Full meeting transcript - April 9, 2019

» It's a great day in Kershaw County. We just had a great budget session. And the lesson there about the budget was, if you want to go fast, go by yourself, but if you want to go far, go together. And we've had a great day. I congratulate Sandra and Vic and the staff and this All-America County to move ahead with a new fiscal year in a few months. Mr. Tucker is absent and we have a quorum and we are called to order. With that, Mr. Gardner, would you lead us in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance? Father, we thank you for the weather you've given us as we gather to do our county's business and guidance as we sit here and do this. Bless everyone in attendance tonight. Thank you very much, Mr. Gardner and Mr. DuBose. We now move to public comments. Do we have anybody signed up? Mr.

» Chairman, two people signed up. The first person signed up is Tom Webb III. Very good. As he comes forward, we limit these generally about five minutes to keep the comments focused on an issue and not on a person. And with that, we also don't allow to and fro on Q&A, but we are here to hear from you. Mr. Webb, please. Thank you. I'm going to speak a little bit about human whimsy. There's a saying now that we have, if you see something, say something. But it's also if you hear something, say something. So I've heard something, and I want to say something about it today. I'll get around to it. Let's start out with the difference between Greek democracy, the old-style, simple democracy, and the American democracy. And the Greek democracy, of course, you all know about it.

» City-states that practiced it were very unstable, where the 51% could rule the 49%, and the next day they might change their minds and go the other way. Kind of as the wind blew and the tides changed, people's minds could shift. It was very unstable. our founders didn't want that didn't want anything like that but we tend to we tend to continue to call our system of government democracy well it does have some democratic processes in it that's when it comes to electing our officials for the to fill the offices of the government it's democratic we all get together and we go and we vote and I contend that they're not just representatives of the people but they represent the the founding documents to the people they're people who might say, I want this, I want that, and another thing.

» But a good representative would say, well, the other side of that is that our founding documents say that's not right for us, that we have God-given rights that you can't just make up as you go along by human nature, by human whimsy. We have these rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, and property. It's all in those founding documents. There's another form of American democracy that most people don't recognized as democracy. And I contend that the building block of American society is the individualist, individualism. So a person who owns himself and owns his property can then exercise this right to give himself to or withhold himself from his neighbor's endeavors. He contributes to his community by shaping it by his own endeavors from morning to night and even more.

» So this is a form of democracy, meaning rule by the people, rule by the individual, the building block of American society. Well, there are people who tend not to want to go that route. They still like the idea, if we have the clout, let's make it happen. And I've heard something. A friend of mine who raises cattle, he has a great, huge, beautiful pasture with many cattle on it.

» It looks like something out of the old west it's beautiful but he says that passersby and his neighbors are complaining now because out on his great wonderful green lawn out there really big place there are these brown and black dots it's cow droppings and i'm not i'm not joking he's i have confidence in he's telling me the truth that he has complaints somebody says that if he doesn't do something about the cow patties in his pasture they're going to come to county council and maybe to planning and zoning to see if there isn't something they can do about it. They even complain that children shouldn't see this. They shouldn't be able to see cow patties on a beautiful green pasture. People are stepping over the line. I think they've lost their minds. Their heads are in the clouds.

» Their feet are dangling somewhere between heaven and earth. They don't know what a farmer has to go through to try to make a living. When the hay is good, prices are down. When the hay is bad, he has to sell off his cattle. He has to be there to birth calves sometimes. He has to grow the hay. And yet these people think that they should intervene on somebody else's lifestyle and tell them you can't do this, you can't do that because of the way it looks. Something as shallow as the way light reflects or affects the retina of your eye. So I hope that if this comes before county council and planning and zoning that you'll enlighten these people about our rights, individual freedoms, And you can't just willy-nilly with whimsy go and change things that will hurt people.

» And I'm sure they like to eat hamburgers, but their children apparently don't know where they come from, and the parents are just as bad. They don't want their children to see cow patties in a pasture, realizing that this is recycling. The cow eats grass and makes something out of it that we can eat, but he then re-fertilizes the pasture. Shame on them for doing that. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Williams. The second person who signed up and the last person who signed up is Jeff Maddox. Maddox. Evening, counsel. Gentlemen, all the government can see in an original idea is potential change and hence an invasion of its prerogatives.

» The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably, he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable. And if so, if he is a romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not a romantic personally, he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are. This quote from H.L. Minchin, published in 1949, could very well be written this morning. For example, government, spelled G-U-B, meant, holds on to failed economic development schemes as if these policies are the only way to prosperity. It is in this way this council refuses to entertain any alternative ideas.

» Politicians tell us government economic development powers economic growth. That is just not serious. That's the equivalent of saying government knows the market better than or nearly as well as the corporations they hope to attract. Stated simply, government spending is the process whereby the experts are replaced by the average with predictable and economy-sapping results.

» Who here is an expert and has a track record in commercial industrial parks? Who here has had a successful career in large industrial development in the private sector? If this council's ideas are so great, why don't you seek investors instead of forcing the people to pay for this grand vision? Certainly people would line up for such a great opportunity, don't you think? Why indeed? The answer should be obvious, yet it is lost inside these chambers. No one in their right mind would invest in such harebrained ideas, otherwise some private entity would have already done so. This is not the free market, gentlemen. This is intervention into the free market. Government has no business intervening in the free market, and when it does intervene, the consequences are never good.

» Only bad ideas require force to implement. Who here is willing to stand up and pledge their own money for this vision you have for Kershaw County. I dare say not one of you is willing to risk your own money, yet as councilmen, you're very happy to force us all to pay for your collective vision. So what we have here is a group of unqualified individuals with bad ideas armed with a monopoly on force robbing us all. This is what the central planners of all socialist societies consist of, unqualified people who have the power of force to force people to pay for bad ideas. America was supposed to be a nation of freedom where government was limited to the protection of the individual's rights, not central planning and collectivism.

» We have given up on true freedom and government no longer protects rights and serves peoples. Individuals now serve the collective run by the most unqualified individuals possible. liberty is freedom from government government is unqualified to do anything and it is for this reason everything government touches it screws up we all know this is true and yet the politicians continue to claim they are geniuses and should be honored for their service to the collective i am under no such illusion we the people own nothing ownership is control and we the people do not control our property government does ownership if this council actually believed in individual liberty it would seek to make kershaw county the freest county in south carolina instead of following the herd down the road to the colle

» ctivist hell we have lost sight of freedom that made them america the greatest nation the world has ever seen and instead we have turned towards the tyranny of collectivism and central planning the consequences of this are all around us but most do not have the eyes to see as this once great nation succumbs to the allure of collective utopia it is my sincere hope that together we can make kershaw county the shining city on the hill as a beacon of freedom and show the fruits that freedom brings to all who taste it Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Maddox. Mr. DuBose. That concludes the sign-up with Mr. Chairman. And that concludes public comments. We move to adoption of agenda. Can we have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Mr. Gardner, second? Second. For Ms.

» Snodgrass, any discussion on the agenda? All right. With that, we move to a vote. All those in favor, so signify. And the adoption of agenda is unanimous. We move to approval of minutes dated 26 March, tab A. On the screen, myself and Mr. Connell were absent, I believe, and I wanted to thank, before we approve those minutes, Mr. Tucker for doing a great job as chairman. Can we have a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. Yeah, Mr. Snodgrass, second? Second. Second from Mr. Gardner. Any discussion? With that, we move to the vote. All those in favor, signify, please. Mr. Bozard? Okay, very good. Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Bozard, and Mr. Jones and myself and Mr. Connell have seen any on that. The minutes are approved.

» We move now to a series of proclamations, the first of which is a proclamation recognized in April as a sexual assault, child abuse awareness and prevention month. It's on the screen and also at your packets at tab B. I'll read it and portions of it, and then we'll take a motion to approve. A proclamation proclaiming April 2019 is Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Awareness, and Prevention Month. Whereas sexual violence and child abuse affect every person in Kershaw County as a victim, survivor, or as a family member, partner, neighbor, and co-worker of a victim or survivor.

» And whereas the Family Resource Center staff and volunteers are working to provide quality services and assistance in this matter, and whereas the Family Resource Center staff and volunteers of sexual violence and child advocacy programs are promoting prevention by offering quality educational programs to schools, to faith-based and civic organizations, as well as medical, mental health, law enforcement, and criminal justice personnel regarding sexual violence and child abuse issues, and whereas it is critical to increase community awareness of sexual violence and child abuse to educate the community members about the need for engagement and support in these efforts to eradicate child abuse and sexual violence, And whereas the Family Resource Center requests community support and engagement

» as it continues to work toward a society where all individuals, women, men, boys and girls live in safe spaces of trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and that are culturally competent so that we may all live in peace, free from violence and exploitation. Now, therefore, the Kershaw County Council does hereby proclaim the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. With that, can we have a motion to approve this proclamation? Approved. Mr. Bozard, a second? Second. Second from Mr. Snodgrass. Any discussion? With that, then we move to a vote. All those in favor, so signify. And it's unanimous, Mary, and it passes.

» will you see to its presentation thank you very much and to the family resource center in particular thank you we move to the next of three proclamations the second one is a proclamation recognizing this as telecommunications week it's a tab c and also on the board let's follow the same protocol and i'll read that uh that national public safety telecommunicators week april 14th through the 20th 2019 whereas emergencies can occur at any time that require police fire or emergency medical services when an emergency occurs the prompt response of police firefighters sheriff paramedics is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property and whereas the safety of our officers and firefighters is dependent upon the quality of accuracy and of information obtained from citizens who tel

» ephone the Kershaw County Central Communications Center, public safety telecommunicators are the first and the most critical contact our citizens have with emergency services. Telecommunicators are the single vital link for our police and firefighters by monitoring their activities by radio and providing them information and ensuring their safety. Whereas public safety telecommunicators of Kershaw County have contributed substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, and treatment of patients. Each of our dispatchers has exhibited compassion, understanding, and professionalism during the performance of their jobs in the last year.

» Therefore, be it resolved that Kershaw County Council declares the week of April 14th through the 20th to be National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in Kershaw County in honor of the men and women whose diligence and professionalism keep our county and citizens safe. And with that, can we have a motion to approve? So moved. Mr. Gardner, a second? Second. Second from Mr. Bozard. Discussion? Mr. Carpenter, you want to say something? Mr. Chairman, when council's finished, I would like the opportunity to recognize we have a number of our telecommunicators here tonight, and with your permission, I can have them stand now, be introduced, and welcomed. Yeah, please do, certainly. Trisha, if you would not mind introducing your team members. Oh, that's great. Of course, Mr.

» Chairman, there's a shift working as we speak as well. They always work. Rain, shine, 365 days a year that that shift that room is occupied and they truly are the first link in any disaster and emergency that happens in this county myself having unfortunately had to use their services at least once since i've been here other comments i i visit them every holiday weekend and new years and they already have enough food when i come to see them well i'll break some anyway i think we're ready now to vote all those in favor signify by raising your hand and it's unanimous and maybe a picture martin would you like a picture yeah if y'all would all come up let's get a picture with the council and bring that young lady to chairman i believe that as y'all make your way back next week they have a a num

» ber of events and activities scheduled through the week the community will be involved in and participating to share with the members of this critical department just how much they're appreciated and how much they mean to the community as a whole very good thank you very much and we move to the third item on the proclamations a proclamation recognizing fair housing month at tab d and also on the board this is added the request of mr tucker and the santee lynch's council of governments we do this every year in april to recognize something that was begun years and years ago, but requires continued attention. With your attention, I'll read through the document and we'll quickly take a motion.

» Whereas April 11th marks the 51st anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which enunciates a national policy of fair housing for all who live in the United States. Whereas the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, and national origin, and whereas acts of housing discrimination and barriers to equal housing opportunity are repugnant to a common sense of decency and fairness.

» Now, therefore, be it resolved that the month of April 2019 is hereby designated Fair Housing Month by kushar county council in conjunction with the celebration of the national fair housing month and to promote appropriate activities by private and public entities intended to provide or advocate for equal housing opportunities for all residents and prospective residents of this county and with that let's take a motion to approve can i have such a motion so move mr snodgrass a second second from mr connell uh any discussion uh seeing there is none we'll move to a vote all those in favor so signify and marry it's unanimous we move now to a series of ordinances the first one is a reading of an ordinance of the county council of kershaw county to amend the zoning map it's at tab e and perhaps w

» e can go scroll to the map real quick right there and i'll let mr carpenter open it up for us please sir mr chairman members council tonight you have in front of you on first reading a request to rezone property located in the westville area of kershaw county approximately 27.91 acres the request to rezone from a current zoning of rd2 gd it has previously been in front of the planning commission and it comes to county council for your consideration and approval good thank you sir can we move to a motion to approve mr chairman uh mr bozo and honor you for this your district go ahead i make the motion we approve this uh rezoning very good uh can we have a second second second for mr gardner uh for discussion we'll let you lead off mr bozard yes thank you very much i've met with the developers

» and the people of this property and i've known the property for some time and from the uh planning and zoning they tell me there was no opposition on it and they have a very good plan for this land and i think we should pass it right on through okay very good other discussion um seeing there is none we can move to a vote uh with all those in favor signify by raising your hand and mary it's unanimous and passes on the first reading we'll move it up for a second reading next time the second item is a first reading of an ordinance to approve and authorize the extension to a base lease and operating agreement. It's on the screen and it's in your tab F enclosure. With that, Mr. Carpenter, can you open this up? Mr.

» Chairman, members, council, we have in front of you tonight for first reading an ordinance to extend an existing operating agreement between the Equine Center and Kershaw County. The current operating agreement expires in May. This is the 10-year extension to go with the previous 10-year agreement we had. Very good, and thank you. With that, can we have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Mr. Snodgrass, a second? Second. Second from Mr. Gardner, a discussion. I'd like to make a couple of points.

» They're required under this document to come in and report to us once a year, so can we have a report out when it's a reasonable time, maybe when we're not so busy uh maybe after the budget to have them come in and report to us yes sir secondly i'll tell you that i go out there quite often and and it does a great deal to enhance the equine industry here uh they often have as many as 220 horses on a thursday friday saturday and sunday and with the wise investment by this council um before i arrived i think mr tucker and mr jones were here when they voted to expand that it adds to the mystique of the horse industry here in this in this county not only rodeos and the carolina cup but all sorts of horse activity and i'm just delighted with the way that happens it brings industry here it brings

» residents here and it brings tourism here uh any discussion uh seeing there is none let's go to a vote all those in favors signify by raising your hand and it's unanimous and on the first reading mary we uh if you'd record that we've now moved to some new business it's an mou with the city of camden regarding kirkwood park it's a tab g and on the screen mr carpenter can you also bring that in for us mr chairman members council you may recall those that were here last meeting the issue of kirkwood park came up um the existing memorandum of understanding between the county and the city had expired this merely renews it for a period of five years the terms being that the county would agree to maintain the softball infield the dirt area only very good with that can we um have a motion to approv

» e chairman i'll make a motion very good thank you david uh second second that thank you ben uh discussion yeah i just say this is a this is an easy win-win for me um i spoke with mr. Franklin on the phone last week the gentleman who's heads up that neighborhood their community board and had a great conversation about the plans that they have that there are currently doing for that neighborhood and took a tour the neighborhood and drove through there and honestly I didn't realize we had that quality of park back there that was I was excited super about that and sounds like mr.

» Duncan you can you could tell me if I'm wrong but it seems like a pretty easy thing for you guys to do as far as taking care of that softball field I don't think it'll be good deal yeah thank you I'm excited about it the other comments I will say mr. Duncan I painted the concession stand out there two years ago and it's still good all right yeah but it's also exciting to see how a small community takes care of themselves and allows us to help them in some special way so very good mr.

» carpenter did I understand it came up during the public comments yes and then we the county turned it around in in two weeks and responded excellent thank you any other discussion seeing there is none we move to a vote all those in favor signify by raising your hand and it's unanimous Mary and we move now to council briefings mr. Gardner no report mr.

» Bozard thank you a few things I told you I was gonna embarrass him tonight but i was kidding with him he and chris run a radio station down there as most of you know but what some of you may not know is every day at 12 o'clock they played a national anthem somewhere right around 12 o'clock 203 somewhere in there and i want to say thank you for doing that i appreciate it very much and maybe this country can turn around worship god worship the national lantern we came up under another item is that the city of camden county council has approved to pay for the all-american city on their water tower and on behalf of county council here i took them a lot of the day thanking them for it and if y'all see any of those council members the mayor or mel any of them we ought to thank them for it because

» it's costing them quite a bit of money I'm not going to tell you how much, but it's costing them quite a bit of money to put that American all-city sign on their water tower. Now I've got to work on Cassid and Lugoff to get theirs done. Thank you very much. John L. Yes, Mr. Chairman, just a few things. Elgin Poe Dump Parade is coming up May 4th. It's one of the best parades you're going to find in the county. It's a lot of fun and a very family-friendly event. One of the sports that doesn't get a lot of acclaim in South Carolina does very, very well in our county. Archery. Dobies Mill Elementary won first place at the elementary division. Blaney Elementary won second place in the state. Stover Middle School won first place.

» There's a real well of talent in this community, and it's, I think, a testament to the throwback agrarian society that we have in Kershaw County. the farmers, the hunters, those who are outdoorsmen and women, and it's just really encouraging to see. And then also, and lastly, I wanted to mention an organization that's a non-profit called Lighthouse for Life. We just approved a proclamation recognizing sexual assault and child abuse and how that needs to be fought against and prevented and addressed wherever it can.

» Lighthouse for Life is a non-profit organization that operates in South Carolina, and if you or anyone know of women or children who have been sex trafficked sexually abused or assaulted or otherwise harmed anonymously that they can be taken in housed fed given counseling and assistance until they can get back on their feet so i'd encourage you to point them in the direction of this organization that's all i have mr chairman good stuff man uh mr jones thank you mr chairman members of council i just have uh one thing i want to say folks no one is more dedicated to economic development and new jobs and new industry than I am. Economic development for our new jobs and new taxes is essential and I am dedicated to the success of economic development for new jobs, new industry, and new taxes.

» But I want to remind the citizens and taxpayers that we need a new direction, a new focus, and a new accountability in our economic development efforts to be successful. County Council has increased the economic development budget by over 230 percent in recent years from 330,000 per year to 750,000 per year. We have hired new employees in economic development and we have given big raises. County Council has committed over 31 million in taxpayer money and taxpayer debt for economic development. The result of this huge increase in spending has been the loss of over 600 announced jobs and the loss of over $100 million in announced investment. Now, as we see in the news, Kershaw County has a closing of a long-term existing industry and it's another close to 75 jobs lost.

» As we approach the new budget for Kershaw County for the coming year, let's critically examine why economic development efforts have failed to date despite lavish spending. The chairman of this county council says and said we need to have a critical examination of economic development and I agree. The Chronicle Independent has successfully critically examined economic development and shown us a way forward. Let's take notice. We need to focus on success and wise spending and the wise marketing of our mega site through the Department of Commerce and not focus on continued failed policies and throwing more money at past lack of success. Let's re-examine where we are, why we have not been successful, and what we need to do to be successful.

» Let's critically examine our failed efforts and market our mega-site. Our citizens deserve nothing else. Mr. Chairman, members of council, thank you. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Mr. Snodgrass. Yes, Mr. Chairman, members of county council, Just a few things I want to make note of. Ben, you mentioned archery, and I do want to mention that one of those young ladies that's on the Blaney team, her name's Ann Watts, and her family goes to my church. And so really excited kind of watching those kids do that. So that's exciting. I want to also thank the Committee of 100, as well as the private industry in our county who sponsored the tent at the Carolina Cup. This was my first trip to the Carolina Cup. And my son and I, we had a fantastic time.

» And so I just want to, you know, just whoever's in charge of that whole thing, the cup and all that, great job. Just a really neat, really neat family-friendly atmosphere that my son and I experienced. And just really, really, really cool. We got something special, as you guys all know. Lastly, just in the last two weeks, as far as my District 5 Pride Award, I want to recognize the Camden IGA, who is completing a year or two worth of overhaul inside the store. They just completed the outside. So as you go by there, it's just great seeing private industry reinvest in themselves. And it just helps our Highway 1 corridor along the way to make it more beautiful. So with that, I know, Bill, I owe you an article to kind of help explain this.

» but the season of spring is kind of busy for my day job. So I'm going to get through Easter and then I'm going to work on that. But I do want to remind folks, if you have anybody within District 5, which is East Camden, City of Camden, Antioch, maybe Cassett, if you feel like, hey, that should be a good nomination for the District 5 Pride Award, would you please, please, please let me know. Anybody who is just making an effort to make our town more beautiful. I want to know about it. Thank you. Super. Thank you. Mr. Connell, I'll just say that I need a little help on my bow hunting. I had a terrible year. I got a recurve bow. I got zero deer. So I need a little help. So I'll find one of those coaches to help me out.

» I want to point out that for those who believe government is the only answer, it is not. And I want to point out a young lady named Katie Candy, who we just appointed to the Kershaw Health District and on her own went out and began to work on internet mapping, a very important issue for economic development, for commercial development, for the school district that's increasingly going to such things as distance learning by the internet and Wi-Fi, internet mapping of our county, where the holes are and where they're not. And then with that internet mapping and with the collaboration of Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Conley, and with the collaboration of the health district and CMC, as you know, telemedicine is coming.

» And you've heard me talk about 5G, and I know that our own EMT could use telemedicine. These things make possible amazing things for our young people, our businesses, and even our adults. And not just to net and watch netflix on the way home from the school bus this allows amazing thing and working now with private industry with at&t and the other providers once that's done we then enter into an opportunity for economic development with economic zones as well so i thank mr carpenter and mr kindly but i point out in particular a private citizen katie candy who is fired up and i think on friday we're going to see a demonstration of that and that'll turn into an action plan over the summer and i know the chamber of commerce will be interested as well thank you for being here amy and thank you

» for being here mayor this means something and there are other thousands of things like that going on in our county right now with a sense of enthusiasm and what can be done I know I missed the report on the clean community as a second example. Mr. Bozard, Tom Webb, and others, Judge Hardest, and the whole team just did a great job. And I'm reading in the minutes that I missed at the last meeting, 440 bags collected, over 100 volunteers. That's what we can do as Kershaw County because we all are all American. Thank you. Mayor Elgin did great. Thank you for your leadership there as well. So that's just terrific. Lastly, I visited with the governor yesterday and he and I went over again his visit to the mega site and to the spec building.

» And once again, he said that we are on the right track and we've made the necessary adjustments. So those of you who would add up all the numbers and look in the rearview mirror this county is looking through the windshield going ahead and the mayor and the governors and the chamber of commerce are all aligned along with the committee of 100 to get it right i regret that some of the numbers that i've heard here cited tonight are totally wrong and i will endeavor with that individual to straighten that out but the fact is we have the support of our governor of our committee of 100 and of our community to move forward on economic development lastly i would commend the economic development office for the fine work that they did with the loss of that business in elgin and the mayor of elgin for

» what they did to provide a soft landing for those people that let go there were 52 people not 75 and i would make sure that you we all know that we're with compassion we'll continue to work with them and the company because we have a few months before that business finally closes so with that i go to mr carpenter sir no report sir uh mr bowes chairman no report okay with that we don't need um an executive session can we have a motion there to adjourn so made uh mr bozart a second second second uh mr connell i'll give it to you next time any discussion seeing there is none uh let's move to a vote. All those in favor, raise your hand. And we are disbanded and adjourned.