMMEND APPROPRIATE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAND USE CODE AND TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONCERNING DATA CENTERS AND BSS. SECTION FOUR MORATORIUM EXTENSION, THE COUNCIL HEREBY FINDS AND DETERMINES THAT THE MORATORIUMS IMPOSED HEREBY IN EACH OF THEM MAY BE EXTENDED BY RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL. SECTION FIVE SEVERABILITY. IF ANYONE OF OR MORE OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE SHOULD BE CONTRARY TO LAW, THEN SUCH PROVISIONS SHALL BE DEEMED SEVERABLE FROM, FROM THE REMAINING PROVISIONS AND SHALL IN NO WAY AFFECT THE VALIDITY OF ALL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE. SECTION SIX, REPEAL ALL ORDINANCES RESOLUTIONS OR PARTS OF ANY ORDINANCES OR RESOLUTIONS, INCONSISTENT OR IN CONFLICT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE ARE HEREBY REPEAL TO THE EXTENT OF THE CONFLICT OR INCONSISTENCY. NOTHING IN THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO AFFECT ANY SUIT OR PROCEEDING IMPENDING IN ANY COURT OR ANY RIGHTS ACQUIRED OR LIABILITY INCURRED, OR ANY CAUSE OF ACTION ACQUIRED OR EXISTING UNDER ANY ACT OR ORDINANCE HEREBY REPEALED NOR SHALL ANY JUST, OR LEGAL RIGHT OR REMEDY OF ANY CHARACTER BE LOST, IMPAIRED OR AFFECTED BY THIS ORDINANCE EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN AND AS MAY BE PERMITTED UNDER STATE LAW SECTION SEVEN EFFECT. THIS ORDINANCE SHALL BE EFFECTIVE UPON THIRD AND FINAL READING BY THE COUNCIL. THANK YOU. BACK TO PUBLIC HEARING ON REASSESSMENT. ANYBODY WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT? ALL RIGHT. I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON REASSESSMENT AND THEN WE WILL MOVE ALONG TO ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 19, CONSIDERATION OF THIRD AND FINAL READING OF ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 19 AND ORDINANCE POSTPONING. REASSESSMENT. DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MOTION FOR COUNCILMAN RODIN? SECOND. COUNCILMAN RICHARDSON. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. AND NOW WE MAKE [22. Finance Report – Nelson Gibbons, Finance Director] IT DOWN TO THE FINANCIAL REPORT FROM MR. NELSON GIBBONS, OUR FINANCIAL DIRECTOR. THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. I'M ONLY GONNA NEED ABOUT 30 MINUTES. OKAY. ? I'M GOOD. UM, BEFORE I, I GOT A FINANCIAL REPORT FOR, FOR US TONIGHT. YOU, UH, AS OF AUGUST. [02:40:01] BUT BEFORE I GET INTO THAT, I'LL BE REAL QUICK. I PROMISE. I, I DIDN'T KNOW IF I SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN UP EARLIER, BUT THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAID. UH, AS IT PERTAINS TO THE ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 13 AMENDING THAT BUDGET. AND IT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS, IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR ON SOME OF THIS STUFF. SO FIRST OF ALL, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME WHATSOEVER, UH, THANK YOU. YOU WANT ME TO START OVER? IT. IT WAS LIT UP GREEN AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING. UM, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANYTHING OUT OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AT ANY TIME, DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL. UH, IF YOU CANNOT GET WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR OFF OF OUR WEBSITE, OR IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH IT, EITHER CALL OR EMAIL ME AND I WILL ABSOLUTELY GET YOU A RESPONSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO I DON'T LIKE ANYBODY BEING OUT THERE WITH ANY QUESTIONS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO BECAUSE IF WE PUT THE INFORMATION OUT THERE AND YOU STILL HAVE THE QUESTION, THEN I DID NOT DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB MAKING SURE YOU KNEW IT WAS THERE OR I DIDN'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB PRESENTING IT. SO IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FINANCIALS, PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL AND I PROMISE YOU ARE NEVER BOTHERING ME WHATSOEVER. UH, JUST TO CLEAR UP A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THAT, FOR ORDINANCE 2026 DASH 13 AMENDING THAT BUDGET, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY WE CANNOT USE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S FUND BALANCE INSTEAD OF USING IT FOR THE FIRETRUCK. THERE WAS A COUPLE QUESTIONS. WHY CAN'T WE SUPPLEMENT SOME SHORTFALLS IN THE GENERAL FUND? SO, JUST TO BE CLEAR, I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M, I, I GET THIS OUT THERE SINCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THAT BUDGET IS A SPECIAL SOURCE REVENUE FUND THAT IS A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND. WE HAVE MILLAGE THAT IS SET AND THE TAX REVENUES THAT ARE GENERATED FROM THAT MILLAGE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY MUST BE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS. THEY CANNOT EVER TRANSFER OR BE TRA CANNOT EVER BE TRANSFERRED OR SUPPLEMENT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE GENERAL FUND AT ALL. SO IN THE EVENT THE GENERAL FUND HAS A SHORTFALL IN THEIR BUDGET, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REVENUES ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED TO SUPPLEMENT AND HELP THE GENERAL FUND FOR THAT REASON, FOR THAT REASON. SO, UH, TO BE CLEAR ABOUT HOW THIS HAPPENED THREE YEARS AGO WHEN THEY ORDERED THAT FIRETRUCK, AND AT THAT TIME, THE NOTE AND THE PLAN WAS THAT WE WERE GOING TO PROBABLY HAVE TO BORROW THE MONEY. WE KNEW THAT THREE YEARS AGO THAT WE WERE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO BORROW THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE FIRETRUCK. LO AND BEHOLD, OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, WHAT HAS HAPPENED, AND IT'S, IT'S KIND OF UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE GOTTA FACE AND ADDRESS BIG PART OF THE REASON WHY THAT FUND BALANCE GREW IS BECAUSE WE WERE SHORT STAFFED IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE COULD NOT COMPETE WITH SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND SURROUNDING FIRE DEPARTMENTS WITH THEIR PAY. WE COULDN'T COMPETE WITH THEM. SO THEREFORE, THE SHORTAGE THAT WE HAD IN STAFFING LEFT US WITH EXCESS MONEY THAT WAS ORIGINALLY BUDGETED FOR SALARIES. WE HAD BUDGETED MONEY FOR SALARIES AND HEALTHCARE AND FICA AND RETIREMENT. WE HAD BUDGETED THAT MONEY FOR THEM, BUT WHEN WE DIDN'T FILL THOSE POSITIONS, IT LEFT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH A SURPLUS AND A SURPLUS AND A SURPLUS. SO THOSE SURPLUSES, THEY GET PUT INTO THEIR SAVINGS, THEIR FUND BALANCE, THEIR SAVINGS, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY CANNOT USE IT FOR ANY OTHER REASON. SO FAST FORWARD THREE YEARS LATER, THEY'RE SITTING WITH A SAVINGS ACCOUNT THAT'S GROWING. AND THREE YEARS AGO WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA NEED TO BORROW THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THAT FIRETRUCK, BUT WE GOT MONEY IN SAVINGS. AND THE WHOLE, WELL, THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE LIKE TO KEEP ON THAT IS ABOUT 35%. WE WANT OUR FUND BALANCE OUR SAVINGS TO BE ABOUT 35% OF OUR OPERATING EXPENSES. AT THE END OF LAST FISCAL YEAR, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS SITTING AT 37.3%. SO WE HAD MORE MONEY IN SAVINGS THAN WE KIND OF AS A STANDARD WANT TO HAVE. WE HAD MORE MONEY IN SAVINGS, BUT IT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR FIRE. WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THREE YEARS AGO, BUT NOW WE'VE GOT EXCESS MONEY IN THE FUND BALANCE. THEREFORE, INSTEAD OF RAISING THE DEBT MILLAGE AND HAVING SOME MORE TAXES ON OUR CITIZENS, USE THE SAVINGS THAT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PURCHASE THE FIRE TRUCK AND TO SUPPLEMENT THE PURCHASE OF THE FIRE TRUCK. SO I HAD TO GET THAT OUT. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, BECAUSE IT'S MY JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT I SAY THESE THINGS AND IT'S, AND IT'S CLEAR, UH, AFTER USING THESE FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT THE PURCHASE OF THAT FIRETRUCK. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT EVEN FOR THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE FIRETRUCK, IT'S JUST A PORTION OF IT. AFTER USING THESE FUNDS, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'LL BE IN THEIR SAVINGS, IT'S GONNA BE ALL OVER 35% KIND OF OUR TARGET. SO THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WHY FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN'T [02:45:01] GIVE THE MONEY TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR A SHORTFALL IN THEIR BUDGET. ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT FUND BALANCE IS IT'S OUR SAVINGS. WE NEVER, EVER, EVER WANT TO USE OUR SAVINGS FOR RECURRING EXPENSES. SO IF THE, IN A SITUATION WHERE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD GIVE THAT MONEY TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IT CAN'T, BUT IF IT COULD, WE DON'T WANT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO GIVE ITS SAVINGS TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR EXPENSES THAT IT'S GONNA CONTINUALLY HAVE WEEK AFTER WEEK, MONTH AFTER MONTH, YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE DON'T WANNA USE OUR SAVINGS TO PAY OUR LIGHT BILL AND OUR WATER BILL. WE ONLY WANNA USE OUR SAVINGS FOR BIG TICKET ONE TIME PURCHASES LIKE A FIRETRUCK. SO I FELT LIKE IT WAS KIND OF IMPORTANT THAT I GOT THAT OUT THERE. I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, IF I SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN UP EARLIER, BUT THAT'S WHY WE COULDN'T USE THE FUND BALANCE FOR, FOR ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER REASON. UM, SO NOW I'LL GO TO THE FINANCIAL REPORT. AND AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY IT ONE MORE TIME. IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I PROMISE YOU, YOU'RE NEVER BOTHERING ME. YOU, YOU EMAIL OR CALL THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND I'LL HAPPILY, I'LL HAPPILY HELP YOU. UM, SO THESE FINANCIALS ARE FOR YEAR TO DATE, AUGUST OF 2026. THAT'S TWO MONTHS INTO OUR FISCAL YEAR. 27, 16%, 16.7% OF OUR YEAR THROUGH OUR YEAR, UH, GENERAL FUND, YEAR TO DATE REVENUES EXCLUDING GRANTS. EVERYTHING WILL BE EXCLUDING GRANTS. UM, REVENUE AND EXPENSES. UH, GENERAL FUND YEAR TO DATE IS JUST OVER 972,000. ALMOST 973,000. THAT'S 3% OF OUR BUDGET THROUGH 16% OF OUR YEAR. BUT THAT'S TOTALLY EXPECTED. IT'S TOTALLY EXPECTED THAT WE DON'T HAVE THOSE REVENUES UNTIL AFTER TAX NOTICES GO OUT. THE, THE MAJORITY OF THEM, UH, YEAR TO DATE EXPENSES FOR THE GENERAL FUND, JUST OVER $5.6 MILLION. THAT'S 17% OF OUR BUDGET THROUGH ROUNDED 17% OF OUR YEAR. SO THAT'S EXPECTED. WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE ALL GOOD. ON THE, UH, ON THE GENERAL FUND, UH, FOR FIRE RESCUE REVENUES ARE JUST UNDER 400,000. THAT'S 4% OF THEIR BUDGET, AGAIN, TOTALLY EXPECTED. AND THE, UH, YEAR TO DATE EXPENSES FOR FIRE RESCUE, JUST OVER $1.6 MILLION, 16.5% OF THEIR BUDGET THROUGH 16.7% OF THE YEAR. THEY'RE GOOD. EVERYBODY'S ON TRACK, UH, FOR OUR WATER AND SEWER, UH, YEAR TO DATE, TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES JUST UNDER 300,000. OPERATING EXPENSES, 172,000 OPERATING REVENUES. THESE ARE ALL ROUNDED OPERATING REVENUES. UH, CURRENTLY SITTING AT $124,000. WE DO HAVE DEPRECIATION, EXPENSE, BOND INTEREST, UH, INTEREST INCOME, INTEREST EARNINGS, ALL OF THOSE NET TOGETHER FOR NON-OP, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL REDUCTION OF NON-OPERATING REVENUE EXPENSES, $165,000. SO RIGHT NOW, NET UTILITIES ARE SITTING AT, UH, IT'S A LOSS OF $40,000, 40,313. BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S EXPECTED. A, A BIG PART OF THAT IS GONNA BE THE DEPRECIATION TOO. SO FINALLY, FOR OUR C FUNDS, UH, THIS IS FOR AGAIN, THE MONTH OF AUGUST. THIS WAS, UH, JULY. END OF JULY. THE UH, C FUNDS BALANCE WAS JUST OVER $6.9 MILLION. DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST, WE HAD NOT RECEIVED OUR C FUND DISTRIBUTION FROM THE STATE. IT WAS JUST BECAUSE OF THE DELAY OF THEIR, OF THEIR BUDGET. I ASSUME. UM, IT ACTUALLY DID COME IN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, BUT DURING THIS MONTH, THAT DIDN'T HIT. UH, SO THE ONLY REVENUES THAT ARE CURRENTLY RECORDED ON OUR AUGUST FINANCIALS ARE INTEREST EARNINGS OF JUST UNDER 20,000. UH, WE HAD NO EXPENSES LAST MONTH. UM, OUT OF THE C FUNDS, WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE ANY INVOICES OR PAY APPS THAT CAME FOR THE ROADS. UH, SO THAT LEFT OUR C FUNDS WITH AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 6.9. WELL, 6 MILLION 9 88, 298 UH, DOLLARS OF THAT. THESE ARE THE TWO IMPORTANT ONES. 6,988,000. WE'VE GOT COMMITMENTS OF JUST OVER 2.7. THAT'S OUR PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY GOT OUT THERE. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING. THE REST OF THE BALANCE TO FINISH ON THOSE TO BE, THAT LEAVES US AN UNCOMMITTED FUND BALANCE OF $4,279,172. SO OF THAT UNCOMMITTED BALANCE, I JUST GOT THIS NUMBER ON OUR LAST STATEMENT. YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE TO SPEND BY JUNE THE 30TH ON STATE ROADWAYS. UH, THAT NUMBER FOR THIS YEAR IS $2,005,999. SO $2,006,000 THAT WE'LL NEED TO COMMIT AND SPEND ON OUR STATE ROADWAYS. SO I'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THAT. UH, BUT WE JUST NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THOSE FIGURES. SO IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I CAN, ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER ON AUGUST SO FAR? THE [02:50:01] C FUND, UH, THOSE, THE FUNDS YOU'VE RECEIVED A MONTHLY, A QUARTER? WELL, WE GET A MONTHLY STATEMENT. WE GET A MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION, YES. IT'S FOR THE PRIOR MONTHS, UH, GAS TAX COLLECTIONS. RIGHT. SO YOUR SUMMER MONTHS, YOU GET MORE REVENUE THAN YOUR RENT A MONTH. YOU KNOW, I'D HAVE TO GO LOOK AT THE TREND. I REALLY THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY WELL CLOSE TO BEING ABOUT THE SAME. 'CAUSE SEE, THE GAS TAX IS NOT BASED ON NECESSARILY HOW MANY, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE DRIVING JUST IN OUR STATE. BUT EVERYBODY DRIVING UP AND DOWN NINE I 95 WHO HOPS OFF THE INTERSTATE, THEY'RE PAYING A FIXED PERCENT, A FIXED SCENT ON THE, ON THE ACTUAL GALLONS OF THE GAS. BUT I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I BET IT DOES. I, THERE SHOULD BE AN INFLATION, I WOULD ASSUME IN THE, IN THE SUMMER MONTHS PROBABLY. WELL USUALLY PROBABLY HAVE MORE PEOPLE TRAVELING THE SUMMER TRAVEL. SO IT'S PROBABLY A SLIGHT UPTICK. BUT WHAT OUR LOCATION HERE AND ALONG 95 IS PRETTY CONSISTENT YEAR ROUND. I MEAN, THAT'S IT. IT NEVER SLOWS DOWN. YOU KNOW, 90 FIVES ALWAYS GETS BUSY. YEAH. I DIDN'T PRINT OFF THE FULL, UM, I DON'T HAVE THE, THE LAST 12 MONTHS HERE, BUT I CAN EASILY GRAB THAT. IT'S ALL ON ONE. IT'LL BE 12, 12 FIGURES. I CAN, I CAN RUN, I MEAN, I GOT IT RIGHT HERE ON THE COMPUTER, BUT, UM, BUT I'D BE CURIOUS. YEAH, I'M, I'M, MY THEORY WOULD BE YES, DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, IT PROBABLY DOES TICK UP A LITTLE BIT IF I HAD TO GUESS. BUT IT, I DON'T THINK IT'S BEEN THAT MUCH OF A VARIATION THAT I'VE NOTICED, UH, UH, ANYTHING GREATER IN, IN THOSE MONTHS, BUT, WELL, IT IS, IT COMES IN EVERY MONTH, CORRECT? YEP. EXCEPT FOR DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST. I, I'M, WE'LL GET TWO DISTRIBUTIONS PROBABLY IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. WE'LL PROBABLY GET LAST MONTH'S, OR EXCUSE ME, THE JULY COLLECTIONS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED IN AUGUST. WE'LL, PROBABLY, WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN THAT. AND THEN COLLECTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED IN SEPTEMBER, WE'LL PROBABLY GET TWO PAYMENTS THIS MONTH. BUT AS FOR JUST THIS REPORT, THEY, IT HADN'T COME AS OF, UH, AS OF LAST MONTH. OKAY, THANKS. YES, SIR. MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION? YES. MY QUESTION IS, UM, YOU, YOU, UM, DID AN AWESOME JOB EXPLAINING THE FIRE FORM YES. AND THE SAVINGS. BUT MY QUESTION WAS, OKAY, YOU DID NOT FILL POSITION AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. MM-HMM . WHERE DID THAT MONEY COME TO PUT IN THE BUDGET FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM THE TAX REVENUES THAT WERE, SO WHY WAS IT PUT IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR FIRE? DO OTHER, UM, DEPARTMENTS DO THAT? LIKE FOR AN EXAMPLE, THE ADMINISTRATION DON'T FILL A POSITION. DO THEY GET TO PUT THEIR MONEY IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT TOO? WELL, ACTUALLY KIND OF, SORT OF, YES. IF IT IS UNDER THE GENERAL FUND, THE ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT'S UNDER THE GENERAL FUND FINANCE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROCUREMENT EVERY PROCUREMENT, EVERYBODY THAT'S UNDER THE GENERAL FUND, IN THE EVENT THAT I, I'VE GOT A VACANCY IN MY OFFICE RIGHT NOW, AND I'VE BEEN BUDGETED FOR A WHOLE YEAR FOR THAT POSITION. AND I WANNA FILL IT IN THE EVENT THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY MONTH THAT PASSES BY, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF SAVINGS THAT MY DEPARTMENT'S GONNA HAVE. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR IS IT WILL ROLL INTO THE GENERAL FUNDS FUND BALANCE. SO WHENEVER WE BUDGETED FOR THOSE POSITIONS, WE BUDGETED BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. WE NEEDED TO HAVE FIREFIGHTERS, EMTS, PARAMEDICS ON THE TRUCKS, HOWEVER, RIGHT. WELL, IN THAT DEPARTMENT. BUT SEE, THAT'S A SEPARATE FUND. SO SINCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS ITS OWN FUND, IT HAS ITS OWN MILLAGE, IT HAS ITS OWN OPERATING EXPENSES, THE WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THIS BUILDING CANNOT BE SUPPORTED BY WHAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S TAXES RAISE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT'S LIKE THEY'VE GOT THEIR, THIS IS A TERRIBLE EXAMPLE, BUT JUST HEAR ME OUT. THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN REVENUE OVER HERE. THEY HAVE GOT A, A LEMONADE STAND AND THEY ARE RAISING THEIR OWN FUNDS. AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, I'M OVER HERE AT MY LEMONADE STAND AND MY BILLS WERE HIGHER THAN WHAT I EARNED. THEY CAN'T GIVE IT TO ME. WE HAVE THE SAME NAME CLARENDON COUNTY, BUT THEIR FUNDS THAT THEY RAISE IN THE FIRE RESCUE FUND CANNOT BE USED TO SUPPORT ME OVER HERE IN THE GENERAL FUND. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO HOW DID THAT FUND GET DEVELOPED? WHY ARE THEY SO SEPARATE? PROBABLY BECAUSE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS TO SERVICE THE CITY OF MANNING, TURVILLE, SUMMERTON. AND WHILE THE CITY OF MANNING HAS ITS OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT, TURVILLE DOES NOT [02:55:01] AND SUMMERTON DOES NOT. SO THEREFORE WE HAD TO MAKE THEM A SPECIAL PURPOSE TAX DISTRICT SO THAT WE COULD TAX SOME OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES THAT DID NOT HAVE A FIRE DEPARTMENT WITHIN THEIR CITY. WE HAVE TO RAISE THE FUNDS FROM THEIR CITIZENS TO HELP FUND OUR TRUCKS. SO THE COUNTY CAN PUT FIRE TRUCKS IN THOSE CITIES. WHEREAS THE CITY OF MANNING, THEY DON'T, THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN, THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY HAD TO BE SPLIT OUT. THEY HAD TO BE SEPARATED FOR THAT TO WORK BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SERVICING. THE CITY OF MANNING IS JUST A GREAT EXAMPLE. IT'S TUR ALL THE SURROUNDING RURAL AREAS. TURVILLE, SUMMERTON, VILLE, BUT NOT THE CITY OF MANON. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT MAKES SENSE. BUT I REALLY THINK THAT IF WE ARE GETTING MONEY OUT OF OUR BUDGET TO PROVIDE C TO PROVIDE SALARIES FOR FIRE, THEN THAT MONEY SHOULD BE TURNED BACK OVER TO US. BUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET IS NOT THE FIRE. YEAH, THEY, I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. BUT YOU ARE SAYING THAT THEIR MONEY THAT CAME FROM THE COUNTY TO PAY FOR THOSE POSITIONS THAT WERE NOT FAILED, YOU ALL TOOK THAT MONEY AND PUT IN THAT SPECIAL FUND. NO, MA'AM. SO THO THAT, THAT MONEY NEVER CAME FROM THE COUNTY. IT IS. I MEAN, IT DID, BUT IT'S ITS OWN FUND. IT IS. ITS SEPARATE TAX MILLAGE. THEY HAVE A RATE THAT PROPERTY TAXES PAY AND IT HAS TO GO TO FIRE. WE DO COLLECT IT HERE. RIGHT. AND IT DOES GO OUT ON ALL OF OUR TAX BILLS. BUT THE REVENUE THAT IS RAISED, IT IS A SPECIAL PURPOSE TAX DISTRICT. IT HAS TO GO TO THEM. WE HAVE TO PUT IT TOWARDS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO IT DID, IT CAME OUT ON THE VERY SAME BILL THAT EVERYBODY ELSE'S BILLS COME OUT. IT GOT PRINTED OUTTA THE SAME PRINTERS AND SENT FROM THE SAME FACILITY. RIGHT. HOWEVER, WHAT WE RAISE FOR THAT FIRE DEPARTMENT MILLAGE, WE CANNOT USE IT FOR GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS, FINANCE DEPARTMENT, ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT COUNCIL, PROCUREMENT, CORONER'S OFFICE. BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S THE HOT TOPIC. IT'S, IT'S JUST HOW IT'S, IT'S THOSE FUNDS MUST BE USED FOR THAT FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO YOU SAY ONE THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT THE EXTRA THAT COMES FROM OUT, THAT WAS OUT OF JUST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT I'M SPEAKING YES. SAYING THAT YOU HAD FOR THE FIRE TRUCK. YES, MA'AM. FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. FOR THE FIRE TRUCK. YEAH. THAT WAS ALL, HUH? YES. FOR THE FIRETRUCK. CORRECT. THAT WAS ALL OUT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET, CORRECT? YES. YES. THAT 7 670 3006 78, 70 33 THAT THE FIRE, CORRECT? YES. I'VE GOT, WELL, HERE, I'LL HAND IT TO YOU. HEY, CAN, CAN WE GO AHEAD AND FINISH THE MEETING? YEAH. OH, I'M SO SORRY. YEAH. HEY, HOW I TELL YOU WHAT? Y'ALL POSE EVERY QUESTION? HE'LL, I CAN STAY, I CAN STAY RIGHT HERE IF YOU WANT ME TO. AND IF YOU WANT TO, I'M SAYING I'LL HANG OUT AND I'LL HELP YOU. YEAH. HE'LL ANSWER EVERY QUESTION YOU GOT ? YEAH, I'LL HANG OUT AND I'LL ANSWER THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU'ALL. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE [23. Administrator’s Report –Walt Ackerman, County Administrator ] REPORT WITH MR. WALMAN. YEAH. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. UM, IN YOUR PACKET, THERE'S A, A PRETTY DETAILED REPORT AND I'LL HIT SOME, SOME HIGHLIGHTS. UH, WE HAVE, AS YOU ALL KNOW, A LOT OF DIFFERENT CAPITAL PROJECTS GOING ON. UM, WE ARE CONSTRUCTING, UH, EOC FACILITY AND 9 1 1 DISPATCH FACILITY. THAT PROJECT IS COMING ALONG VERY NICELY. UH, WE HAVE A BIG WATER EXPANSION PROJECT. UM, MAINLY THE, THE, THE BIGGEST THING YOU CAN SEE IS THE WATER TOWER DOWN AT DAVIS STATION. UM, WE ARE VERY, VERY, VERY CLOSE TO GETTING THAT COMPLETED AND ONLINE. WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON SOME ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THE TOWER'S UP, IT'S PAINTED, IT SAYS CLA COUNTY, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. BUT WE'RE WAITING ON ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THERE'S USUALLY ABOUT, UH, ABOUT A 24 MONTH LEAD TIME ON CERTAIN COMPONENTS. NOW WE GOT MOST OF THEM IN. AS SOON AS WE GET 'EM, THAT THING WILL, WILL BE INSTALLED AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO START PUTTING THAT SYSTEM IN, IN PROCESS. WE'RE REALLY HOPING BEFORE THE END OF OCTOBER, WE'LL HAVE THAT DONE. UM, WE'VE GOT THE PUBLIC SERVICES FACILITY AND THE ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY OUT THERE. UM, THAT MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS. YOU SEE ALL THE PAVINGS BEING DONE, THEY'RE FINISHING UP WORK ON THE INSIDE. WE'RE PROBABLY LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY FROM BEING ABLE TO, TO ACTUALLY GO IN THAT FACILITY. UM, THE TURVILLE LIBRARY PROJECT IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG. I THINK THEY'VE STARTED GOING VERTICAL NOW. THEY'RE STARTING TO PUT WALLS UP AND THINGS. UM, THE SHERIFF'S BUILDING, UM, IT'S A VERY SMALL PROJECT, BUT IT IS NEARLY [03:00:01] COMPLETE. UM, THIS IS OUT AT THE, THE FIRING RANGE WHERE THEY DO THEIR TRAINING FACILITY, UM, FOR WEAPONS AND STUFF. THAT BUILDING IS UP. UM, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THE INSIDE OF IT NOW. SO, SO WE ARE, WE ARE WRAPPING UP A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS AND, UH, KUDOS TO ALL THE FOLKS WHO ARE, WHO ARE HEADING THAT STUFF UP. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, I GUESS [24. Chairman’s Report – Jay Johnson, Chairman of County Council] IT'S DOWN TO ME NOW. UM, AND I'M NOT GONNA KEEP YOU ANY LONGER THAN WE, THIS, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG ONE. SO, UM, BUT I, I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT, THAT THIS PROJECT, THAT, THAT EVERYBODY'S IN, IN A UPROAR ABOUT NE NEVER CAME TO US. I MEAN, W WE, WE KNEW ABOUT IT LATE IN THE GAME, AND I'M, THAT'S, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHOSE FAULT THAT IS, BUT, UM, I THINK THE REASON WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT WAS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY TAX CONCESSIONS AND IT NEVER CAME BEFORE US. UM, I CAN TELL YOU, NOBODY UP HERE IS TAKING ANY MONEY. I PROMISE YOU, YOU CAN GO AROUND THE BANK OF CLA TOMORROW AND TELL THEM, LET, LET LET YOU SEE MY BANK ACCOUNT. YOU'LL LAUGH. UM, NO, NOBODY'S GETTING BRIBED. I MEAN, WE, IT, IT NEVER CAME TO US. AND, AND THERE'S ALL KIND OF STUFF BEING SAID AND TOLD AND EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE. AND, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS MORATORIUM IS WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY. WE'RE TRYING TO PUT A STOP TO IT UNTIL WE CAN RESEARCH IT AND STUDY IT AND FIGURE OUT WHICH DIRECTION TO GO WITH THIS. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL TAKE A MOTION. WE ADJOURN WHERE WE CAN ALL GO HOME. SO I GOTTA SAY MOTION FROM COUNCIL, COUNCILWOMAN FRIERSON, AND A SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED, Y'ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL NIGHT. YOU DID THAT ONE PRETTY QUICK, MS. KAY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.