County Council - Regular Meeting

Time to go. Okay.

Thank you for being here this evening. We'll go ahead and convene this September 1st meeting of the Greenwood County Council. Your Greenwood County Council has been in executive session since 4 p.m. We only had two matters that needed to be discussed today. Our county manager, unfortunately, has been a little under the weather and he's ported in tonight so he won't be here in person. I'll ask our county attorney, Ms. Carson Penny, to tell you why we had a need for executive session, please.

and for a proposed sale of property in the area of

Thank you, Ms. Penny. Coming out of that session, we have no need to take any action, so I'll ask for a motion that we would please exit executive session. So moved. Second. I have a motion by Mr. Templeton, second by Ms. Bishop. All in favor?

Ms. Griffin.

Excuse me, Ms. Griffin, and we're now out of executive session. Thank you. Our invocation will be delivered tonight by Councilwoman Johanna Bishop, and afterwards we'll honor our nation with the Pledge of Allegiance. If you will stand, please, if you can.

Father, we just thank you so much for this day. We thank you for allowing us to come before you and to come together and do the business for our county. Father, I ask that you bless us and that you keep us and strengthen us in all that we do. Help us to make the decisions that are proper for Greenwood. And Lord, I ask that you bless each and every individual here in Greenwood and here at this meeting tonight. Lord, we just thank you and we praise you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen.

Thank you. Can I write on yours? Yeah. Cool. We have one person signed up for public comment tonight. Ms. Carmel Hazard out of my district from the Eagles Harbor neighborhood. Ms. Carmel, come forward if you will, please, ma'am.

I'll do it in a minute.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't ask. Excuse me before you do that. I trust you've all had a chance to review your minutes from our last meeting, and if so, I'll entertain a motion that those be approved. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? That's so ordered. Thank you.

Come forward, please, Ms. Hazzard.

Yes, ma'am, to the podium.

We need the microphone.

Thank you.

Okay, so some of my concerns have to do with the data center committee. And to date we've gotten no names of who's been assigned and it's been six weeks since you were given the assignment of assigning someone from your districts. So we're already six weeks into a year's moratorium, is that correct? I don't even know because I don't know when the moratorium starts. So that's a question for me too. But right now I want to know what their charter is for the data center committee, what the criteria is, or is used to select these committee members. Hopefully there's criteria that all of you are using. When does the one year moratorium clock start and will there be additional experts in various associated disciplines like environmental, incentives, financials, et cetera, so that we have knowledgeable people about data centers providing input? In addition, I want to know how often the committee, will meet and how their info will be shared with residents. Will it be publicly accessible and available online as it happens? And what's the criteria for that? Is it weekly, biweekly, monthly, or only at the end of the process? And who determines what criteria will be implemented from this committee? The other thing is that we've had quite a few, I guess, insinuations about conflicts of interest. So I would really like to know from all of you on the council what your rationale was for your vote on the data center moratorium, because I think we only really heard that from one person, and details on whether you had or have a conflict of interest associated with data center votes or are aware of a conflict of interest that anyone in Greenwood County or other municipalities may have, whether it be land deals, incentives, insider information, friends and relatives who could profit from your stance, et cetera. That's my comment.

Thank you, ma'am. Let me speak briefly to that. Some of the structure of the committee is somewhat yet to be determined because all final appointments have not been made. We're real close to that. I think only waiting on perhaps one other. We have continued to have discussion about making that committee more diverse as an example for the concerned citizens group. we believe that it would be appropriate to have someone who is an objective and trusted member of that group to be a part of the committee, as opposed to just the assignments of county council members. In regard to why people voted as they voted, that's none of my business and that's none of the public's business. No, no, not to question someone as to why they voted a particular way. Absolutely not. Their vote is their vote. We don't question each other internally as to how we vote and we don't know when we sit to vote how we will vote. So I would respectfully disagree with you on that topic. Um, but, but that in regard to the communications of the work of the committee, then, then what I would, what I believe that I will envision is that through our public information officer, we would be releasing information as that committee meets and, and what their, what some of their considerations are. Would that be reasonable, Abby? So thank you, ma'am. Appreciate you. We have several presentations that we're really pleased to be able to make tonight. And what I'm going to ask is, we have a couple of proclamations as well. And I'm going to ask that all of council come down in front. Our first, the order in which we'll do these, Ms. Miller will first issue a proclamation that will deal with the month that's honoring police canine officers we will then have a separate proclamation for our former officer DJ Keller and then finally proclamation honoring the faithful service of excuse me excuse me no recognizing Miss Anne Eller and WCRS radios historic anniversary so so let's we'll do those in those order so council if you would please join me down front

Thank you so much. Look at this.

I want to thank y'all for coming today. And, you know, this is near and dear to my heart as well. So I just want to give you a chance really quickly to introduce yourself and your canine, if that's appropriate.

Your name.

So Kenneth Silas, my canine is in school right now, so she's not here.

She has a name.

Yeah, her name's Erska.

What special people does she have?

patrol, so narcotics and apprehension and tracking.

Sergeant James Bearden with Greenville City Police Department. This is K-9 Maxie. He's currently certified in tracking and narcotics detection. And this right here, this is a retired K-9 Vice. This was Officer DJ Kelly's late partner.

I'm Sergeant Matt Noblin. I'm retiring at K-9 this week and certifying his replacement. So I'm in a transition period, so I don't have one with me right now.

I'm Deputy Michael Mejia. This is K-9 Maverick. He'll have five years of service this September. He is a dual-purpose K-9 certified for narcotics and patrol work.

Okay, so on behalf of the Greenwood County Council, a proclamation recognizing National Police K-9 Day. Whereas law enforcement K-9s are highly trained partners who serve alongside police officers and deputies to protect the citizens of our community. And whereas the K-9 teams of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office and the Greenwood Police Department provide invaluable service through their specialized skills in areas including tracking, locating missing persons, detecting narcotics and other dangerous substances, apprehending suspects, searching buildings and vehicles, and assisting officers and deputies in keeping our community safe. And whereas these canines demonstrate extraordinary courage, discipline, loyalty, and dedication in the performance of their duties, often placing themselves in harm's way to protect the lives of their human partners and the citizens they serve. Whereas the effectiveness of every canine is strengthened by the dedication, skill, patience, and sacrifice of its handler, whose partnership with the K-9 requires countless hours of training and unwavering commitment to public safety. Whereas National Police K-9 Day, observed annually on September 1st, provides an opportunity to recognize and express our gratitude for the contributions of law enforcement K-9s and their handlers, and to remember those K-9s and law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service to their communities. And, whereas the Greenwood County Council recognizes that canines are not merely tools of law enforcement, but trusted partners whose loyalty and bravery have saved lives, assisted in the apprehension of dangerous individuals, provided comfort and reassurance to the public, and strengthened the ability of our law enforcement agencies to serve and protect, Whereas the Greenwood County Council is proud to recognize the canines and their handlers of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office and the Greenwood Police Department for their exceptional service, sacrifice, and commitment to the citizens of Greenwood County. Now, therefore, Greenwood County Council hereby recognizes September 1st, 2026 as National Police Canine Day in Greenwood County and calls upon all the citizens to join us in expressing our sincere appreciation to the canines and handlers of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office and the Greenwood Police Department for their faithful service and dedication to our community. Proclaim this first day of September 2026. Thank you all for your service. Can we get a picture?

Okay. Just one.

Kathy, just the one.

Just the top one. Yep. Yeah, tissues and band-aids. Here, let me give you some of this.

And this is your wife.

Oh, is it? OK.

County guys, if y'all don't need to leave right now, I'd like for you to stay for just one more minute, if you would. And all of you, if you will, please come back up for this proclamation honoring D.J. I say that because when I was carrying a gun and a badge, everyone was brothers of the badge, right? So if you guys can come back up. And Allison, you're going to come up with us too? Are you going to need somebody to hold on to Vice or are you going to bring him with you? Whatever you want to do. It's all about you. Chad told me that he was coming today only to help with the baby. And I saw him bleeding up front. Okay, it's an honor for us to be here with all of you today. This proclamation honoring the faithful service and memory of Greenwood Police Officer Don D.J. Keller, whereas the highly trained K-9 teams of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office and the Greenwood Police Department provide invaluable assistance in protecting the community through tracking, locating missing persons, detecting narcotics and dangerous substances, apprehending suspects, and searching buildings and vehicles. And whereas the courageous canines demonstrate exceptional loyalty, discipline, and dedication, often placing themselves in harm's way to protect their handlers and the citizens that they serve, and while their effectiveness is strengthened by the skill, patience, sacrifice, and countless hours of training provided by their dedicated handlers, and whereas the National Police K-9 Day, observed annually on September 1st, provides an opportunity to recognize and express our gratitude the contributions of law enforcement canines and their handlers and to remember those canines and law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities. Whereas the Greenwood community suffered a profound loss on May 11, 26, when police officer Don D.J. Keller, a dedicated K-9 handler and partner, and his partner of K-9 Vice, was killed in the line of duty while responding to assist fellow officers. and whereas Officer Keller began serving as a K-9 officer in 2025, and his partnership with K-9 Vice reflected the courage, dedication, and commitment that characterized the very best of law enforcement and K-9 professionals. And whereas Officer Kelliver's sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by law enforcement officers and K-9 teams each and every day, and his service, courage, and devotion to the Greenwood community shall be remembered with honor and gratitude. Whereas the Greenwood County Council recognizes that K-9s are not merely tools of law enforcement, but trusted partners whose loyalty, bravery, saves lives, assists in the apprehension of dangerous individuals, and provides comfort and reassurance to the public, and strengthens the ability of our law enforcement agencies to serve and protect. So now, therefore, Greenwood County Council hereby proclaims that on this National Police K-9 Day, we honor the memory and service of Officer Don D.J. Keller, and recognize his partner, Vice, whose service together exemplifies the courage, loyalty, and sacrifice of law enforcement K-9 teams, and we extend our deepest respect and gratitude to Officer Keller's family, fellow officers, and all who continue to carry forward this legacy of service proclaimed this first day of September by the Greenwood County Council. Thank you.

One more. Two. Two.

Go.

Okay, last but not least, Ms. Anne, come forward please, ma'am. This is my utmost pleasure. And ours. Proclamation recognizing WCRS Radio, 85 years of service to Greenwood County. I was going to say Ann, it's hard to believe. From 1941 to 2026, whereas WCRS radio began broadcasting from Greenwood on September 1, 1941 at 1450 on the AM dial and has served Greenwood and the surrounding community for 85 years. And whereas throughout the eight and a half decades, WCRS has provided a local forum for the people, communities, institutions, businesses, schools, and organizations that make Greenwood County home. Whereas WCRS has kept listeners connected through local news and public affairs, elections and government, high school and collegiate sports, community celebrations, charitable causes, emergency information, music, and everyday stories of Greenwood County. And whereas generations of county residents, including public officials, educators, veterans, students, business owners, civic leaders, artists, athletes, volunteers and neighbors, have shared their voices over the WCRS airwaves. Whereas WCRS today continues its local broadcasting tradition on 1450 AM and 98.5 FM, using new technology while maintaining the personal connection and community service that have defined the station since 1941. And whereas under the ownership and leadership of Ms. Ann Eller, WCRS continues to champion locally produced programming, local businesses, civic participation, and the people and stories of Greenwood County. Whereas the 85th anniversary of WCRS Radio is an opportunity to recognize not only the longevity of a local broadcasting institution, but also the enduring relationship between WCRS and the citizens it has served here in Greenwood County. Now therefore, Greenwood County Council hereby recognizes and congratulates WCRS Radio and Ms. Ann Eller upon its 85th anniversary and commends the station for 85 years of service, connection, and commitment to the citizens and communities of Greenwood County. Greenwood County Council extends its best wishes to WCRS Radio as it celebrates this historic milestone and continues its longstanding tradition of local broadcasting and service to the citizens of Greenwood County, proclaimed this first day of September by the Greenwood County Council. Thank you, ma'am. Y'all act like I'm incapable of hugging.

I thought about bringing her. If I'd known it was canine day, I definitely would have brought her. You look great. Thank you.

Our next order of business will be Mr. Bateman will present a launch of the Land Wise Upstate South Carolina Economic Development video series. James, tell us about that, please.

Chairman and members of council, tonight I'm introducing what Upstate South Carolina is doing to educate on the economic development imperative and what it means for the prosperity of our region. The Upstate South Carolina Alliance is a regional economic development alliance that markets its 10 member counties to the world. Twelve months ago, the Upstate Alliance began planning how to inform residents, elected officials, practitioners, and their stakeholders about what leads up to the announcements that we read about companies investing in creating jobs in the places that we call home. That is when the Upstate Alliance called Beth Land who founded Land Strategies. Beth is a former local economic developer and experienced site location professional who started her own firm and has partnered with the Upstate Alliance to launch this educational video series to help communicate what can often be a complex subject. Tom, if you'll switch over, I'm going to play you the first of these videos, counsel, for you to be introduced to Beth and this LandWise initiative.

Thank you, Tom.

yourself in economic development, you probably landed here. And it's exciting, but it's not a topic that many folks know about. Welcome to LandWise, an educational platform to help teach the core fundamentals of economic development. These topics are complicated. For example, how does site selection work? How do companies make decisions? How do communities participate in the economic development process? And so we're going to break down some of these core concepts so that it's easy to understand. This platform is designed to help get all of the right key stakeholders in your community on the same page. And we hope that these short digestible videos are an easy way to get up to speed on economic development quickly. My name is Beth Land and I'm president and founder of Land Strategies. Transformational economic change rarely happens without decisive leadership. And when the right project aligns with the right community and both sides are willing to execute their vision, that is when real lasting impact is created.

That is an introductory video to the LandWise series. There are three publicly available videos that we will be launching over the coming weeks and months. And there are nine more in-depth videos, all under five minutes, to help understand some of the core concepts of economic development, tax structure. and what the benefits are to the community. We will also be adding to that where some of these concepts have been applied in Greenwood who has benefited from them and tell a little bit of our history through economic development lens as well. So that will be coming in the future. This was just launched to Upstate Alliance uh, investors and local economic developers last week. And we wanted to bring it to council at first opportunity to let you know how we're going to help inform the public more about behind the scenes economic development.

Thank you, James. Yes, sir. Counsel, any comments or questions for James before he sits down?

I have a comment. I think that this is a great follow up for, you know, our citizens and concerns for transparency. I know the index did a great series of articles about economic development, and I think this is a great follow-up to that, to continue that quest for understanding.

Thank you. It is. Thank you, Ms. Miller.

Also, it made me think of something as well. People ask all the time about what we do, and I've seen you in action james and been with you on places and i appreciate you including me but also it's it's a challenge being in the area that we're in not near an interstate not near a port basically kind of a rural community so it's it's more difficult than people realize to draw businesses here and then sometimes it also is dependent on workers availability of workers and housing and those types of things so it all goes hand in hand and i appreciate the openness and as you mentioned transparency about how we go about it thank you for what you do

Thanks for your comments, too, Mr. Pruitt. And that's precisely the goal of this series is to talk about that economic development funnel, how do you go from global marketing to a selected site, workforce analysis, property tax calculations, incentives. All of those topics are covered in this introductory series, and there's many more to be covered. This will just scratch the surface, and we will be putting these out over the months to come.

Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman.

Yes, ma'am.

And for me, I always say that I love to educate people. So we understand it, but we need to make sure that our citizens understand. And so it seems like this is going to be a great way to educate everybody a little bit more so they understand that we really are trying to make sure that we do the best for Greenwood.

Thank you, Ms. Bishop. This initiative is a leading initiative of the regional alliances. South Carolina has other regions of the state, and Upstate is leading this charge to educate its citizens. And in that video, it says to understand and apply it, lead it, and what that means to become the leader your community needs. It's not talking about me. And it's not talking just about county council. It's talking about all the citizens in a community in the 10 member counties, Greenwood being one of those 10 counties that is a member of the Upstate Alliance. So it's talking about citizens in Abbeville and Anderson and those other communities as well so that we have a more foundation of a baseline understanding of economic development in the upstate and what has led to so much opportunity for upstate residents for many years.

James. Yes, sir. If there are no other comments, I'll close by saying in the time that you, that you headed up economic development for us. And I think it goes without saying, because the numbers speak for themselves. You've done a remarkable job. Um, before my recent retirement, when I traveled all over the state, people would stop me in other areas of state and say, Theo, how does Greenwood County do what you do and what they, what, What that generally centered around was the fact that we do sit in a somewhat isolated geographic area. You know, I used to jokingly say if we had an interstate, we'd be Spartanburg. Not that I want to be a Spartanburg, but it's really remarkable. And I always go back to talking about the historical legacy of leadership in this county. I mean, we stand on the shoulders of some great people. that really set the path before us. But you've certainly done your part, and that's recognized and appreciated. So thank you very much. And this is a great tool, as others have said, for making sure that we can help the public to better understand the inner workings of economic development. So thank you for that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It will be a great tool to help continue that success.

Good job. We'll move now into old business. We only have one item of old business. Item A is Ordinance 202626 to amend the Greenwood County zoning map as and if amended so that one portion, one parcel of land totaling approximately 100.45 acres in Greenwood County at 2307 by fast 25 southeast changes from C2 general commercial to R4 two-family residential. This is third and final reading. Our planning director, Mr. Ryan Bland, will give information, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, this is rezoning request R2607001. It is a 100-acre parcel, but only approximately 65, 66 acres of that is proposed to be rezoned at this point from C2 to R4. The Planning Commission sent this with a recommendation of approval and based upon the criteria established in the zoning ordinance, staff also recommends approval. Again, this property is a bit oddly configured on both sides of Bypass 25 southeast, kind of split by the bypass just east of Highway 25 south on the south side of the city of Greenwood, but in an unincorporated area. The general stretch through here is undeveloped, but kind of tagging onto the rear of the food line development you see here in your picture. Both sides of the property have had vegetation on them over time, but right now kind of just in a recovering state. The site is served by utilities in multiple directions. You see here the configuration of the site that we were talking about with the split of zoning for it with R4 to the north. That portion would not be subject to the rezoning, but the C2 portions to the south, again, a little over 65 acres included in there. the entire parcel as designated the future land use map as medium density residential. And this would be your proposed rezoning configuration of R4. The applicant submitted what I would call kind of just a test fit here, but you see what was pointed out previously is that a portion of the development is bisected by a drainage way that would need to be split essentially, but that's also essentially where the sewer is going to be located for the subject properties. So that concludes staff's comments. The R4 rezoning is consistent with the future land use map and the properties adequately served by public utilities, two of our main concerns with your criteria for rezoning.

Again, this is the third and final reading. Council, what is your pleasure?

I'm going to make a motion to approve.

Second. I have a motion by Ms. Miller, second by Mr. Templin. Any comments or discussion before we vote?

Quick question. Mr. Davis, as we get often asked on rezoning requests, has there been any discussion on timeline or anything? What you guys are looking at? Just curious.

I know it's short notice catching you off guard, but we're actually started with moving dirt.

Mr. Davis, we use the microphone. Sorry.

We actually started moving dirt at the first phase of Chimney 1 last week. Okay. And with DHEC approval and working with your county, CPW and stuff now. So I would say, you know, with that being said, the first phase has to come first, Chimney 1. And then that's 115 homes. restaurants and stuff and then second phase which is at a start next okay so probably I would say year and a half two years out maybe okay thank you yes mr. Allison hey mr. chairman quick question under by our for then it says to family residential what does that mean

Two-family residential, at some point in the zoning categories, R1 through 7, it transitions from one-family to two-family. Essentially, this is one of the lower categories that would allow duplexes. And so it was termed two-family residential. There's a bandwidth there that I think is R4 or R5 are both two-family residential in the book. But this is also the... highest or sorry, the lowest desert or the highest designation, sorry, that would not prohibit single family residences. So this allows single family residences are five is where you move into duplexes and then higher density types of units.

Miss Davis.

One thing my partner and I, Jim Fuller, is doing for this area and what suggestions of Senator Garrett was to make a gated community on this side of town. So everything you see us doing is going to be highest standards. So it won't be in duplexes or anything.

Thank you. So back to the question. So just so I understand, under R4 there is a classification that allows duplexes. Is that correct? Am I?

Correct. R4 does also allow duplexes by right.

Okay. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Heath, I'm i'll just comment before we before we vote that you and i have spoken many times about your interest and your commitment to developing in the south end i hadn't talked to jim about it but really want to express appreciation to you for sticking with the plan bringing something before us i think that that we can feel comfortable with and i do think that that residential development opportunity will be an enhancement to our county, in my view. Counsel, are there any other comments or questions before we vote? Thank you, sir. If not, I'll ask now for your vote to approve. Well, I need a motion, please. We got a motion and a second. We have the motion and a second. So this will be to approve as presented. All in favor? And that's unanimous and so ordered. Thank you. We'll move now into old business. We have eight items of old business. New business, Mr. Chairman. New business. Thank you. New business to hear tonight. Item A, consideration of appointment of an ad hoc committee to consider the appropriateness of data centers in Greenwood County. And we've talked just a bit about this several meetings ago. The question was asked is when did the moratorium go into place? The moratorium went into place at the time that County Council voted on the moratorium. So yes, we're some weeks into it. So several meetings go back. I ask that each county council member bring forward a recommendation of someone that they felt could well serve on an ad hoc committee to allow us to continue to investigate the possibility of of data centers that could be placed within greenwood county and that's what uh we're in the midst of doing right now it's it is somewhat a work in progress because it's very in the in the very early stages of planning i spoke just a few minutes ago to the fact that we should have the county council representatives appointees in place probably maybe by the end of this week And then we will go about the business of possibly expanding that because there have been recommendations by various members of council, and I think good recommendations. other people that might have subject matter expertise and beyond that in the process the conversation we've had about bringing in subject matter experts as the process moves forward I think there was a good point that that was made during public comment about the the opportunities to keep that information in front of the public I think that's important I think that process needs to be transparent so So item a consideration of appointment of ad hoc committee to consider the appropriateness of data centers in Greenwood County. Um, council, what is your pleasure?

I have a comment to Mr. Chairman, please, ma'am. I appreciate you showing up and the questions that you asked. I will tell you that in my district district five, I've had a lot of interest. I've gotten a lot of emails. I continue to get emails, um, pro and con as far as the data centers are concerned, but I had, um, people reach out to me, people with advanced degrees, PhDs masters. Um, I actually have a neighbor who. is responsible for installing data centers all across the country. Um, but for me personally, uh, the person I'm gonna bring forward is somebody that, uh, actually lived in Loudon County, Virginia. Spoke here, spoke here one night and, uh, I'd never met the man until, um, he came and, and we've had lots of good conversations. He's provided me with, uh, a lot of information and, you know, I take this role very seriously. take your question very seriously and I believe in transparency and I believe that we should do the due diligence to make sure we study this as Detailed as we can so I hope that answers at least part of your question I

The 21st of July is when the vote occurs. And if it takes you guys six weeks to just appoint somebody and you don't even have that date set up yet, is it going to be another three months before it's set up? I mean, these are my concerns.

I thought we could kind of hit the ground running.

Mr. Chairman, I'll have your motion to approve.

Are we sure that we need to approve it? Didn't we approve that last time? So I think this is just a discussion point, basically.

Okay. I was about to ask the county attorney, because my belief is we approved the appointment of the committee in our last meeting.

To establish a committee.

To establish a committee. So do you believe that we can forego a vote on this again? Because I think we've already voted on this.

Yes, ma'am.

all right so but but since we're on the topic council is any any comment or discussion further that you'd like to make mr. Allison yes mr. chairman let me make a quick comment I have been one I'll go ahead admit slow to to add someone to this committee I've interviewed several people and I want to be sure that we get the right people on here And I am willing to take whatever time that takes. If the moratorium, if you will read the moratorium, our moratorium says it could be extended if needed. We can extend that moratorium. It does not have to end at a year. If we have not done our research and not gotten the information we need to make a decision, it can be extended. Okay. So I think we need to take our time and be sure we get qualified people. And I've interviewed several, and I didn't think they were qualified. I've had several that I thought was qualified that didn't want nothing to do with it because of the public comments and all. They said, nope, I don't want nothing to do with that. So it's been, I have had a challenge as one finding someone who i felt was good i was asked to appoint someone to the zoning board one time and i've done some interviews and i interviewed a gentleman that i thought would be good and he says well before you point me point me to this committee i won't let you know i think in the united states a man should be able to do whatever he wants to do on his own property So I didn't think he would be a real good choice for a zoning board, because I don't necessarily agree with that. But anyway, I'm... think by the end of the week i will have uh somebody who i'm talking with and and but i i tag on to what mr pruitt says i take it very serious and i think we're taking the you know the the best course we can i think this uh there was some mistakes made coming out of the gate on our presentation of data centers that's the reason that I did not support it and felt we needed a moratorium was that that's I think one of the question was why did we vote the way we did I don't mind telling you I voted for the moratorium voted against the text amendment because personally I think it was not presented the way it needed to be presented initially I've said that publicly I've said it privately and and so if anybody's got any questions as to why i voted the way i did that's the reason i did and also i think the public wanted us to take a step back and now that's what we're doing take a step back be sure we get it right it i think if we're going to entertain a data center in greenwood county we have to get it right And that's all I'm concerned about is getting it right, making sure that we don't have a Spartanburg, South Carolina situation that has been chaos. So that's the reason I'm in the position that I'm in. And I assured the chairman tonight I will have him a recommendation by the end of this week. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Alston.

Any other comments?

Mr. Chairman, I'll just make one quick comment. I am very close also to naming mine. I've gotten multiple emails like I guess everybody on council. I will share I think it's funny what Mark said because I had the same issue. I've had a couple of very qualified candidates that have said they don't want any part of this because they don't want to target on their back and they don't want their families being harassed. And that's kind of sad that people don't want to get involved because they're scared about people harassing them. So that's a problem. But we will find qualified people and we will do this the right way. But I mean, if you want to be brutally honest, that's why we're having such a hard time getting people to do it.

All right.

Mr. Chairman?

Yes, ma'am.

Ms. Bishop. Thank you. I appreciate everything that everybody said, and I'm the same way. Anytime I appoint somebody, I want to make sure that I'm thoughtful in my appointment. Mr. Chairman came up with this great idea to involve the community, and so it does take time for us to make sure that we have people who have open hearts and open minds. We don't want anybody coming in automatically saying, I don't want it or I do want it. I want people who can take the information, digest the information, and make an informed decision. And so it does take time. And so I do, I'm very thankful for each one of you guys, and I know it's difficult because it's difficult for me. I just found my person today, and I'm excited about it. But still, That's a huge point because it's hard for us to deal with the public. It's going to be hard for my appointment to deal with the public as well. I need for the public to make sure that it respects the people that we appoint and respect the process because the thing about it is this is a process that we're all in together. It's a process that we're all in together. And so being a servant is serious. It really is serious. And so if people decide to volunteer their time, we really should do our best to respect them. So that is my comment.

Thank you.

Can I have one more? I'm sorry, I know we're getting long. And I think one other thing to kind of answer one of the questions asked earlier was this committee in itself is not making a decision. I think that was asked. This committee will be making a recommendation for, you know, possible text amendments or the language if there is a new zoning classification. and they will make a recommendation back to county council, okay? So I just wanted to put that. This group of citizens is not making a decision on whether a data center comes to Greenwood or not. Thank you.

Not to belabor the point, but I had the same kind of a problem that Mr. Allison and Mr. Templin had, but I was also blessed and fortunate that I had three people who... who were willing to serve. So I had to make a selection and I felt like any of the three of them could could be very qualified, be very objective and take the job very seriously. And so I was fortunate in that regard. So if there's no further discussion, we'll move to item B, please. Item B is a consideration of the appointment of a vacant seat on the Accommodations Tax Committee. Mr. Lewis Sly from Treasurer's Department. Tell us about it, Lewis.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At last Council meeting, Treasurer Dorn asked for recommendations for the final at-large spot on the Accommodation Tax Committee. And Councilwoman Miller gave us Rachel Blair from the United Way for this seat. And at this time, we recommend Council vote to approve Ms. Blair.

I'll give a motion to approve.

Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any comments before we vote? I will comment that I think Rachel will do an excellent job. I think that's a great offering. All in favor is presented. It's unanimous and so ordered. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Lewis. Item C, Resolution 2026-27 for Pre-Certification of a Special Tax Assessment for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties under the Bailey Bill Ordinance by Mr. This one by Mr. Adam Eich. Eichenberger for property at 106 and 108 Main Street West in 96 South Carolina. Mr. Bland, our planning director, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just as a quick reminder, the Bailey bill is a piece of state legislation that promotes both historic preservation and rehabilitation of those properties and the method by which it does so. It empowers local governments to enact a their own Bailey Bill ordinance to which improvements can be made to a property that is deemed historic and that if those improvements are of a sufficient value and are appropriate, then the taxes freeze at the level of a pre-certification for a period of time designated by a council, anywhere between two and 20 years. So the one coming before you, this one, had submitted quite a while back but never actually came through to get the resolution for pre-certification so we want to make sure and and do that and we'll anticipate shortly coming with a final certification in coming months on this property uh if you look here at the images that were included in your in your packet and on the screen uh these are no longer what the buildings look like um they've been substantially rehabilitated since then But the determinations that need to be made at 108 and 106, whether it's part of a pre-certification or does the property meet the qualification of being historic? We feel that it embodies distinctive characteristics of a type and period and method of construction that is indicative to the area. They were built around 1917. And the second portion of that is is the projected work to be done of evaluation that'll exceed the minimum amount required by the local legislation. We have it set as 75% of assessed value at the onset. These were assessed very low. They were in very bad shape. So the projected numbers to rehab these at the time were significantly higher than the assessed value. So Staff Delta met both of those qualifications, and we're bringing it to you to document that pre-certification this evening.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman. Yeah, I believe Mr. Pruitt. Yeah, I didn't know if you were finished.

Sorry, I could use some comments. So yeah, this is my district, obviously, in 96. And Dr. Eichelberger and I have really been discussing this for, I think, about the whole two years. And he's not able to be here tonight. He's got family things going on, and I don't blame him for that. So he actually sent me a letter I'd like to read for the record, please. About two years ago, my family and I purchased two historic buildings here in 96, one that needed updating and a second that had been underutilized for several years. I've driven past these buildings since I was a child and I wanted to see them become an asset to our town again, rather than continue to deteriorate. Our goal was bigger than simply opening a veterinarian clinic. Uh, we wanted to restore these properties, improve the appearance of our downtown, bring people. and businesses back into these buildings and make a long-term investment in the community that we call home. Since beginning this project, we have renovated and improved the properties, opened our veterinarian clinic and helped create space for other businesses in 96. I more recently purchased another downtown building with the same goal to restore it, preserve its character, attract businesses and continue contributing to the growth and revitalization of our town. Restoring older buildings is expensive and programs like the Bailey bill are important because they encourage property owners to make significant investments in buildings that might otherwise remain vacant or continue to decline. In my case, this isn't about making a short-term investment. It's about preserving 96 and helping create a downtown that our children and future generations can be proud of. I believe our project represents exactly what the Bailey Bill was intended to encourage private investment in the rehabilitation and preservation of existing buildings that strengthens the surrounding community. 96 is our home. We care deeply about our community and we intend to continue investing our time, resources and energy into making it a better place to live work and do business i respectfully ask that you consider our property for qualification under the bailey bill so that we can continue to work thank you dr adam eichelberger and i want to continue to add to that by saying i think this is one of the greatest things that we can do as a council is to approve projects like this steve riley's been in front of us and while everything may not go back to the exact preservation architecturally i guess is the right word in some cases it allows us to take buildings that nobody would be interested in and i will tell you because the number's been bounced around out there and he will too dr eichelberger invested over 1.4 million dollars into two downtown buildings that were let that were worth um a small portion of that so the fact that he's willing to do that i hope will encourage others to come to greenwood county not just in 96 but hodges where shows other of our communities to do the same thing. So I would ask my councilmates to support me as I make the motion to approve this pre-certification. I second.

I have a motion by the vice chairman, second by Ms. Bishop. Any other comments or discussions? I will say before we vote that the Bailey bill has been a tremendous tool utilized, and as the Vice Chairman stated, prior to, just for the benefit of the public to know, it's great in rehabilitating these historic properties. And as Dane was alluding to, we're not trying to put them on the National Historic Registry. We're just trying to take some old buildings that still have good bones and turn them

turn it into enhancements from one end of this county to the other so any other comments or questions before we vote i would just like to say mr chairman i would just like to say that um based on the photos it's it's wonderful this amazing what has been done and so please dane tell mr eichelberger thank you it looks really good come down there and visit it you don't have to have animals you can get your nails done there's a boutique shop

There's lots of things you can do in 96. And, Mr. Chairman, with final certification, I really hope to show off what it looks like now. Right. The pre-certification status.

Ready to vote now? All in favor is presented. That's unanimous in so order. Thank you very much. Item D, Resolution 202628 for final certification of special tax assessment for rehabilitation. Excuse me.

yeah rehabilitation of historic property under the also under the baylor bill ordinance by mary catherine macarthur for property located at 159 cambridge avenue east here in greenwood ryan all right mr chairman so this is the final certification uh what final certification does is we verify that the expenses do meet the threshold of the 75 that were set at pre-assessment and that the work that was done was consistent with the plan that was presented at the time of pre-assessment. So staff will certify that both were done in the case of 159 Cambridge Avenue East. So it's about a 4,000 square foot construct around 1900. And you can see the improvements that were made to that residence. Along with this, we do need a period of time for which the benefit would last between two and 20 years from council. We went back to try to find the most recent residential case that I could find, and it was a It looks like the same applicant. Back in 2023, it was a slightly more modest residence, but was given a 20-year at a similar ratio of value to improvement, and the applicant is requesting 20 years along with this.

Mr. Chairman, I offer you a motion to approve with the 20-year request. Second.

Motion by Mr. Templin, second by Ms. Griffin. Ms. Griffin, is that correct? Second by Ms. Griffin. Any other comments or questions before we vote? All in favor of approval, that's unanimous in this order. Thank you very much. Resolution 202629, to approve the memorandum of understanding and agreement between Greenwood County and the South Carolina Association of Counties relating to the South Carolina Association of Counties being authorized and designated as a claimant agent for the county pursuant to the Set-Off Debt Collection Act of 2003 as amended And the Government Enterprise Accounts Receivable Program is set out in Title 12-4-580. County Attorney, Ms. Penny, please talk to us about that.

Can you read that one more time?

Yeah, I'll be glad to. You want me to read it slower?

So debt set off in gear or alternative methods to recover debts owed to the county and they are available to us because we are a political subdivision and this is administered by the South Carolina Association of Counties. This is a resolution memorializing your approval of an MOU with the Association of Counties that's necessary to kick off this process.

I'll offer you a motion to approve.

I second. I have a motion by Mr. Templin, second by Ms. Bishop. Any comments or discussion before we vote? Mr. Allison. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I saw you leaning forward.

Most debt collectors charge a fee for their collection. Is that the way this works?

There is a fee for gear that I think is 20% or 25%. I can't remember off the top of my head. The debt set off is $25 to the DOR, which is the South Carolina Department of Revenue. and $25 to the Association of Counties. So that's an incredibly low rate, I think, to recover debts for the county. But GEER is a higher percentage. And again, it's in your packet. Solid. But it's likely that debt set-off would be used more frequently than GEER.

I don't want to correct the county attorney. Feel free. And the debt set off, the debtor pays the $25 fees. The county does not pay that. Right. In GEER, we do pay the percentage of the fee.

Thank you. Thank you for clarifying that.

That was tremendous teamwork. Might as well stay there now. Yeah. Any other comments or questions before we vote? All in favor is presented. And that's unanimous and so ordered. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Item F, Resolution 202630, amending the fiscal year 2027 budget to allocate funds for the comprehensive plan update. Our Assistant County Manager for Finance, Ms. Stephanie Dorn.

Thank you, Chairman and Council. We actually had budgeted for this in the FY26 year, and we're not able to get that project underway. But it does have to be completed every 10 years. We have to update our comprehensive plan. And we actually didn't have enough funds in our FY26 budget either way. So we're asking for you to allocate um 126 165 from the general fund fund balance to pay for the comprehensive plan update that is an actual cost that we have negotiated with the vendor to pay for this and luckily i do have mr brand here if you have any additional questions about that process i'll give you a motion to approve mr chairman a second

I have a motion by Mr. Templin, second by Ms. Bishop. Any questions or discussions before we vote? How is that going?

We got a lot of input, the whole process.

We haven't actually started it.

Oh, okay. Sorry. Yeah. Okay. I'll ask you later on that, Ron.

Ms. Storm, what's the deadline for completion of this? I know you said every 10 years, but what's our deadline? Is it the end of June?

Is it in June?

June of next, in 2027. Actually,

It's sooner than that. I believe it was 2026. However, they don't just comprehensive plans don't just expire and die. Um, it's a, it's a process of of. If you are you working on them, how well you've been tracking your local community? How how much has changed since the last plan? Things like that. So we are due to have a new one and we don't need to, um. We need to act quickly to be able to get that process underway, but probably take about a year to finish, and that will be within the reasonable amount of time and the effort needed to

So there's no penalty if we miss a deadline. There's no deadline as long as we're making progress. Is that kind of what I'm hearing?

Yeah, as long as you're making the progress toward the update and you make it in a reasonable amount of time within that 10-year period, you generally want to stay on track with those. But, yes, we are considered on track right now.

And, Ryan, would I be correct in my view it's always been that's kind of a living, breathing document, and sometimes in that span it adjusts and changes, correct? That's correct.

Yeah, you have to re-review it at five years anyway, and from time to time it does get amended. So, as long as you are continually looking and reviewing that document, You're in compliance. All right.

Thank you, sir. Any other comments or questions before we vote? All in favor is presented. That's unanimous and so ordered also. Thank you. Item G, Ordinance 2026-27 to consider the approval of the request by the tax commissioners to dissolve Rock Creek Special Purpose Special Tax District. Ms. Doran, again, please. This is first reading and title only.

That's correct, Chairman. And we were contacted a couple of weeks ago by the commissioners of the Rock Creek Special Tax District wanting to dissolve. The majority of their expenditures are not in compliance with our policy, which is based on state law, which is what's generating their request to dissolve. And so we have sent letters to all of the property owners Those were sent out last week. To date, we've only heard from one property owner who was in favor of the district being dissolved. They actually didn't really understand that they were in the district. So that's a common problem with the special tax districts, actually. But anyway, we will have a public hearing and second reading at the September 15th meeting. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Any questions, Council?

First reading only.

Yeah, first reading title only. Doesn't require any action. Thank you, Ms. Doran. Appreciate it. We'll move to our last item now. Item H, Ordinance 2026-28 to amend the Greenwood County Zoning Map as and if amended so that approximately 39.11 acres comprising the Briarwood Place subdivision addressed as 101-328 Burwood Road and 609 Briarwood Road in incorporated greenwood county including lots 1 through 71 and associated common areas and infrastructure changes from ag one agricultural to npr master plans residential mr bland please this is first reading a title only We require no vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So we are south of the city of Greenwood in unincorporated Greenwood County. The Planning Commission sends this with a recommendation of approval as does staff based upon our amendment criteria. This is a platted subdivision. Briarwood Place is north of The intersection of Briarwood and Alexander Road, the road that cuts through it is Burlwood Road. There are currently a few houses, I want to say between four and six houses under construction, one that has been constructed and is occupied and sold. The remainder are owned by the applicant as either Keystone Homes or Metro Home Sites. Here's a better idea of the layout of that existing platted subdivision. Again, all the utilities are in, roads are in, and houses are under construction. You get a kind of an idea here of the nature of it. It's still a lot of development to be done. Utilities are in place. This is kind of that stretch of Briarwood Road that runs near there. The property right now is zoned AG1 and it is a kind of a transition piece between the AG and the R1 single-family residential in that area. They are requesting a rezoning to master plan residential. The reason behind that is they would like to offer a wider variety of floor plan types within there. We're seeing a larger demand for a variety of floor plan types. This master plan residential would use the AG1 as the base zoning and would relax side setbacks from 10 to seven and a half feet and the front from 30 to 20 feet and then fall back on the AG1 for all remaining districts. As an alternative to this, they could have requested a variance for all parcels. Staff would prefer a request like this be considered as a planned unit development. It's easier for us to track than a variance request, honestly. So, and this is consistent with a few others that have been done previously. It is zoned LDR, I'm sorry, Future Land Use Map designates it as LDR low density residential. Again, kind of in that transition piece in the zoning. And again, we, as staff, are recommending approval of this. We feel it's consistent with, still consistent with the LDR designation, as well as all utilities are in place and recently put in place. Mr. Chairman, I have a question.

Yes, Mr. Pruitt. Mr. Blant, so with it being AG1 going to NPR, does that... Did the density change at all?

Density does not change at all. They are not reconfiguring the platted lots that are already there for sale.

Okay. So basically it's just a setback thing.

That's correct. It's just a configuration thing of the types of floor plans they want to offer there. Okay.

Anything else?

Mr. Chairman. Um, So they have to give us a plan of what, a master plan residential means they've got to show us what they're going to do there, correct? I mean, I thought master plan meant they have to depict what they're going to do on these lots, correct? Is that correct?

They, again, we have the subdivision layout already, and we have a narrative sufficient enough for staff to govern the property we have a description in here of what that master plan is if you're asking for what specific types of homes or what the homes look like um i think we we can request that from the applicant as part of the um but we're changing from ag1 to master plan residential correct

is what they're asking. Correct. So I guess my question is, I thought, and maybe I'm wrong, that a master plan was that it was depicted exactly what they were going to do and where.

For master plan residential, it doesn't necessarily have to be lot by lot prescriptive. It can follow a guidance of what the zoning is a specified zoning for that and so this is following that process of it being a a zoning that is essentially outside our zone districts was working within kind of the context of existing zone districts so they're wanting to change the setbacks they're not wanting to add any additional lots or make lots smaller they're wanting basically to have less setbacks

the way it's zoned under AG1?

Correct. They are requesting relaxed side setbacks and a relaxed front setback.

Okay. We've got some time to talk about this, but I do have some questions. Thank you for your time. Anything else?

Mr. Chairman, before he steps away, I want to go backwards real quick. Sure. Ryan, if you would, can you tell us what the next step is for the Eichelberger property as far as, because we did pre-certification. What happens next?

We have started working with Dr. Eichelberger. We've given him the the final certification application. He would then, working with his accountant to round up costs. We've already looked at the work done. He would just need to verify costs in excess of the threshold of 75% of value at the time it was pre-certified. And that comes back to council like the request that falls.

Like the one for MacArthur. That's correct.

Perfect. That's all I need. Well, I was going to say in a perfect world, pre-cert just means somebody starting the project. Unfortunately, this one. We've already completed.

Typically, it's around like two years apart. One to two years apart. No worries. Thank you for that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ryan. We appreciate it. We have no pending items that need our attention tonight, so we'll now move to district reports. District 1, Ms. Griffin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to say good evening to everyone. Happy new month. Praying that this month brings you all that your heart desires. Also, I'd just like to announce that the Promised Land Association will have their September meeting on September the 10th. at 6 p.m. at the Promised Land Fire Department. Hopefully everyone will enjoy their Labor Day off. I look like that ends my report.

Thank you, Mr. Griffin. Mr. Chairman. District 2, Mr. Allison.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would like to say thank you to Dr. Motz, our former chairman, for filling in and doing the invocation for me last week. I was unable to be here. I had called him earlier several weeks before and asked so that worked out well. and I appreciate him coming and filling in for me at our last meeting. Also, I would like to say my sincere condolences to the Keller family tonight. That presentation, I think, was great that we honored this young man and recognize his family in such a tragic loss. I go up Cambridge every day and travel up and down that road basically on a daily daily basis with my business and it just it's heart-wrenching that this young man lost his life the way he did and I appreciate the fact that we recognized our canine officers and all our officers because they put their lives in danger every day so I appreciate the respect and the recognition that was presented to them this evening. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Allison. District 3, Ms. Bishop.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank everybody for coming. And as Mr. Allison said, thank the Keller family for coming and being with us tonight. And our hearts are with you guys, as well as thank the officers and the police officers. the the police dog officers as well for coming um and i appreciated each presentation thank you miss miller for your presentation and thank you um chairman for yours and i think that is my report thank everybody for coming and have a wonderful evening

Thank you, Ms. Bishop. District 4, Ms. Miller.

No report, Mr. Chairman.

No report.

District 5, Mr. Pruitt. I have one, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Just want to remind everybody, I am going to be involved with probably the most interesting trash cleanup ever. Thanks to Ms. Amber. appear that I would like for you to join me for district 5 cleanup this month on Saturday September the 19th is being called Beach River sweep day we're cleaning the Saluda River that day starting at 9 a.m. to make the biggest impact we're partnering up cleanup will take place along the shorelines near the dam via kayak yes put in will be at the dam and take out will be at the chapel's boat ramp. Kayaks and life jackets will be available on a first come first serve basis provided by preserving lake Greenwood slash camp fellowship. Um, the director also mentioned being able to provide a shuttle the takeout and he'll let us know if anything changes she also texted me tonight with additional information we have captains on land and on River safety plans in place working she's working on the flyer I'll get that out as soon as possible I'll get that Abbey oh have it I'm sure and she just wanted to add that all kayakers if you're interested in doing that part must rsvp by september the 16th so we can make arrangements cleaners on foot you're welcome to show up just as you are um i want to say again appreciation to dr eichelberger for taking advantage of the bailey bill again i think this is something um worthy of an index story maybe miss ortiz i'm not sure but i believe it's it's something um we should fully take advantage of thanks to the chairman for creating the ad hoc committee I believe that this is something that we need to do and personally I've been blown away by the response I've received concerning this request people have reached out to me and continue to reach out to me and the one thing that I'm doing I would encourage you all included miss McIntyre clerk every name that I get I am submitting back to miss McIntyre so that we can add to the software database that you and I looked at while we were at the conference miss Miller I take full advantage of that because it's rare that we have people wanting to volunteer uh for committees and such and so i think this is a wonderful opportunity to add more names to the database thank you miss mcintyre for your involvement on that As always, I'd like to end on a Bible verse, 1 Peter 3.8 says, finally, all of you be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. That ends my report, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Pruitt. District 6, Mr. Templeton.

I'll be brief, Mr. Chairman. I just want to thank our county staff and employees for what they do on a day-to-day basis, and I want to, again, thank our law enforcement for what they do first responders and our guys here that um want everybody when they come in the door so and watch over us here lastly i will close with um you know you i've caught a lot of grief on social media for various and sundry things but i've had a tremendous amount of support from the community i just want to thank you for that and that is my report thank you mr temple

In District 7, all is well. I think an exciting event that took place this past weekend was 100-year celebration for Ware-Scholes High School. They started on Friday evening, had some celebrations prior to their football game. They had classes in 10-year increments that graduates were gathering and had various activities throughout the weekend. And it was a good celebration, had good turnouts. and I always say that for a small school district they just they have a lot of pride and they do a tremendous job in promoting the sales Chad want to remind you that you took it upon yourself to hold that dog so I don't want to see a lawsuit coming to the county because your injury in the County Council chambers if there is nothing else for the good order miss McIntyre do you have anything okay

The county manager intended to yield his time to me. And so I have two things I would like to share with you all. First is yesterday was National Overdose Awareness Day. And last Tuesday, I went uptown at the fountain with other folks had a candlelight vigil for the 13 lives that were lost in Greenwood County in the past year due to overdose. So the positive that I would like to share, though, is that your community action plan stakeholders group is working together to have a recovery celebration. That celebration is Saturday, September the 12th. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Uptown Farmers Market. This is a partnership between not just the county, Carolina Health Centers and all of the different stakeholders that are in that group that are participating. We also have the Arts Center that is participating with some activities. This is meant to be a celebration for those in recovery, a celebration that is safe, and recovery friendly. In addition, we will also be providing community and state resources for those who need it. So I encourage everyone to come out and see this. We're wanting to show off our work. And one of the most exciting things that will be premiering at that event is kind of a ribbon cutting for the van that we purchased with the SCORE funds. where this van will be used by CHC to get out into the community to those who cannot make it to the resources for help, whether it be for testing, whether it be for different prescription services, psychological services, whatever we can legally do out of the van, we intend to do reaching out into the heart of the community. So very excited to see the van. I haven't seen it yet myself. So I'm very excited about this event. So please come out and see us and show your support for those in recovery. What was the time again? It is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We plan to have some food vendors. There is going to be karaoke and, again, art, some different games. We're putting it all together. We've got a lot of different groups involved. it should be a fun event for for everybody in the community i know we're bumping up against football season but i know everybody doesn't do football now i do but you will see me there um i will be there for this event can you add that to our calendar thank you not surprising that you will be there i want to thank you again um for your dedication to this i know you have this great passion for it your heart's in it you your leadership's been tremendous it continues to be thank you thank you now the second item uh for those of you who thought to yourself now why did she make mr sly or ask mr sly to come up here for one teeny tiny item that she could have covered punishment but i'm going to ask him to come up here and stand beside me because And I didn't think I was going to get emotional, but I might. I cannot tell you all how excited we are to stand up here and tell you that we have closed out all except for one FEMA project.

We are.

We are about, I think, 23 days away from the two-year mark from Hurricane Helene, and we have saved the taxpayers through money recovered from FEMA a total of $1.9 million, 1.6 from FEMA, and $308,000 from South Carolina EMD, which was the match. So we did not have a match, if y'all recall when we talked to you about it, a 25% match, but the state voted to cover that. We have closed out a total of 12 projects. The last project is gate repairs at the dam. That's an extensive project, and we're in contract negotiations with the vendors, so we anticipate closing that soon. But I want to talk to you about the most challenging project, which was the debris removal. That was by far the largest part, well over a million dollars of waste of cost involved in that. And it had to be broken down into three projects. We had an interval where the FEMA paid for 100%. So we had phase one where it was split, phase two where they paid 100%, and phase three where it went back to split. And if you felt that, well, okay, well, not a big deal, right? Well, phase one, we got through and we basically had that project approved based on the rate that users would have had to pay when they brought it through the landfill because we were recovering. It was a cost recovery. But we were using that rate because that was the cost. It was for us. And it went through and we were all excited. We were all excited. Lewis was excited. Rob was excited. And then we got to phase two and they all of a sudden decided that we couldn't do it that way. And so we had a very, very short window in which we had to resubmit invoices and resubmit time and rebuild all of the platform for that. And I'm going to tell you, if you've not worked with Lewis, and most of you probably haven't, but go and talk to anybody in Greenwood County that's worked with Lewis, and they will tell you he is one of the most laid-back people. He doesn't let his feathers get ruffled. But I have seen him at the tipping point with FEMA more times than anything. There has been nothing else in our office that has put him on that edge as much. And I cannot give him enough credit for the work that he has done without guidance from me. We had some partnership with a temp person for a while. We couldn't pay for that forever. And he's been on his own. In addition to Rob Rushen at Public Works, Jamie Smith, and all the people that they have working for them that supported them, they deserve all of this credit. And the taxpayers of Greenwood County should be thankful to have these folks working on their behalf to do this work that was just, today he got an email and I heard something in it and I said, ooh, I said, I bet that's about our reimbursement. And we were over the edge, but EMD wants some additional reports. He'll get them. He'll take care of it. But when we got the e-mail last week, we were both, I mean, if I could have brought champagne in the office and popped it, I would have because it was one of those moments. And I just wanted to make sure to recognize Lewis, Rob, Jamie, and all the folks that made this happen, put it together, went through some really, really tough work to get it done. just wanted to bring that to you all's attention. One last project and and we are done. Awesome. Thank you.

Madam Attorney, anything for Council?

Nothing for me.

If not, then we stand adjourned. Thank you all for being here.