County Council - Regular Meeting

2025 and the time is 6:03 p.m. We do have a quorum of council president. We'll begin with the pledge of allegiance followed by the invitation by council guy to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for its one nationy for all.

Let's remain standing. Our father which in heaven come to you thank you for this day. Thank you for each and every person who came here to gather with us today. We ask that you continue to watch over each and every life each and every soul in this in this building and in this county. These and all other things we ask in your son Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right. Our first uh item is number three which is the next item is number three the approval of minutes the November 17th 2025 council meeting minutes. Make a motion to approve the minutes from the November 17, 2025 meeting of county council.

I'll second. Right. Is there any discussion? Call for the question. Those in favor raise your right hand to say I. I.

All in favor? We don't have anyone signed up for citizens comments. Um for our public hearing, we have two items. The first is 5A which is ordinance 2025-23 an ordinance authorizing the execution and delivery of a fee in le of tax agreement by and between Chester County and project uh P2485 the designation of certain real property in Chester County as part of a multi-county industrial park arrangement providing for the provision of credits against fee in le of tax payments providing for the execution and delivery of such documents as may be necessary to affect the intent of this ordinance and providing for other related matters. No one has signed up to speak. Next is ordinance number letter B which is ordinance 2025-24 an ordinance authorizing the execution and delivery of a fee and live tax agreement by between Chester County and Jones Hamilton Company formerly known as project P2521 the inclusion of certain real property located in Chester County in a multi-county industrial park the provision of credits against fee in lil of tax payments execution and delivery of such documents as may be necessary neessary to affect the intent of this ordinance and other matters related there too. Again, no one signed up on the signup sheet to speak. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak to either of those items? If not, I will um state that this this public hearing is closed. So again, we have number six, which is the third reading of ordinance 2025-23. I don't think there's any need for me to read that. Is there a good Is there a motion on the table for that?

I make a motion we approve third reading of ordinance 202523. Second. All right. Motion. Is there any uh discussion? Hearing none. I'll call for the question. Those in favor raise your right hand to say I. I. Those opposed. All right. That motion passes 5 to one. Next is 6B, which is the third reading of ordinance 2025-24. Again, since we just did the public hearing, I'm not going to read that either, sir. I make a motion we approve the third reading of ordinance 2025-24.

Second. Is there any discussion? Offer the question. Those in favor of the third reading of ordinance 2025-24, raise your right hand to say I. I those opposed.

The motion passes 5 to one. Next is 6 C which is the second reading of ordinance 2025-25 to amend chapter 2 article 6 boards committees commissions and districts division one generally section 2-267 accountability of all boards commissions committees and districts and section 2-269 administrative and enforcement provisions of the code of ordinances of Chester County South Carolina and to provide for other related matters I make a motion we approve the second reading of ordinance 2025 5-25. Second. All right. So, we have a motion and second. Is there any discussion?

Yes. Only thing I want to say is just to reiterate that this is concerning all boards, all county boards and commissions. No board or commission is singled out. This is every single county board and commission.

I just wanted to reiterate that this is concerning all boards in in Chester County. All boards and commissions. Is there any more discussion? I'll call for the question. Those in favor of the second reading of ordinance 2025-25, raise your right hand to say I. I. All in favor? All right, Mr. Hester, your administrator's report.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, council members. Um, this is our final scheduled council meeting for 2025. Um, we will have a council workshop on December the 8th. Um, just a reminder, it will be at 4 p.m. So that's next Monday at 4 p.m. And that will be to discuss and review the future land use section of our comprehensive plan. And that'll be presented by our planning and development director, Mr. Jeremy Ward. Um, so wish everybody a a merry Christmas. We got a busy holiday season. I know all of you are we got lots of parades, lots of Christmas parties and things that you all have to attend. So, um, we try to be as respectful of your time as we can during this time of year. Throughout the month of November, our employees collected canned goods, hygiene items, and other non-p perishable items for three local food banks in Chester County. Uh there was a a list that was sent out to employees of what you could bring each day of the month and uh so they collected those for the Fort Long Community Center for Grasp and for Turning Point. And I'm proud to share that we collected over a thousand items to be donated. And thank you for all of our employees uh who participated. our communications officer, um, Miss Morgan Shirley back there. She headed that program up and sorted and boxed and made sure that everything got where it was supposed to be. So, thank you. Um, don't forget that Christmas and Chester kicks off this weekend. Uh, on Friday, we will start things off with the Christmas tree lighting in front of the courthouse at 6 PM. Uh, I'll be there to say a few words. I think um, a few of you all um will also be there. Our own Morgan Shirley will be singing, so please don't

miss that. Um, there'll be a band and uh uh I think a chorus as well. Uh then on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. families can come out in uh downtown Chester and enjoy ice skating, a sledding hill, a chance to meet Santa along with many other activities. And then we're going to wrap up that day with the Chester Christmas parade at 4 pm. So those of you riding on the float that day, um I'm sure Miss Shirley will send out an email, but I sure I probably expect lineup to be at 3 p.m. for that. And as as we move into the holiday season, please stay uh updated on county office closings, landfill schedule, the recycling center schedules. Um, and you can stay updated by following us on Facebook or visiting the county website. We'll have updates for all those as well. And on behalf of all of us here at the Chester County Government Complex and all the Chester County government employees, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. And that concludes administrator's report.

All right. Thank you very much. We don't have any items on consent agenda. That brings us to old business. 9A is update of potential county project submissions for capital project sales and use tax the update for the capital project. I'm sorry. I guess that's you or maybe that's miss work.

No, that's me. I apologize. I was sitting here looking. I thought we were on uh boards and commissions. So, I apologize. Thanks for the cue there. Um so Mr. Chairman, members of council, I would like to take a minute and um we had a workshop some time back and we presented uh as county staff uh potential projects that would be from Chester County government, county staff. This doesn't include our elected officials uh even though a few of these are partnered with. It did include uh what the county fire board, which is our previous rural fire board, um the submissions for them in their order that they specified. And um after leaving that particular meeting, you all um provided some feedback as to what projects you thought were um would be viable projects uh for our capital project sales tax for us to submit and kind of gave me some ideas and of the order and priority. So I'm going to read to you the projects that we will be submitting and this is for you to again this is kind of final time to discuss or provide any input that you you wish to then the projects that we will not submit that were presented that day and I'll try to kind of give you a reason as to why um we may or may not have submitted those projects. So the first and it seems to be the top priority was our top priority that was presented to council in the workshop and that's the federal building uh that will house probate court and as owners of that building I think we have an obligation to come up with a plan for long-term success of that building. Um it does need structural assessment. Um, we do have I met an architect myself. Um, several of our staff members met uh an

architect on site a couple of weeks ago to kind of go through some of visually what might need to be done. Um, but we're projecting that project to be upwards of about $7 million um or roughly around 7 million. Um there's some foundation leaks, but again um we have a building, a beautiful building that I think everyone has communicated to me that they feel it's worth us restoring and doing something viable with. A county roads project would be our second and that would be um right now we're trying to put a package together and we're working on a roads list of what that package would look like, but we're doing a $2 million option and a $3 million option. Um and again that would really be for the committee to decide on but we're giving them two options within that Dawson Drive uh ball fields now that their hours they've been donated and that land's closed um you know that that those ball fields and refurbishing those and I agree with what Mr. guy had stated uh in the workshop and we should focus on uh the press boxes, the bathrooms, the fields um and um kind of keep that focus on making that nicer. We're looking in the area of three and a half to $4 million on that project. Rossville Fire Department would be next and that was number one on the uh county fire board's list. um but they're in dire need of a main station. The one the one kind of hindering factor there is uh we don't we do not currently have a piece of land. We are working to find a piece of land, but it's got to kind of stay centralized right where the current facility is. Um and we're hoping that stays um around $3.5 million um or just

a touch under. War memorial. Number five is the war memorial elevators. Um valued at about $300,000. Uh and then number six is is rural fire or the county fire board. I can I'm sorry I keep saying rural fire but the air packs that we discussed which is um for all fire uh all county fire person or all real fire and county fire trucks to replace the air packs on MS valued at about 2.5 million. Number seven is um it's going to be a county submitted project. Um and uh that's a backup radio system. We'll do that. We'll we'll do it in conjunction with emergency 911, but we'll submit that. Then number eight was exit 65 landscaping.

Number seven, sorry. I'm sorry. Number seven, how much? Uh 555,000. That's the radios. How much? F

555,000. And that's a backup radio system. Number eight would be exit 65 landscaping upgrades. Um we're waiting on a quote from Seaman White side currently. Um so we don't have a solid number on that. We're hoping that would stay around or less than a million dollars. Um but we we do not have a quote. Number nine would be a fire service vehicle. uh and it would be a ladder truck for Richburg Fire Department. Um and uh we are projecting that between 2.2 and 2.5 million. And then last uh is number 10 would be county fire's third option and that would be Northchester Fire Department renovations. And there's numbers there that vary between 385,000 to $500,000. We're waiting on a little bit more solid number. So, those are submissions. And if you do the math there, I I have not actually added up all my these estimates that we're we're kind of in a process of finalizing what I call preconstruction rough estimates. Uh and we'll have that finalized by next Friday, I believe, Thursday or Friday. And um then we have to submit by the 18th. So, I think those total over right at over $20 million if my math serves me well. Um,

we don't we do not have a good hard projected number now. Last time it was $18 million. So, um, some estimates put it upwards of 28 million, but I think conservative estimate to to bond it, it's probably going to be more around 25 24 million. And that's just me talking. That's just me talking. Okay. Until we actually kind of go through the conservative. Yes, sir. So, um, I I have talked to some of like the sheriff. I know he has one wish that he'll be putting in for and I know some of the municipalities I've talked to and know the items or item that they're putting in for including the town of Great Falls, city of Chester, but they may have more. So, um I'm not sure how many projects, but again, it'll be up to the committee. I think um our goal is to just submit viable projects uh in an order that we think um are priority for us and then we'll let the committee do its job. just on to follow up the projects were not included and I'm going to I'll give you just a brief reason why they weren't included. Um but the acquisition of the aquatic center aquatic center for future rec center. Um so we are I have been in discussions with the mayor of Chester and uh the the city administrator um and had some discussions about that property uh and as to whether they would um sell it to the county, give it to the county. I think the problem is is we're we're too early in those discussions and talks to get this as a viable project on the books with CPST. Um, and there's too much that would have to take place uh and too little of time. I think that's something that if it were uh the wish of

council for us to pursue a project like that um and to pursue a rec center in the downtown area uh on that property, then there's other options, especially being in the LMI for CDBG grants and some other things that we could qualify for for a project like that as well as even our capital improvements and our capital reserve funds uh as we move forward in the future. But I think first thing would be first to acquire uh the property or be donated the property one way or the other. Uh second item was the hydro trail. Again, lots of work to be done on while great ideas that were submitted by county staff. There's a lot of land acquisition and things that would have to take place to work through. So we're in the beginning stages of that that'll be a great future project. Malilly Street redevelopment that we talked about again long-term project. We got a lot of other steps to take place before, you know, we throw uh just numbers out there and ideas. And so maybe a master redevelopment plan for that area, airport upgrades. Um I think um you know, look, if the airport commission decides to submit something to the to the capital project sales tax, then um they they certainly have the right to do that. Uh I think we've come up with a way to pay for the runway um expansion and for the matching on that uh as we discussed to council. So not a priority as far as we're concerned on that end. Animal shelter enhancements, let's focus on getting animal shelter built and then we can then we can work on future enhancements. And so I think that's our priority right now. the training center uh that we discussed for uh the law enforcement joint training center with fire. Again, I think our first focus uh not I think I know uh our first focus in the sheriff, myself, our staff is to build a new detention center um as priority for us over uh a training

center right now. Material and recycling facility, again, not the priority right at this point. bypass corridor improvements. We feel like there's probably other funding sources that could be sought for that. Robman soccer upgrades that were discussed. Um I think those are things that we have enough money in excess CPST. That's a current CPST project. If council would like to see um money added to the Rodman soccer improvements for lights and for side and to update those bathrooms that are down by the soccer fields, which I think is a really great uh use of some of those funds. Then come uh after the first of the year, we can add that we can amend the ordinance, add it to our excess CPST funds and take advantage of that surplus of funds that we have there for that project as opposed to trying to win it on another one. And then um the two-tone pagers um to go with the radios just we did not feel that that was um a high enough priority uh or a need that um for the CPST. Any questions on any of that? comments, concerns.

Let me let me ask one. Um, when we did the sales tax the last time you were not here and the board came up and they had a list of items 1 2 3 4 5 whatever at the end of the day what happened and it got they they did that the county barred the money went ahead and issued the bond that let them reverse the numbers. So for the sake argument, are we going to do the same thing this time?

So I think it's beneficial for us to bond that as opposed to wait on increment financing. And and the reason is is let's just say that um we have the the committee decides to choose uh four major projects. And in an increment financing um scenario, we would have to wait on one project to get done or more revenue to come in before we could start another project. And the problem sometimes when you deal with only six years to get those projects done. By the time you start your design, your permitting um and you get into the build, you're already two two years into the time frame. And so if we had to wait till that fifth and sixth year to start major projects, we could run out of time to spend that money. And so I think the the now the key there, Mr. Ag, and I know what I kind of know what you're you're getting at. Even if you bond, you have to prioritize projects. Whatever the priority they put them in, you have to priority. It doesn't mean you have to start them. uh you can start that gives you the ability to start a project wherever it is. But what it means is you sure better be able to fund you better not run out of money on priority one and you've already funded priority 20 if that makes sense.

If you're if you're good with your numbers and you think the money's there or you got we're blessed enough to have that excess CPST funds this time to draw into otherwise we would have had to pull off of other projects. Well, the only reason I asked the question, there were a whole bunch of county projects got started before projects that were rated ahead of those county projects that could have been done a lot easier than what it ended up waiting. U just to use example, the the fire station on South Fork Road was number one and it's still today not completed if I understand that right.

It's completed but there's a warranty issue. There's a leak under the slab. So, we've got to go back, cut the slab up. The bathroom had to be ripped out. Um, but again, a warranty issue we're working on, but and and the reality of it is it's not completed because we got a warranty issue. Um, but you're 100% right. And I think um the key there to all council is that um you know, when I came in in 2023, we were kind of behind eightball getting started on some of those. And I think that we would prioritize starting designing those projects in order the committee gave us.

So, so it's fair to say that the financing would be in batches. That's how the last one was done as well. I believe it was broken up into two major batches where we had the first set of projects and only they could be worked on. Not the second set, but the first set. And I wasn't here on that first part. So, you may be No, no, it wasn't. It was a It was a batch. So we had the first 10 or 12 or 15 projects that we could start own and work on and then once the funding caught up we were able to take out an additional bond to fund the rest of the project. That was my memory of it. So it was two it was two bond I believe it was two but okay and and that army would be able to answer it for sure

and that may be how it was. I know when I came in everything was fully funded. This was after your This was before your And if you did it that way, you borrowed the money to start the projects and then when you got going, you borrowed some more money, right? And and the fortunate thing about when you you know, you do bond it and obviously that's done a little bit conservatively. Um but we'd be in the same position you are now too to where that we've paid for that bond. And so the money coming in from the next year is uh going to be excess. Well, the federal building could very easily be like the belts building in Great Falls if we're not careful.

Uh with reference to that. Well, it does. We've already had and and so fortunately on that building, we've already done the um brownfield work on that building. We've got the reports. They've been provided to the architects. So we are definitely figuring that into our cost um the the abatement on that. Any more discussion? We'll keep moving. Thank you very much for that update. We don't have any new business. So that brings us to number 11, boards and commissions. A is zoning board of appeals resignation. Vice Chair Mosley.

Yes, sir. Um, I have a resignation of Miss Katie Fischer as my appointee on the zoning board of appeals. I'd like to make a motion to accept her resignation. Second. Is there any discussion? All for the question. Those in favor raise your hand to say I. I. All in favor? Next is 11B, which is a planning commission appointment. Again, vice chair Mosley. Um I would like to also um in this statement appoint Miss Katherine Fischer to um the planning commission the atlarge seat. Second.

All right. Motion and second. Is there any discussion? Call for the question. Those in favor raise your right hand and say I. I.

All in favor? That brings us to number 12 which is executive session. The purpose of entering uh the purpose for entering executive session is to discuss matters relating to the proposed location, expansion or the provision of services. Encouraging location or expansion of industries or other businesses in the area served by this public body for the following. That would be uh item A which is P243 and item B which is P2588. Is there a motion to go into executive session? Make a motion we go to executive session. Second. All right. Those in favor to go into executive session, raise your hand and say I. I. I.

All in favor, we're in executive session. Katie, she's came up. Yeah.