City Council - Regular Meeting

And come right back down.

It was okay. It was okay. You're free.

I'm going to put you in the chair. No, that was... She's supposed to be the next floor. Hi, ladies. Hi, ladies. Hi, guys. Keep it bright. Keep it bright.

afternoon it is four o'clock on july 20th 2026 and i welcome you to this meeting of the county city council we are now in order uh councilwoman butler has agreed to lead us in the invocation in the pledge of allegiance

Let us pray. God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for this opportunity to gather here today on behalf of the citizens of Conway. We ask that you lead and guide our thoughts and our decisions for the best of your people. God, we ask for your divine protection as we enter into hurricane season. God, we thank you for all that you have done for the city of Conway and all that you will continue to do. Even in this time of drought, God, we thank you for being our living water and being our constant provider. God, we thank you for all of the citizens that are gathered here today. We ask that you continue to be our guide and our light and our protection. And we ask all of this in your son Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God and invisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Ms. Butler. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Mr. White?

May I move that we approve the consent agenda?

Thank you. Is there a second? Mr. Jordan? I'll second the motion. There will probably be a seconded motion to approve the consent agenda. All in favor, please indicate so with the showing of your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much. We'll move forward to item... 5A, which is a special presentation, Employee of the Month for July 2026.

I'm going to ask Charlotte and Nancy to come up here with me, please. It's kind of a surprise to them. Charlotte Peterson and Nancy Alvarez are assistant planners in the Planning and Development Department. They joined the city in November of last year, shortly after graduating from college, and they've been working hand-in-hand on the city's comprehensive plan update. Together, they've created a community engagement homepage on the city's website, including a story map, public surveys, and social media outreach. Through social media and other creative ideas, they will help the city reach younger generations and encourage them to take an active role in shaping their community. Charlotte and Nancy's initiative, creativity, and outstanding work ethic have modernized how the department engages with the public. We felt it was important to recognize them both because the work they're both doing will help shape Conway's future, and we could not be more proud of them.

Congratulations and thank you for the talent and insight you bring to our city. Item B is presentation of longevity awards. I've asked Ms. Helms to help you, Mr. Emerick.

We have several employees celebrating longevity milestones with us tonight, but only one is able to make it to the meeting. So if Brad Kistner can come up. Brad joined the city in 2016 as an equipment operator one in our solid waste department. In 2024, he was promoted to equipment operator two, and he's celebrating 10 years with the city of Conway. Congratulations, Brad, on 10 years with the city.

Thank you so much for your service. Item C is a presentation by the Conway Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Morgan MacDonald, welcome. Happy to have you.

Good afternoon. Thank you guys for the opportunity to just share a brief recap about this year's Riverfest. The 2026 Riverfest.

Ms. Morgan, I hate to disturb you, interrupt, but if you'll speak directly into the mic, it's real difficult for people behind you to hear and certainly for people who are online.

Okay. Is this me? Is this noise that's happening here?

I never know what to do about that.

OK. All right. The 2026 Riverfest was a huge success and particularly meaningful as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of America this year. We decided to connect that milestone with this year's festival by doing the reenactment on the town green. We added that and it was just such a fun addition to the festival. It really brought the history to life and gave people a chance to experience South Carolina history in a way that they probably haven't before. In general, it was a really special time for Conway. We were celebrating here at home and many of you were in Denver representing the city at the All-American City Finalists. So the whole weekend was just a really great reflection of the pride and community spirit that makes Conway such a special place. Throughout the day here at home, there was approximately 18,000 people who came through downtown Conway to attend the festival. They enjoyed live music, food vendors, arts and crafts, business expo, kids activities, and of course the fireworks that cap off the evening. The festival always just brings a great energy to downtown Conway. The streets are always full of residents and visitors from near and far who are there to enjoy the festivities but also to support our local businesses, the restaurants, the shops, just everything that makes our downtown so special and gives it its unique character. Events of this size do not happen without strong partnerships, and that's why I'm here today. The Chamber is extremely grateful for the support that we receive from the city. Your investment and partnership play a huge part in allowing us to continue growing Riverfest. bringing in this quality entertainment, improving the overall experience, and just creating an event that benefits both the community and the businesses here. I especially want to recognize the city employees who spend a ton of time behind the scenes to help make Riverfest possible. Timmy and the Public Works Department are critical. The police and the fire, of course, are always there to support us. And just all the staff members who help with the planning, the logistics, and the operations behind the scenes. We're really, really grateful. The success of Riverfest is truly community effort. The city, the business community, sponsors, volunteers, and residents are all so important in making this event possible. And we're just really grateful for the time, the energy, and the resources that you all provide to us to put on this event. So after 46 years, Riverfest is more than just a festival. It's a Conway tradition. And we're just so proud to be part of that tradition and be working together to continue to grow it year after year. So thank you.

Thank you so much. I assume there are no questions from the council.

Thank you for all you do.

Item 5A is final reading of Ordinance ZA-2026-0728 to annex approximately 53 or half an acre of property located at 550 Dunn Shortcut Road. Ms. Huggs.

Yes, ma'am. This ordinance is for final reading For final reading of annexation of property at 550 Dunn-Shortcut Road, the next item on the agenda concerns the same property as an ordinance to zone the subject property to R1 upon annexation. And if council prefers, I can present those two items together.

Mr. Goldman, go ahead.

So moved. All in favor, please show your hand.

Motion carries unanimously. Go ahead. Thank you.

The annexation request was submitted by the property owner after a name change to the existing city utility account triggered the annexation requirement. The property contains an existing single-family residence and is adjacent to the Wood Creek subdivision. As Council may recall, Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed zoning upon annexation, but also requested that Council consider the property owner's concerns. Council approved first reading of the annexation ordinance on May 18th and first reading of the ordinance to zone the property R1 at their June 15th meeting. The property owner has also submitted a letter requesting that council deny the annexation due to the circumstances surrounding the application and the anticipated financial impact. Based on the city's adopted policies, utility service requirements, and consistency with prior annexation decisions, Staff continues to recommend approval. However, annexation is ultimately within council's legislative discretion. And there was a table provided on the staff report that indicated the difference that it would be in the city versus the county. But I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Thank you, Ms. Hux. Are there comments or questions? Mr. Goldfix.

Thank you, Mayor. I'm going to reiterate some thoughts I shared last time about this. And thank you, by the way, for providing those tables to illustrate the differences, the comparison side by side. For me, it's not about that. This is a matter of principle. I talk often, perhaps too often, about taking care of people that have always been here. This is that case. This was never the intent of our law, of our ordinance, to do it this way. This is not in the spirit of the ordinance. That said, and I'm just speaking for myself, and I would tell the property owner that when this property does eventually convey to another family member or to someone else that it's coming into the city, but She's been in this house with her husband for a long, long, long, long time. And the fact that her name wasn't on the water bill, my wife's name's still not on my water bill. So with that, Mayor, I was just going to move that we deny annexation of said request or said ordinance.

I second Mr. Goldfinch's motion. Are there comments or questions before the call vote? Yes, ma'am, Ms. Hardwick.

Yes, I respectfully. I also want to point out, I think one of the things that this council has passed these ordinances, and we as a council and a staff and a city, if we follow our own ordinances and policies and be consistent with it, I believe, I know it keeps us fair. and equal to all people i'm very hesitant i understand and i i hear and feel for you also but i think um we need to also be mindful that these policies are in place for a reason and to keep us on this to make sure we're fair and equal to all people

Thank you, Ms. Hardwick. Is there anyone else?

Ms. Butler. Just a quick question, just for clarification. All of the other properties surrounding this property is within the city?

You'll see here, reverse is in white. So all of the ones that are in yellow under the current zoning map, those are in the city limits, yes, ma'am. So there is one property right beside her that is not in the city yet, but will be at some point.

right and three others in the vicinity in the vicinity yes mr goldfinch thank you mayor um i want to clarify something and and miss harwood makes an excellent case and she's right she is right um and if this were my mama i'd be telling her just to comb in the city it's not going to cost you that much more but i don't know y'all i just i feel like i don't know um I don't know. I haven't changed my opinion. I just wanted to say thank you for saying that.

And I don't think that there is sufficient change. I agree that this was not our intent when we wrote the policy, when it was enacted. I believe that we didn't predict that this situation where there's a married couple who lives in that home together and one of them dies, the one who happens to have his name on the bill. that that is enough for us to force a person in. I just don't think it's a good practice. I'm sorry, and then Ms. Helms.

Go ahead.

I'm sorry. I'm just wondering if we're just delaying the inevitable. Like, you know, so basically, eventually this property will be in the city, according to the future land use map. So we're just kind of buying time, I feel like, at this point. Correct.

So if the property were to ever be sold or whoever inherits the property, they too will become subject to annexation. Yes, ma'am.

And I think the question is whether or not you favor putting off the inevitable as opposed to doing what I believe is a kind and right thing for the current owner. Ms. Helms?

Can we change the ordinance and add?

husband or wife can we do that if we do that i agree if we don't then i don't agree it'd have to come up at a different date of course but that's a very good idea that's what i was going to ask if if going forward if you know if you're married is it in your name is it your wife's name and i hate to beat this but you know we're going to do it and join or how is that going to be registered um that's an easy fix it's a logistical easy fix

I see a husband and wife is the same person.

Yep. So does the governor. So, Mr. White.

Something similar happened to me in that I have a post office box in a particular name, and then I wanted to change it to my name only. And I would have to go through the whole process of getting on it, and I just let it stay. I'm sorry. That was easier for me than going through that whole process. But I think this is, too, something that we need to consider about how a husband or a wife does this if one or the other does.

So we have a... a properly seconded motion on the floor. And if those are all of our questions and comments. Ms. Hardwick?

Can I just make one more comment? I think one of the things, too, now that we've mentioned, okay, let's look at the ordinance and is it going to be husband and wife? Well, one of the things is our ordinance now is very specific and when we start opening these doors and making changes is are we going I mean it becomes okay is who's living in the house what if it's mother-daughter what if it's friend friend what if it's husband wife will it be limited to and I do think we have these ordinances they were passed it was a restrictive covenant put on this house and when the 80s in 1980 that said you'll come into the city so I just I i know and i believe strongly that if we follow our ordinances um we'll be fair and equal to all people and when we start making exceptions um we're not consistent and that's just my concern mr cole and i would agree except i would add that

In all cases of government, as it pertains to the federal government, the husband and the wife are viewed as one. I mean, that's in every situation. In some states, it gets even crazier if you get in those community property states, which we're not one. If this had been mother-daughter, I don't think we'd have been having this discussion. There is some precedence for this, not to bog us down, but the 544 case a couple of years ago or several years ago where it stayed in the family. And we made it abundantly clear that when you sell that to an XYZ developer, we're going to welcome them into the city. So you're right, but there's exceptions to every rule. And I think, for me, this is the exception.

And the last thing I'll say is I also think we have a responsibility to our existing ordinances to follow them. But when we find that they don't suit situations that we're clearly going to be faced with in the future, that it's also our responsibility to make them appropriate for a time. And we can be very consistent at the point, assuming that we do change that in the future. Limited to husband and wife, that is the only thing we're talking about here. And we will be clear, we will be consistent if that ever changes. But we change ordinances all the time. Things change.

We understand things better. The requirement is that they request annexation, that they petition to annex if they are extending service and then change or new service. It doesn't necessarily say that it will be annexed because council does have that ultimate discretion at the end of the day.

Thank you.

Mr. White? Call the vote. Please.

I'll call the vote then. Mr. White said I should call the vote. Here we are. All in favor of denying this annexation request, please show your hand. There are one, two, three, four, five for the denial and those who disapprove the denial. Would you show your hands? the majority rules and we will deny this annexation request. Item B, final reading of Ordinance ZA202060720Q to rezone approximately 53 hundredths of an acre of property at 550 Dunn Shortcut Road from Horry County Commercial Forest Agriculture District. This is the same. Yes, yes, yes. I'm so sorry. Thank you. I knew it sounded familiar. Item 6A, first reading, Ordinance ZA-2026-0803G, to rezone approximately 24 one-hundredths of an acre of property at 500 West Coxbury Road from Horry County Residential, no mobile homes allowed, district to the City of Conway, low to medium density residential district upon annexation. Ms. Peterson.

Yes, the subject property is currently located in Horry County's jurisdiction.

Ms. Peterson, if you would please speak a little louder. Yes. Even now I'm having difficulty hearing you.

The current property is in Horry County's jurisdiction and is zoned residential, no mobile homes allowed, SF20. Upon annexation, the applicant is requesting City of Conway low-medium density residential R1. Annexation for the subsequent rezoning have been submitted to facilitate a name change for the property's city utility account. Restrictive covenants for the property were recorded on April 9th of 2026. The property contains an existing... Single family residence and the annexation requested was submitted because of a change in the city's utility service account. The surrounding area is primarily residential. Surrounding properties remain in Orange County's jurisdiction. our zone sf20 and msf10 the only adjacent property currently within city limits is located across west coxbury road and is zoned low medium density residential r and the city's future land use map identifies the property as low medium density residential r1 which is consistent with the request thank you very much i move that we approve first reading of this

annexation application.

Ms. White? I'll second.

There will probably be a seconded motion. Are there questions or comments? There being none, we'll call a vote. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Item B, first reading of Ordinance DA-2026-0803H to rezone approximately 58 one hundredths of an acre of property located at 921 Buccaneers Cove. From Horry County Residential, no mobile homes allowed. District City of Conway, low to medium density residential district. Upon annexation. Ms. Alvarez.

So the first reading of the ordinance to annex the property located at 921 Buccaneers Cove was approved at the June 1st council meeting. The annexation request was submitted in accordance with city utility policies requiring annexation for connection to city utility services. This property is currently zoned to Horry County SF20, which is single family residential. requiring a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet and does not allow mobile homes. The requested zoning upon annexation is R1 or low-medium density residential. The request is consistent with the future land use map, which designates the property as low-medium density residential, and is also consistent with the zoning of adjacent parcels that have been within the city limits since the early 2000s. The parcel's directly behind a zoned institutional, and it contains multifamily housing that primarily serves students attending Coastal Carolina University. And the Planning Commission held a required public hearing on the proposed rezoning of their July 9th meeting and recommends approval of the R1 upon annexation. Or I'm sorry, they're going to hold their public hearing on July 9th. And residents for the 200 feet have already been notified of that. If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer.

Thank you, Ms. Alvarez. What is the will of the council?

Ms. Dwight. I move that we approve first reading.

Mr. Jordan?

I will second that motion.

We have a properly seconded motion to also approve first reading of this ordinance. Are there comments or questions? There being none, we'll call a vote. All in favor, please share your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Item C, first reading of Ordinance DA-2026-0803 to rezone approximately one and a quarter acres of property located at 158 Gardner Lacey Road from Horry County Limited Industrial District to the City of Conway Light Industrial District upon annexation. Ms. Hooks.

This is a request to zone the property at 158 Garner Lacey Road to light industrial upon annexation. The property is currently zoned limited industrial by Horry County and contains an existing commercial building occupied by Southern Sun Awnings, a long established metal fabrication and shade solutions business. The proposed zoning is consistent with the existing use and the city's future land use map. Planning Commission held the required public hearing at their July 9th meeting and recommended approval of the Light Industrial District upon annexation and staff also recommends approval.

Thank you so much Ms. Huggs. That's the will of the council. Jordan Thank You mr. Jordan is our second mishap miss Hardwick thank you so much we have a properly seconded motion to move forward approving this ordinance are there questions or comments there being none we'll call vote all in favor please show your hand motion carries unanimously Item E is first reading of Ordinance ZA-2026-0803K to rezone approximately 44 one-hundredths of an acre of property within the Riverwood and Sherwood Forest subdivision located on Country Club Drive and Graham Road. A portion... Mayor, I think you missed one. Did I miss one? Okay, I'm sorry. Thank you so much for correcting me. Item D is first reading of ordinance CA-2026-0803J to rezone approximately 10 and a half acres of property at 1151 Highway 501 Business from Horry County Highway Commercial and Commercial Forest Agriculture Districts to the City of Conway Light Industrial District upon annexation. Ms. Hutz.

yes the request again is to zone the property at 1151 highway 501 to the light industrial district upon annexation council approved first reading of the ordinance annexing the property on june 15th the property fronts highway 501 business and highway 90 and has historically been used for tractor and heavy equipment sales and service The current heavy equipment sales and rental business was legally established under Horry County's jurisdiction before the annexation request was submitted. The future land use map designates the property as highway commercial, so the requested zoning is not directly consistent with that designation. However, the city recently amended the UDO to adopt revised use standards, classifying heavy equipment sales and service as an industrial use permitted within the light and heavy industrial zoning districts. Light Industrial is the least intensive zoning district that permits the existing use. Zoning the property how a commercial would immediately make a legally established, long-standing use non-conforming upon annexation and restrict its ability to expand or modify its operations. Staff believes the Light Industrial District is appropriate because this is not a proposal to introduce a new industrial use to an undeveloped property on 501. It recognizes the property's historic and existing use, which predates annexation, and is also compatible with a mix of commercial and industrial uses in the surrounding area. Planning Commission held the required public hearing at their July 9th meeting and recommended approval of the Light Industrial District upon annexation, and staff also recommends approval. And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

Thank you, Ms. Hikes. Mr. Goldfinch?

Mayor, I believe we approve the first reading of set ordinance, please.

Thank you, Ms. Helms.

I second this motion.

We'll probably second the motion to approve. First reading, questions or comments? There seem to be none. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Item E, first reading of Orna Z202060803K to rezone approximately 44 one-hundredths of an acre of property within the Riverwood at Sherwood Forest subdivision located on Country Club Drive and Graham Road. a portion of two of these properties from the low to medium density residential R1 district to low density residential R district. Ms. Huggs.

The rezoning request is limited to incorporating a 10 foot strip of the adjacent lot and adjacent landscape buffer areas into the existing open space tract. The affected areas would be rezoned from the low to medium density residential district to the low density residential district so that the entire expanded open space tract has consistent zoning. Initially, the applicant proposed rezoning the entire open space tract to R1. However, at staff's request, the proposal was revised in the opposite direction, maintaining the open space as R and rezoning the small adjoining areas to match it. The requests to rezone these areas do not increase density, create additional lots, or modify the approved development pattern. Planning Commission held a public hearing on the request at their July 9th meeting and ultimately recommended approval, but asked that staff inquire further on the outstanding road work. There were residents who spoke in opposition to the request, citing concerns with the condition of Country Club Drive. Staff understands the concerns regarding Country Club Drive, and those issues need to be resolved. However, the rezoning request is not unrelated to the outstanding road work and does not grant additional development rights than what already exists. Delaying or denying a request does not change the developer's existing obligations or prevent development that is otherwise approved. Staff believes the roadway issue should be addressed directly with the developer and SCDOT through a clear completion and restoration plan rather than through a limited rezoning request. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the rezoning. For questions related specifically to the condition of Country Club Drive, I would defer those to Public Works staff who has been briefed on the issues as they have also had discussions with DOT regarding those outstanding issues. But I'm happy to address any questions you have.

Thank you, Ms. Huggs. I move we approve first reading. Ms. Helms.

I second your motion.

We have a motion on the floor that has been seconded. Are there comments or questions?

Yes, Mr. Goldfinch. Mayor, I do know, and it sounds like it's a pretty clear-cut legal, you know, we have a process to follow. This holdup can't be used as leverage to get something else done. That's pretty cut and dry, right? Yes. Is there anything, you said public works have been briefed. Is there anything to add on that or anything that would make... provide some information to some about you know somebody will walk out here upset that we're not making them happy and that's that's i understand that but if they understand why we're not making them happy that makes a little more palatable uh hopefully so i just want that point clear

Correct. Yeah, you don't want to, this has nothing to do with the road work. It's a completely separate issue. It's not part of the property that's proposed to be rezoned. So there is a little, a little legal trouble that could, you know, come into play should staff say, okay, well, we're not going to approve your rezoning or further, we're not going to allow you to get a CO or something like that. Now, I do feel that there is room to meet with the DOT and the developer and get a schedule, get a clear, concise schedule for when we can expect those to be done. I do know that SCDOT typically carries a financial guarantee for the road works to be completed, not city staff, so whether or not there's something that could be done on that end is something staff can look into for sure.

But you said earlier that approval at this level would in no way give any additional opportunity to a developer to move forward or it doesn't help them in any way.

no they can still mean the lots are created they can pull building permits and do everything else and go on with or without this rezoning this is actually a down zoning but again staff does support further discussions with d.o.t and the developer to get that to get country club moved along and restoration complete

So the developer has spoken with our staff and DOT about...

The developer is aware and I'm not sure Brandon with Public Works can provide more information because I know that he has spoke with DOT and they have taken some enforcement action and he might be able to provide some additional information.

Please. We have somebody from Beverly Homes as well. Brendan, if you'd come forward.

Yeah, I reached out to SCDOT and got no answers. The last response I got from them was we sent some inspectors out to do some stormwater inspections. We received a bunch of complaints on the road. So we sent the inspectors out to check the status. We shut them down. And we received an email from SCDOT asking us to stay out of it. So they've been very uncooperative with us trying to do anything. Unfortunately, Country Club is an SEDOT road, and we have zero jurisdiction or authority as our ordinance stands. I know that's probably not the answer you want, but we have tried. We've gone out and kind of overreached a little bit, tried to make things happen, and that kind of backfired on us.

I think there's somebody here from Beverly Homes. Would you join us please?

Is there anything you want to add to this? Council members and Mayor Blaine, I appreciate your time. And I certainly understand everybody's frustration. Obviously, it's been a project that got drawn out dealing with SEDT and some of the issues. With that being an old road that's been there a long time ago, we obviously run into a lot of issues that we didn't know were there, from water lines and storm drains to just numerous issues. And the problem is when we do see those we identify them then we have to go back to VOT to get approval a lot of times we're going to go back to public works to get the you know if it's a city utility to get that approved and that can just shut down work for months it's a very frustrating process and and it's I hate it takes long if I live right there I used to live around the corner and I understand I know that you know Dale certainly is seeing that and and I hate it I really do apologize I really had tried to push to get it there. At this point we're scheduled for August 3rd to 4th to do the milling and overlay which is kind of the final product and then they'll do the final grading down the sides and get it cleaned up. The barrels are up now. They have cleaned up the shoulders some so we're trying to push it. I apologize that's been a frustrating expensive project and I can tell you if we get any help with a DOT pushing along you know we would certainly warrant that but Anyway, I do apologize to anybody that's experienced that, and hopefully we're on the short roads and we're getting there. But anyway, it's been a go, so I get it. It doesn't look good for the city or the community or anything, but I think in the next couple weeks we'll be done out there and everything will be restored, and obviously it'll be in a better situation the way we left it.

I have one question, and that is once you've done your work, how much left will be required of SCDOT? Are we talking about just getting approvals from them, or are they responsible for some of the actual work?

No, the DOT's not responsible for any work. At that point, we'll still have to go through their approval process to get it signed off, but as far as all the work that will be completed in the right-of-way should be handled and finished at that point. So I hope to see that mid-August at the latest, have that done and approved. That will be inspected by the SEDOT as well. Anyone else?

Thank you so much.

If you could, and it's been a minute since I've ridden down the road, could you kind of explain, riding by, in some of the grading and the work they've done over the past month, year, I don't know, the timeline, you have your DIRT, and then you have your grates up here that are your storm drains. Can you address that or talk about that?

To get into it too deep, I'm the best one to explain that, but the problem is not what you see. It's what's under the ground. That's where the money is. We've run into asbestos water lines that have been there forever that nobody even knew were there, that were active. so whenever we find that stuff we have to shut down the project you know go through the the process of getting approvals what the d.o.t wants us to do so those are really where the problems and issues are that that went there but a lot of what we've done the improvements are the drainage down the side a lot of those dishes have been piped and and filled and then obviously the road's going to be wide so there can be a turn lane into the neighborhood

thank you so what I'm hearing is you are working with DOT and there is a solution you're just waiting with the timeline we are at the point now we can see the end of the road but we have run into

I think we've had six plan revisions on that project. The DOT, actually, when we got started, came out and said, we already had approved plans, and said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We had a neighbor complain about something in the yard, so we had to go back and redesign after we were already ready to go. And then we ran into problems after problems, and we found utilities, and those weren't just, hey, let's fix it in the field. Whenever you're dealing with DOT, it's a stop, and... You don't know when you're going to get answers.

I just want you to say you are talking to the DOT and you are on the go.

We're on the go and I'm not saying nothing about it. You're not. It could. The contractor is working on it. My understanding is we should be cleaned up out of there in the next couple weeks.

And you did go down on your zoning, so you did what the staff requested, so that's also possible. Yeah, correct.

Perfect. Let me make sure nobody else wants to before you go, Mr. Beverly. Anybody else? Thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you. So there exists a motion to approve that's been seconded. Are there any other questions for Ms. Hux or anybody before we move forward? Being known, we'll call that vote. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much. Item F is first reading of Ordinance Z-2026-0908-A to annex approximately two and a half acres of property located on Highway 501 across from Sioux Swamp Drive. Ms. Hux.

This property is continuous to the city limits and the applicant is seeking annexation in connection with the proposed development of adjacent properties that were previously annexed into the city. The subject property is intended to provide a right-of-way connection for future development. The request is zoning upon annexation as highway commercial. The future land use map identifies the Highway 501 frontage as highway commercial and the remainder as low to medium density residential. And if Council approves first reading of the annexation request, Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning at their August 6th meeting. And staff does recommend approval of first reading of the ordinance to annex the property.

Thank you so much, Ms. Hux. That's the will of the Council. Ms. Helms. Thank you, ma'am. We have a motion. Is there a second? Ms. Butler?

I second our motion.

A properly seconded motion to approve first reading of this ordinance. Are there comments or questions? There being none, we'll call a vote. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Moving forward to item G, first reading of ordinance, ZA2026. to annex approximately one and three quarter acres of property located on Highway 501 in Gardiner-Lacey Road, including properties addressed at 101 and 103 Gardiner-Lacey Road. Ms. Hux.

This request is for annexation of those three parcels at the intersection of 501 and Gardner-Lacey Road. The properties are contiguous to the city limits and will require city services. They are intended to be incorporated into a larger redevelopment project involving surrounding properties. The request of zoning upon annexation will be highway commercial. And the city's future land use map identifies the property as industrial rather than highway commercial. And if council approves first reading, Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning at their August 6th meeting. Staff does recommend approval.

Thank you, Ms. Hooks. Ms. Helms?

I move we approve first reading.

Thank you. Is there a second? Mr. Goldfinch?

I will second Ms. Helms' motion to approve.

Probably seconded motion to approve. Are there questions or comments? There being none, we'll call a vote. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much. Item H is first reading of Ordinance ZA-2026-09-08C to annex approximately 10 acres of property at 2899 East Highway 501. Ms. Huggs.

This property is being proposed for annexation in conjunction with the previous request, although it is not contiguous to the other properties, so that's why it is being considered separately. Again, this and the previous properties are intended to be incorporated into a larger redevelopment project involving surrounding properties. The requested zoning upon annexation is also highly commercial and will be considered by Planning Commission at their August 6th meeting, and staff recommends approval.

Thank you, Ms. Hux. What's the will of the council? I'm sorry, Ms. Weller? I make a motion to approve first reading. Thank you. Is there a second? Ms. Hardwick? I'll second. Probably seconded motion to approve. Questions or comments? There are none. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Item I, first reading ordinance ZA-2026-0908D. to annex approximately 13 one hundredths of an acre of property located at 124 Quail Run. Ms. Alvarez.

So this property is located within the Quail Creek Village subdivision near Coastal Carolina University. Annexation is being requested to facilitate a day change on the city utility service account. Ownership of the property was transferred to the current owner on June 10th, 2026 and restrictive covenants were recorded on the same day. The property contains a single family dwelling and is surrounded by similar residential zoning patterns. Parcels located directly across the street from the subject property are within city limits zoned R1. Nine other properties within the Tail Creek subdivision have previously been annexed to the city. And most recently, the annexation occurred in January of 2026 for that most recent property. The subject parcel is also located within the Coastal Carolina University Overlay District, and the property is currently zoned at Horry County SF10, which has a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet, and the requested zoning upon annexation is R1, low-medium density residential, which is consistent with the future land use map. If first reading of annexation is approved, Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning upon annexation at their August 6th meeting. Staff recommends approval of first reading of annexation.

Thank you. I move we approve. Frankly, because of the decades of work that this council has put into making that so much less of a donut hole. Good progress, and we need this one as well. Is there a second? Mr. White.

I'm sorry. Second.

We have a probably seconded motion. Are there comments or questions? There are none. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Item J, first reading of Ordinance EA-2026-0908E to annex approximately a third acre of property located at 2857 Highway 378, Ms. Peterson, or Ms. Hux.

This doesn't happen very often, but the applicant has actually withdrawn their request.

We'll move forward. Thank you so much. Item 7A is consideration of a request to approve the proposed name of a residential subdivision, Minglewood Estates, located along Highway 813. Ms. Huggs.

This item is a request to approve the name of a subdivision located on Highway 813, proposed to contain 24 single-family lots. The proposed name is Minglewood Estates. Preliminary plans are currently under review by the Technical Review Committee, and the Unified Development Ordinance requires that all subdivision names be approved by City Council, and staff does recommend approval of the proposed subdivision name.

Thank you, Ms. Hicks. Is there a motion? I move we approve. Mr. Goldfinch.

I will second. Is there going to be a ribbon cut in here? This one?

Sounds fine. I have not heard. I have not heard, but I can find out.

You keep us posted.

I sure will.

Absolutely.

We want to be there. Thank you so much. We have a properly seconded motion. Are there comments or questions before we move forward? Got to keep this thing moving. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Item B, consideration of an approval of a proposal for the construction of the Kingston Boardwalk Trail and docks. Ms. Hyman.

we're excited about this one yes madam mayor and council um the kingston boardwalk trail and ferry project we've been discussing it for years and it's finally happening i can't even believe it um as we all know this project will enhance the quality of life it'll provide a safe scenic and accessible access for pedestrians and bicyclists alike to get across the walkmore river It will include ADA accessible permanent and floating docks connected by a ferry that will take folks to 300 feet across the river and to where they can get on a elevated wooden boardwalk for about 2,000 linear feet. through the beautiful wetlands and woods that will connect them to Depot Road. And then hopefully from there connect to Waccamaw River Park in Coastal Carolina and who knows from there. But the ferry itself won't just provide transportation, it'll be an attraction, it'll be a community icon. The idea is to name it The Spirit. And this leans into all the different celebrations and holidays that the city has embraced. And it even lends itself to fun branding, you know, let's go catch the spirit. So we're excited about that name. The city publicly advertised for bids. We received five bids. And the lowest and responsible builder was HK&W Marine Construction. upon approval by City Council city staff will move directly into negotiations with the contractor and I'm happy to answer any questions thank you so much and we had experience with this particular company ourselves we have not however references were provided and our engineers spoke with those references and received glowing reviews thank you so much I move we approve I'm not sure whose hand was first

Ms. Helms?

I'll second the motion.

We'll probably second the motion to approve that particular bid. Questions or comments? All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously.

Thank you.

Wonderful, wonderful progress. Thank you. Item eight is public input. We have three individuals who have signed up, and I will call on them individually. I just want to say that public input is limited to three minutes. There are monitors around so that you can gauge your time. I will probably let you finish a sentence, but pretty soon afterwards there's a trap door, and I have the control, so be careful. Also, public input is not interactive. We're not going to go back and forth, but oftentimes if there's a particular person on staff or one of the council members that you should talk to individually, somebody on the front row will hand you a business card. We'll first hear from Ms. Elizabeth Godwin from 1019 4th Avenue.

uh concerning parking downtown uh please speak directly into the and i hope it works better now you can hear me because i'm a teacher oh wonderful lovely dress by the way thanks good afternoon mayor council members my name is elizabeth godwin i live at 1016 4th avenue right above blackwater market in downtown conway Thank you for allowing me to speak. I'm here because of the current parking ordinance. It's created an unintended hardship for those of us who live downtown. And I'd like to offer a solution that I believe supports both residents and our local businesses. First, I want to say that I understand why we have these ordinances. Businesses need parking for their customers, and I support that goal. Downtown Conway is a wonderful place to live, shop, and visit. and I appreciate everything that you have all done to help it thrive. But for those of us who live here, downtown isn't just our destination, it's our home, it's our neighborhood. When I moved here, there were no two-hour parking restrictions. Since then, the parking landscape has changed dramatically. residents who live above downtown businesses have no designated parking very few unrestricted public spaces and now the public gravel lot on fourth avenue one of our most dependable parking options is no longer available recently i received a 200 parking ticket my bed for moving from one car space to another space While trying to comply with the two hour limit, I now understand how the ordinance is interpreted and my ticket isn't really why I'm here. It simply highlights a larger issue. The sign only says two hour parking. It doesn't explain that moving to another legal space is prohibited when these restrictions apply or that doing so could result in a $200 citation. I believe clearer signage would benefit both residents and visitors, perhaps attaching a QR code to specify these. More importantly, the current system leaves downtown residents without a practical way to park near their own homes. Whether we're carrying groceries, unloading after work, recovering from an injury or illness, or simply coming home in bad weather, these are everyday challenges, not occasional inconveniences. I believe there's a solution. Many cities, including Myrtle Beach, have residential parking permits for people who live in their downtown districts. I believe Conway could do the same. I'm not asking for free parking. I would gladly pay an annual fee for a residential parking permit if it meant having reasonable access to my home. Today's downtown residents are also your customers. We shop here, we dine here, we attend events and support these businesses year round. We simply ask for a parking solution that recognizes that people don't just visit downtown Conway, they live here. Today I respectfully ask the council to consider two things. First, direct staff maybe to study a residential parking permit for verified downtown residents. And second, review the current parking signage so the rules and penalties are clearly communicated. I believe there's a solution that supports our businesses while also recognizing the needs of the people who call downtown Conway home. Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much, Ms. Godwin. We'll now hear from George DeBusk. Thought I saw him in the audience. From 202 Country Club Drive. He's concerned about some debris left in his yard and driveway after some development. Mr. DeBusk.

Probably a bit more than that, Madam Mayor. Okay. Several years ago, I stood in front of this very council and spoke in favor of the annexation of Conway Country Club based on the fact that it was a hometown developer and that they would be good neighbors. They have proved the very opposite. They came on July 30, 2025, and did my yard, dug out the ditch to place a large drainage tile. They threw the dirt back on top, lumps and all, allowing to sit there and grow up in grass five feet tall over the ensuing 11 months and two weeks. They took out my concrete driveway and they replaced it with coquina rock. I get my shoes white every day when I go to check the mail. They put no drainage grates at all in my yard, so the drainage has nowhere to go. Now, they came in two weeks ago, last week, and they graded that finally, knocked down the lumps, proving that they could have graded that any time in the previous 11 months and two weeks. That was the first thing they'd done at all for us. And then I have no drainage. The way they graded it, it causes the drainage from Country Club Drive to go directly into my yard. So my yard will be a lake when it starts raining again, hopefully soon. But I'm not here to complain about my yard. It's a mess. I have some pictures I would like to offer to the council. Absolutely. Thank you, Chair. The mess on the left and the grading they did is far from fixed it. What I want is to speak for the next area that has this problem. Mr. Goldfinch, you spoke about looking out for the people that have been here. What's the time to look out for the people that have been here? The existing houses that are affected by right-of-way work when developers build new developments. They could have remediated this area any time in the last 11 months. They chose not to. It was not a priority for them. It's your task to make it a priority for them, to make it ordinance, a remediation ordinance that requires right-of-way work to be timely remediated. Now I'm going to hand you another picture. This is from Graham Road and Long Road. Another developer did the exact same project and within six weeks they had rated it, they had put down turf, they had put down sod, and they had put in plenty of drainage grates so there's a drainage grate on both sides of every driveway. That should be the standard. You need to pass an ordinance a remediated ordinance with real fines and teeth that were required to replace like with like. That is, if they remove turf, they need to replace it with saw. If concrete is removed, they have to pour concrete. All I got instead of a replacement concrete driveway, when they finally came and graded my driveway, their equipment damaged the surviving concrete in my driveway. They need to, in that order, it needs a replier to put enough drainage grates to do the job and place them properly. At least one every 100 feet. There's 200 feet from the corner of Country Club and Graham to the next drainage grate. And that 200 feet happens to be my yard. I have no drainage. I will, when it starts raining again, have Lake Beverly. And they need to properly grade and fill so the runoff goes into the grates, not into my front yard. And most of all, there has to be a time limit. This remediation should be done, and it should be done within six weeks of the commencement of the project. I propose that you could do this for the existing, the people that have been here. They need protection from the next bad neighborhood developer that comes here and does this kind of damage to the front yards or any other part of the property of existing residents. This is not acceptable in a residential area. I think I hear the...

I think that's what that is, Mr. Wilk.

But I will also proffer my outline of what I think this...

Thank you so much.

I propose... And I would ask you to look out for those of us that have no defense from guileless developers. Thank you.

Thank you. You've been heard. Jason Collins from 313 Country Club Drive regarding the rezoning within the Riverwood and Sherwood Forested subdivision. Mr. Collins.

Mayor and Council, thank you for just a few minutes of your time. I emailed all of you last week, and I've talked to many of you on the telephone, asking you to defer the rezoning request on Graham Road and Country Club Drive that you unanimously approved just a few minutes ago. I think you do have jurisdiction over Country Club Drive. It is a state road. However, the infrastructure mess that we're having to live with is due to the unified development ordinance that the City of Comrie requires to put in a turn lane into a new development. So you do have some jurisdiction over this issue. There are four public streets that have been disrupted for more than two years now. Country Club Drive, Sherwood Drive, Pinehurst Lane, and Crescent Drive have been torn up because of this infrastructure issue. The grading in the ditches is not correct. They planted grass seed on May the 12th to hide the grading problems. The catch bases are six inches higher than the bottom of the ditch, so they do not drain properly. Silt still pollutes Crabtree Swamp every time it rains. Fortunately, we've had a drought, so there's not a whole lot of silt going into the swamp, but it is a problem. Our driveways have been cut. grading is poor. I was a little disappointed. We went to the Planning Commission meeting and one of the Planning Commission members said, well, Beverly Holmes, y'all need to be better neighbors. You're not being good neighbors, but we make a motion to approve the ordinance anyway. It just seemed patronizing to those of us that have to live with it every single day. And so now I'm asking you to defer the second reading of the rezoning for the property on Country Club and Graham Road until the developer finishes the infrastructure outside the development that is required by the City of Conway Unified Development Ordinance. And I've got some pictures to show you as well. Thank you so much.

Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir. I move we close public input at this time. Mr. Goldmitch? I'll second. All in favor, please show your hand. Motion carries unanimously. As we look at these photos, Mr. Emrick, it is time for the Administrator's Report.

Before I begin my report tonight, I'd like to recognize the group seated here who represented Conway in Denver at the National Civic League's All-American City Awards. As everyone knows, we did not come home with the trophy, and I'd be lying. if I'd said I wasn't disappointed. But we put an incredible amount of time, energy, and heart into the effort, and I don't want to overshadow the loss of what it was that we actually accomplished. So before we go any further, I'd like to share a short video that our friends from WMBF produced about our city that set up our performance. and was presented to the panel of judges to really kick us off. They did an outstanding job of capturing not just who we are, but why who we are matters. So if we can play that, and again, we're grateful to NWW.

Conway is a place like no other, full of life, festivity, and fun.

But Conway has seen its share of troubles from the flood of 2015 to Hurricane Matthew just a year later and then Hurricane Florence. From stormwater drainage projects with grant funding over 20 million dollars zillion coming away. This includes three current stormwater parks that help divert stormwater from the Crabtree Canal, uplifting our riverfront parks to be and converted into conservation property that will contain stormwater parks. Hundreds of acres of property along the riverfront permanently moved into conservation. 800 acres of a former steam plant converted into conservation.

Downtown Conway has always put its people first, and that commitment shines brightest during the holidays. Every season, the city intentionally creates moments that bring the entire community together, from families and local businesses to first responders, nonprofits, and visitors from across the country. Everyone has a place in the celebration. That spirit has transformed Conway into the holiday capital of South Carolina. In 2025, Downtown Conway welcomed more than 2 million visitors. drawn in by unforgettable experiences award-winning decorations and a downtown atmosphere unlike anywhere else and now we go back to the studio with mayor barbara

So WMBF did that, and we asked them one time, and they said, of course. And they didn't charge us for it. They incorporated everything we needed, and it really did set the tone for our presentation. So again, I want to thank them for their help and support and really helping showcase our community throughout the entire process. Can I get the Denver team to stand up for a minute? Literally for months, these individuals gave up their weekends, their evenings, their time with their families. They practiced over and over. They rewrote presentations. They answered difficult questions. And they prepared themselves to represent not just our city, but the entire community on a national stage. What impressed me the most wasn't the presentation itself. It was watching the group become a team. We had elected officials, we had staff members, students, volunteers, and community partners all working toward one goal. And nobody cared whose idea got used. Nobody cared who got the credit. They simply wanted Conway to be represented in the best possible way. And when we stood on stage, we told Conway's story with honesty, with pride, and with professionalism. And every person in this delegation represented the city with class. I could not have been more proud to stand beside them. Awards come and go. What lasts is the culture that we're building here, a culture where people willingly step up, they work hard, and they believe in something bigger than themselves. So tonight I want to say thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your commitment. And thank you for believing in Conway enough to invest so much of yourselves in telling its story. So before we move on, I thought it'd be fun to share a few minutes that didn't make the presentation. You guys can sit down if you're ready. The video was created by Freda Fonney-Johnson, who was one of our teammates. Thank you, Freda. It's free to make it. Like every great trip, there are plenty of laughs along the way. And this video is a reminder. This is also what the first Zoom call that the mayor ever did would look like right here. And we also made memories about friendships that we lost long after the competition. So Kelly, if you'll roll the video.

We are very excited this morning because we are about to board flight to Denver, California. The purpose of which is to present our communication And we believe that we've got the right people.

We know that we've got the right people.

You guys will get set up so that you can have a good dress rehearsal tomorrow afternoon. And we're going to use our props to show you our backgrounds, right? We are here at the All-American Awards here in Denver, Colorado. From Columbus and Calvary, South Carolina.

So I know Frida's not here, but thank you, Frida, for making a great video. That really did catch me. So while our All-America City journey has come to an end, another one is just beginning. In the coming weeks, we'll be asking... You don't have to go to that. We'll be asking the people of Conway to help us pursue Hallmark's Christmas Cities recognition. This time it won't be our voices telling Conway's story, it'll be yours. We'll be asking the residents to share their traditions, their memories, and their moments that make Christmas in Conway so special. If the experience of Denver has taught us anything, it's that our greatest strength has never been a presentation or an application. It's the people who love this city and are willing to tell its story. I hope our community will rally behind this effort just as enthusiastically because no one can explain the magic of Christmas in Conway better than the people who live in it. So watch for that rollout on social media soon. We'll be asking for everybody's help to make sure that we are recognized as Hallmark's Christmas City. Before we... Before we move on from the All-American Cities, I do want to point out that we did win one of only two individual city awards, and that was the Social Media Award. This award recognized our city and specifically our two-person public information team for their outstanding online resident engagement, digital storytelling, and creative use of platforms like Facebook and Instagram. to promote civic health and i'll say from the outset we had a huge jump on our competitors the introduction of the national by the national civic league of each city was an early tell that we were going to win this award they would announce each city have a photograph that was provided by the city of each city and then you know it was just out there for people to comment on or like there were 20 cities introduced besides conway or with conway the most reaction that any city got on facebook to their photo was 41. conway had 1200. The live stream of each city was also posted individually with links to the stream and public comments. The most any city had beside Conway was 87. We had 230. And the tell here that was nearly across the board was that we didn't just have comments and likes and things like that, but ours were 100% positive, 100% supportive, and 100% expressed how much our residents love our city. there was really no doubt we were going to win this award um june sat right up front so she could jump up there and grab it we're going to put it in a nicer frame but it was it was a no doubter and i want to thank june who's not here and kelly And there were also a bunch of people who did not go with us to Denver that helped us a lot. Kelly was at every rehearsal. Drew, our intern, was there. Robert's crew helped us build some of the stuff. So thank you to everybody behind the scenes, too, that didn't go. And now I'm going to move on. We didn't win, so that's it. We're going to win. And I think George has a song he's going to play when we leave, right? He didn't get to work? All right, well, we'll play it. We'll play it later. um we learned today that uh police captain darren alston is going to be retiring from the city darren has served the city for over 25 years however have no fear he does plan to come back and become an sro with the city and and work back in the schools so congratulations to darren I do want to yield a few minutes of my report to our planning department. I'm going to finish it first and then come back to it. As you know, Charlotte and Nancy are working on a re-writeover comprehensive plan. They have some things to share with you. But I'm going to come back to them. Let me finish my report and then come to them. The Sports and Fitness Center has some fun programming coming up on August 22. They're hosting karaoke night if they're registered in advance. There are cooking classes for people with different abilities offered this Wednesday at 5 PM and August 12 at 5 PM. Art in the Park. is August 8th from 5 to 7 p.m. And the Conway Superstar will be back this year on September 26th, but I've been informed they're changing things up just a little bit to showcase more talents than just singing. So hopefully it'll be a bigger production. The National Night Out and Camp Blue graduation will be held together again this year. And that will be on August 4th from 6 PM to 8 PM. And finally, I think this is finally us. As you're all aware, we're in the middle of an extreme drought. We are between 10 and 12 inches behind normal rainfall, making this the second driest year to date in 132 years. We've all seen the photographs of area rivers that are shallow enough to walk across. Early in the spring, we did take some precautions in response, including turning off the splash pad. Conditions have not improved, even as summer has progressed. Usually, we have afternoon thunderstorms, typical of our hot, humid summers. They have not produced the rainfall that is typical or that we need. Over the last couple of weeks, we've had several internal meetings to discuss ways to further conserve our water, both as a city and as residents of the city. We're hopeful that the rain that is predicted to come this week comes with those afternoon thunderstorms. But even if we get those, we're still considerably far behind. So we will be continuing to look for ways to improve. The last course of action will be to declare a state of emergency and take drastic action. we're doing everything we can not to not to suggest that and I think hopefully again we're hopeful that the rain will come that is predicted and that we'll be able to go forward with that but I just want you all to know that we are looking at other ways to be able to be conservation minded for water and to make sure that we don't have any issues as we go forward as a city there is an executive session tonight but no workshop and now if I can well answer questions first and then I'll turn it over to Charlotte and Nancy are there questions for Mr. Emmerich

We're ready to go. No, there is.

I don't know if it's the time to ask, but public input was pretty important tonight. Can we check on the comments for residents?

Yeah, absolutely. And we'll see what other remediation members. I know that there's a thought that the rezoning is the only thing we can do to hold over the heads of the developers. I think that's probably not accurate. And there are some other things we can do.

Is there a UDO that we can do for the road or no? Can legal look into that, I guess?

Yeah, the turn lanes and things like that are not necessarily a function of the UDO. It's of the traffic plan that is triggered by the UDO and what SCDOT requires to tie into their roads. But that doesn't mean there's not avenues we can take to protect the homeowners out there.

Kind of like you said that if we write an ordinance to put drains by, could we do that or is that something that DOT

It's in the DOT right-of-way. So it's the DOT standards that set the terms here. It's not something we can govern at this point because it's not our right-of-way to govern. It's not our drainage to govern. It's the DOT right-of-way.

As the pastor said, something about us doing the ordinance. Can we?

We can do an ordinance that governs our stormwater systems and our right-of-way. But when it goes into somebody else's right-of-way, it becomes somebody else's ordinance to govern. But again, that doesn't mean we don't have any teeth. It just means that they haven't.

Can we look into it legally, I guess?

Yes, absolutely.

Yes. Thank you, Mayor. I have written that down because I was going to share that, but while it's fresh on everybody's mind, I want to pile on to what Ms. Helms said. In 16 and a half years of sitting up here in different spots, that is the most productive, functional, reasonable, logical, rational public input I've ever heard in my life. And not just from the country club drive people, but downtown. Not only was it, hey, this is my issue, but here's a solution. And I don't know that any of those solutions are viable. But what I know, Adam, is we're in the service business. We don't sell and make widgets. We sell service. And these people are our constituents. And Mr. DeBusk is right. These are people that have been here. And I did say that. And I mean it. And I say it often. and they're no more special or more righteous than the person that moved here yesterday. But we have a duty and that's our job and people want answers. And I understand that we can't, the state gets their fingers in this and it gets messy and we understand that, but most citizens don't understand that. and i think we're their first line of defense for their go-to and so anytime we can provide an opportunity to educate and do what we're doing right here i think is a win-win for everybody so please like ms helm said let's follow up on this and see if we can get some solutions to the the parking for i mean because there's not that many residents that's right and and and and the other issue uh out at uh the golf course thank you sir thank you

I could take a lot of time now or at council input to say the same thing in my own words, but I agree absolutely and totally with what's been said. Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Peterson and Ms. Alvarez. I know your names now. We'll see how long that lasts.

All right, so we've officially launched our first community input survey for the comprehensive plan and received over 500 responses so far.

And how much time, please? In how much time?

40 days.

Oh, impressive.

And social media has been a primary driver of the participation, with 75% of respondents accessing the survey through social media platforms. And the survey will remain open until mid-September. The survey is focused on gauging the community's views of development, priority investments, community needs, and the ideal visions for Conway in 2050. One of the first questions on the screen is data indicating that our survey is reaching residents that have lived here for a variety of time frames and some residents who live outside of city limits but are likely followers of our social media or frequent visitors to the downtown. we've asked respondents what their views are on the direction of development in the city and we've received some mixed opinions but some of the questions that follow will shed some light on their views on development for example one of the biggest challenges identified with development is traffic congestion and a desire for more green space and other problems residents have identified is further concerns about traffic congestion and strain on infrastructure from development and our final survey question identifies what respondents view conway would like to be identified in 2050 and some of our favorite responses are the best small town ever a sustainable and vibrant place to live the hallmark city of the south and a family-oriented safe place full of holiday spirit. And we hope this data will prepare us for upcoming conversations with our steering committee and get an idea of where residents of Conway are at currently as we plan for the future and help to find some solutions to the concerns they've expressed.

And so then in addition to having that survey out in line, like Charlotte said, hopefully we'll have this information help us with steering committee. And on August 6th, Planning Commission is prompted to make a motion to select the planning, sorry, the steering committee. And then we hope to have our first meeting like mid-September, so long as everyone's available to show up and scheduling works out. And then we're also gonna have a booth at the National Night Out on August 4th as our first pop-up event, and this will provide residents with an opportunity to learn about what the comprehensive plan is, understand planning process and the project timeline, as well as engage with staff about the future of Conway. Having that booth there and kind of meeting the public where they're at will also allow us to encourage community feedback and participation for upcoming public engagement activities. And then next month, like I said, next month, Planning Commission will select the steering committee. We've also opted to have someone from Youth Council and kind of expand our reach that way. then uh we've also recently processed rfqs for the transportation element that's the one element that we are outsourcing so final selections will be coming up soon and then in the meantime staff of course is still continuing to work on preliminary data collection and drafting other plan elements that we are in charge of in-house wonderful i believe in uh reaching out to

the people we serve. We make the mistake way too often that we know what people want. We know what they desire. And until we ask, we're just fooling ourselves. Thank you so much. Mr. Goldfinch.

I have a question. Going back to, oh, OK. Yeah. Maybe the next one or the one. There we go. So take that first question, for example. And case in point tonight. We've talked about a city road that's actually a state road that we have zero jurisdiction over. How many people know that? Here's my question. So when this is getting asked, do people know or do they just assume that, oh, yeah, the city, because again, I said it earlier and it's true, we're your first line of defense. We're the people you go to to complain first, as they should. they know it's a state road do they know it's a county road do they know it's a a u.s you know or they just assume that every road because they live in conway is a city road and and and so does that question you see where i'm going with this we've seen a lot of that not just with this question but also with the first one being are you in the city limits some people don't really understand our boundaries either and they're always changing with annexations

So we've seen slight inconsistencies like that and I think it just gives us the opportunity to inform the public and so that's what we've really taken away from this is that our first few meetings have to really just educate because people don't know what they don't know and there's a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to planning and city development. So that being a perfect example of kind of setting the boundary that even states aren't as what they seem on the surface.

Well, and I asked, and thank you for that clarification. I asked that question because invariably one of our media partners is going to print exactly that without anything. So maybe they'll pick up some context to help tell the story a little better. Thank you.

And that's another reason we tried to clarify city road improvements rather than just putting road improvements because of that jurisdiction.

And when we have somebody who doesn't even know whether or not they're residents of the city officially, we should expect that they don't know that it's the county that provides libraries, that we have nothing to do with the schools, et cetera. Absolutely. Ms. Butler.

And I guess my question really kind of follows. It just kind of piggybacks off of what you previously stated. Because on the previous slide, I think it was 25% do not live in the city limits of Conway. But that big chunk can also skew your data. That's right. What are your margins of error, and how do you not allow that to skew your data to where it gives you false results?

So when we analyze this data, we're able to export and filter by different settings in our data. So we would be able to pull out the 25% that do not live in the city limits, and we can filter it by any category or question. So we'll be looking at this information from several angles.

Because this is directly tied to an Excel sheet, and so we can filter it through city limit residents, through business owners, through homeowners, renters. There's a lot of different features based on the questions that we've provided.

Okay. That makes me feel better.

Anyone else? I'll applaud them, Mr. White. Absolutely.

thank you ladies will now uh... move forward with the item ten this is council input will begin with his hard work thank you may i just want again uh... congratulate our different team and after putting yourselves out there and and competing uh... thank you that was a great presentation uh... you gotta start somewhere with the data to figure out what you want to do and where you want to do. And I think you've really hit on Ms. Butler's with being able to filter it and manipulate it to get the information you want out of the data. And I think it will be very helpful and I'm looking forward to the police night out. I also I do think we do need to go back and I will stick to this again and I want to make sure in previous comments voting against annexation or is um not against the person but it is again it is following the ordinance that are put in place and i do think as a council we have to look at that i also when we're looking at developments and maybe staff can look at you know how how can when or how can we legally not give a building permit if the road work has not been done. I don't know how much flexibility we have in that, but maybe we can look at that also for the country club issue. Thank you very much, Mayor.

Thank you. Ms. Hardwick.

Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Mayor. Just to echo Ms. Hardwick, with this group, from our students to our volunteers to our staff, y'all poured your heart and soul into this, so thank you. I'm biased, my kids are biased, but they were all over you. They had some very nice things to say and then some very not nice things to say about some of the other presentations. Maybe they like their dad just a little bit. Anyway, great job. Keep on keeping on. We all know who we are and where we are. So thank y'all.

if I could I want to jump back in there the what that's what I forgot the watch party it was such a great event for the an excitement for the folks who were who came downtown to the big screen to watch the results live it rained on us we went inside but it was a great feeling and in great I mean we've I enjoyed it Justin was there and it was it was fantastic and there was a lot of community support that was really cheering y'all on it made the mayor and I cry Did it? Of course it did. I'm sorry I didn't say that. I'm sorry to jump in on you, Mr. Jordan.

I thought you were going to say it. Barbara, it's raining outside.

I've waited for it so long.

I got to echo your sentiments on this. Let me say this. I watched it. Y'all were who you were. You did what you were supposed to do. And sometimes you can't be who you are. And we know who winners are. And we know... we're winners and and that's all that matters um and that's that so congratulations to all of you for for taking time out to do it it was it was fun to keep up with and watch and uh it really was um i was going to ask staff uh human resources i'd be really curious to know how many full-time or part-time staff members we have with children under the age of 18. because every single one of them needs to go and get, and I do this every six months. Y'all know I put on my thing and I go with it. And I'm doing that tonight. You can call them what you want to. I think officially they're called the Trump accounts. That is free money for any baby born between 25 and 28. if you're if if you're like my kids and more outside that range uh... you're still eligible for the for up to two hundred fifty dollars from from people like michael did but is the all these are free accounts i'm not advertising for myself you go straight to the government to do it uh... but this is a game changer in terms of of of setting up you you know we talk about want to make a difference in children's lives and getting like the mayor's youth council and getting these kids involved and trying to help them and You know, but financial literacy and opportunities like this can really propel a kid that might not otherwise have an opportunity to be somewhere at an age when they didn't. And they just need instruction. So I'll throw that out there again. Nothing in it for me. In fact, it costs me money to deal with this stuff. But I'll do it because this truly, y'all, can make a difference in kids' lives. And any kid 18 and under can do it. We're under 18. sign up for that look into that and maybe we can put out an email or something to employees but that's why leave free money on the table that's all i got there absolutely thank you mr white okay ditto to everything that's been said also um when we went to greenville last week for the municipal association meeting

I'm always trying to find something that they're doing that we're not necessarily doing. I think we're doing it, but not to their extreme. They had a group called the Greenville Ambassadors. And these guys and ladies, they were on every corner just about with a designated colored shirt. It was green for them. But I would love for us to try to do something similar. Like I said, when we have events, I know we have our staff there, you know, helping out with events, et cetera. But it would be good if we can have volunteers to do this help also. As I mean, telling people where they're going, where they need to go and things of that nature with a designated colored shirt. or something, you know. And I do have the information just in case you want to. Please.

They were fantastic. Thank you.

And the second thing I saw, but since we have a water shortage, I'll save that for later. Thank you.

thank you mr. white miss Butler thank you of course I agree with everything that's already been said I won't duplicate it but I do want to encourage the residents school is starting to come back there are several community organizations that are doing book supply giveaways Things of that nature. So if you know families who may need extra assistance, please kind of be on the lookout. There is an event on August the 8th at Smith Jones Park that is going to be able to provide different resources, book bags and supplies for different families. I know there are probably other organizations. The August 8th one is just the only one I can think of right now. So definitely want to encourage any citizen in Conway, around Conway, who may need assistance with back-to-school supplies to take advantage of that opportunity.

Thank you, Ms. Butler. Ms. Helms.

I got a question to Ashley. When do we do backpacks?

I think we're coordinating with the Rayquan O'Dell Foundation. We do it in the middle of August, and also we do it

And one more question, do you have enough, are y'all full with volunteers for the Special Olympics?

We've started to have some sign-ups. We'll wrap up here in just a second.

And then the last thing I have is kudos to the group that went. I could not do that, so I appreciate y'all representing us so well. And could we add the verbiage to that ordinance? Spouse for the water?

We'll look into that absolutely starting tomorrow. Yeah.

Thank you. And the stuff that we already talked about with the thank you. That's all I have.

Thank you, Ms. Helms. I really enjoyed the annual conference of the Municipal Association. There were some really helpful opportunities. workshops and such and the opportunity to fellowship with people who are living the similar lives to our own is just a great opportunity to learn from each other. I want to echo what Mr. Goldfinch said about public input tonight. I wanted to mention earlier that to come before us with a solution is is the way I was brought up. If you've got a complaint, you need to bring some possible way to make things better. And all three of you did that very well. And we are going to act on what we heard. I'm often told that, I'm often pitied with the assumption that I'm always hearing nothing but complaints about our city, about our governance, about our everything. And that is absolutely just not the case. I wanted to share just a brief email that I received on the 15th of July. Dear Madam Mayor, on vacation from Akron, Ohio to North Myrtle Beach. My wife is a big Christmas store fan. She found one in Conway, so off we went. Honestly, I was half peeved about a wasted day. We pulled into your town, and our first words were, we're in a hallmark movie town. The store wasn't open for 45 minutes, so we walked around each store, every street. everything was perfect i walked down an alley as pristine as most towns main streets are a great place like you have made not me personally but all of us is a testament to your leadership right down the line so in a job where criticism is probably the norm just wanted you to know how much we fell in love with your city um i think we could all pat each other on the back Absolutely. So now we're going into executive session, the purpose for which, the two purposes are a discussion regarding negotiation of a potential contractual agreement for development on Highway 378 pursuant to South Carolina Code Section 30470A2. And B, consideration of appointments to boards and commissions and committees pursuant to South Carolina Code Section 3470A1. If any decisions are to be made, we will reconvene after we come out of executive session, and anyone is welcome to wait to find out the results. And then we'll adjourn. Mr. Goldfinch, I know what you're going to say.

Mayor, I'm going to move that we head on over to executive session, please.

I second that motion. All in favor, please raise your hand. The motion carries unanimously. Those of you who choose not to wait for any outcome, thank you for being with us. Thank you for sitting through the entirety of the show here. We appreciate your attention and your interest in who we are and what we do. Thank you so much. Now, is there a motion relative to the discussion that was had on the board's commissions and committees? Mr. White.

I move that we reappoint the new man to the board.

Thank you, Ms. Butler. Second. All in favor? That's unanimous. Thank you so much. I move we adjourn. All in favor, put your hands. We're out of time.