Full meeting transcript - July 8, 2025

» Ladies and gentlemen, let's call the meeting to order. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight for this Kershaw County Council meeting July 8, 2025. We've been called to order and we have an invocation and Pledge of Allegiance tonight by Councilman Danny Cato. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we just come to you tonight with humble hearts, thanking you so much for all the many blessings and mercies that you give us each and every day. Heavenly Father, we also come to you tonight with heavy hearts, Lord, for the victims, for their families, for all the friends and loved ones and the devastating floods in Texas. Lord, we lift up a special prayer tonight of peace and comfort.

» Heavenly Father, we cannot imagine what these families are going through and what this state's going through at this time. But you do and you can provide the peace and comfort that they need. We ask for that tonight. Lord, we ask for peace and comfort on Sammy Tucker's family with the loss of his father. Lord, I just pray that you would be with them through these next coming days. Heavenly Father, I pray that you'd be with us tonight as we go through this meeting. Lord, that you'd give us the wisdom, the knowledge, that we do what would be pleasing unto you and what would be best for Kershaw County. Lead God and direct us as leaders. Help us to do the right thing and not the wrong. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Amen.

» Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Councilman Cato. Before we move to the adoption of the agenda, I just want to make a couple things clear for the record tonight. First, we do have the public hearing tonight for the moratorium, though the vote occurs on July 22nd, so just note that. And then you can see that we are few in number tonight but mighty in spirit. We might have a couple of council members calling in from vacation. And, of course, Councilman Tucker's father, Sammy Tucker Sr., passed away, and so he's attending to his services tonight.

» On that note, the visitation is tonight from 6 to 8, and so I will not be rushing through the meeting necessarily or trying to get through anything we shouldn't, but we do want to be able to attend and support Councilman Tucker tonight with the loss of his father. And so we will be moving with justified haste. With that, next item on the agenda is item 3, excuse me, item 4, adoption of agenda. Do we have a motion? I move that we adopt the agenda. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion at all? Seeing none, we'll move to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are voting and in person. And staff, if we do have somebody call in, let me know so I can make sure they have an opportunity to vote or comment if they need to.

» Next up on the agenda, we've got somewhat of a full house up in the front tonight. We have a proclamation honoring the life of Mel Pearson, former city manager placed on the agenda by myself and Councilman Shoemake. I'll make a motion that we adopt and approve this proclamation. Is there a second? Second. We've got a second. I want to go ahead and just share some of the highlights of the life of Hugh, Melvin, Mel Pearson. And please be patient with me as I try to get through this tonight. We have Delaine, his lovely wife here. We've got his son, Jeff, his daughter, Lauren. And Wendy wasn't able to be with us tonight. But he's just got such a beautiful family that's had such a big impact on Kershaw County.

» In the audience, we have teachers and those from the city who served with him, former mayors and otherwise. Just such a huge impact. And so this is a proper tribute for Kershaw County Council to make tonight. Hugh, Melvin, Mel Pearson. In summary, Mel shared a deep love for people and found great joy in helping others. As a testament to the love for Mel that was evident in this community, they named a bluff overlooking Camden's historic ferry crossing along the Watery River, Pearson Point. And the courtyard at Revolutionary War Museum was named the Pearson Courtyard. Mel served the city of Camden for over 23 years and positioned and was in the position of city manager from 2012 to 2022.

» And previously, he served as the finance director for the city of Camden and also served with the Fine Arts Center. Mel, if he were here, would be the first to emphasize and credit his dedicated team at the city of Camden. Together, Mel and his team, along with partners in the community, achieved a number of lasting contributions to the city of Camden. And I'll just summarize a few of those. Construction of the Revolutionary War Museum and the Visitor Center. They developed the city's modern wastewater treatment plant. Camden's Riverfront Environmental Park. The Department of Transportation approved truck route in Camden. Revitalization of abandoned properties throughout the city. Construction of tennis and pickleball courts and complex.

» Installation of welcoming streetlights along exit 98. Construction and enhancement of Kendall Park. Conversion of the east backlot into the town green. Revitalizing various areas of downtown Camden to expand the farmer's market and provide better parking options. Working with the city of Camden Archives and Museum to acquire the Rossi Beard Collection. Renovation and development of the Reims City Arena. And the list goes on and on and on. Having participated in just a few things in government over a 10-year period, it's amazing to me that you can get any of this done while hurting the cats of a city council. And I just want to share that before having any further comment. Any other council members have any comment or discussion? I do. Mr. Shumate.

» Yeah, so I just want to thank the whole family for coming out. I knew Mr. Pearson sort of in passing. Obviously, I was much closer to his wife, Ms. Pearson. And for those of you young folks in here that are still students, no matter how old you get, it will always be weird to call your teachers by their first name. So, and I see Ms. speaking. I see Ms. Simon. I think Ms. Naysa I saw back there. So, you know, I appreciate us doing this. And I'll tell you, there's no greater testament to a life lived than the family that you leave behind. And I know that he leaves behind children that are very successful and, if I'm not mistaken, all were valedictorians at the Gulf Elgin High School. That is, you do it once, it's your kid.

» You do it three times, it's you as a dad, right? So, again, thank you guys for coming. I'm so glad we're doing this for you guys. Thank you, Councilman Shumate. Mr. Chairman. Go ahead. Just reading through this proclamation here serves a purpose, not only for the family, but the legacy that Mr. Pearson leaves behind. You can, everywhere you go in this town, in this county, somehow his fingers have dripped into it. And we are in a better place because of him and because of the family who supported him. So, thank you all for giving your time, letting your dad and granddad and husband serve our wonderful community because he has left a legacy that will be here for generations. Thank you all. Thank you so much. I think they both said it well.

» Well, to wrap it up, I will just say that I knew Mel Pearson as, first, I didn't know he managed a city and was, you know, a big honcho. I just knew him as a very, very enthusiastic sports dad because I played football with and wrestled with his son, Jeff, on state championship teams and otherwise, and also was trying to compete academically with his daughter, which I never could. She was always way ahead of me. And, again, that's a testament to he and Delane. They were an inspiration and have blessed my life. So, I just want to say on behalf of Kershaw County, Delane, we love you. Lauren, Jeff, we love you. Wendy, if you're able to see this recording at some point, we love you and appreciate everything that your dad did and how you all supported him.

» Because it's a sacrifice to be able to serve publicly in these ways. It requires a lot of time. And I see my family making some of that sacrifice. And I know that you made a lot of sacrifices over the years to allow him to accomplish the many things he did in Kershaw County. So, you can't say City of Camden without thinking about Mel Pearson. You also can't say Kershaw County without thinking about Mel. And with that, if there's no further comment or discussion, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor of approving this proclamation. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are in person and voting. Any one of the family members are welcome to say something if you'd like to. If not, please come up. We've got a little presentation plaque for you.

» We'd like to take a picture for your memory and history. If you'd come up and line up here. Again, feel free if anyone wants to say anything. And I'll just say, Pearson Klan, you're not required to stay for the rest of the meeting. Some of it's going to be quite dull. Some of it's going to be a little bit exciting. If you want to stay. We'll give you a moment to clear out if you want to. That's totally fine. I'll just say, ladies and gentlemen, that's what a life devoted to public service looks like. I'm just really grateful to have witnessed it. We'll give them a moment to clear the room. And thanks to all the teachers who attended as well. Hey, Mr. DeWitt, I didn't call you out because I didn't see you back there. Sorry. Ms. Lawstetter.

» Yeah, I just said you guys are all hiding back there. I feel like I need to check my bag for my homework. All right, gentlemen, that moves us to the next item on the agenda. It's public comments. Mr. DuBose. One speaker signed up. Lynn Kanto on moratorium and impact fees. Ms. Kanto. Good evening. Evening. There's something called collective will. As a majority of a group in the community, we want to do what matters for the community. So the big question is, what does the community want? Do they want to prevent environmental degradation, overcrowded schools, dangerous roads, bridges, and even roads with sinkholes, possible flooding or poor runoff, and pollution? These are all things that very much matter to our community.

» Everybody wants economic progress and innovation, and we want to respect individual rights, but we don't want to move on without a plan. That's why it's very important to have a temporary moratorium to look at what's important to the community. Public interest indicates that we need a plan to address each of these issues. A moratorium allows a democratic process to serve as a catalyst for responsible development. It gives the county time to design an effective comprehensive plan and a capital improvement plan. You can mitigate potential risks and develop proactive measures for potential unforeseen challenges for our community.

» Some examples that I've seen are some structures have been built way too close to primary roads entering and exiting the town that may require to be widened in the future along Highway 1-521. A moratorium and impact fee are legal and necessary growth potential issues may need to be managed, and pay it for, growth must be paid forward for growth. The impact fees must come from the people coming in to develop, not from the people in the community. Firm ordinances must protect the community's rights and individual rights. Impact fees are an ethical way to deal with strategies to ensure infrastructure costs are dealt with appropriately and equally throughout the community. The county must promote sustainability, high-quality developments.

» The burden should be on the incoming developer, not the current residents. Impact fees should be streamlined and provide funding for capital improvement and for services that include roads, safety, parks, parks, libraries, recreations and schools. Impact fees are things that we all need to discuss in the future, not just today. So each year when we look at the budget, this should be a yearly discussion. Beware of those who try to dissuade the use of impact fees. Often times they are concerned about themselves and not the group as a whole. More concerned about personal gain from development. Did you know we have six ambulances in Kershaw County that cover 726.61 square miles. We live along I-20, which could have a major car pile up and need way more than six ambulances.

» We live in the community with Lake Watery. As you saw recently, lightning struck at another lake that could require more than six ambulances. We also have multiple sports events that could have injuries. There are three schools out in the north central area, which have about 2,000 people in and out of the building throughout the day. People including kids, adults and visitors, even in sports events on the evening and the weekends. That is schools that are located about 24 minutes out to the north central area and 24 minutes back. And it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to move a person in and out. We're looking at about an hour for a student to be transported from the north central area back to a hospital.

» Are we really equally supporting our community by only having six ambulances? A temporary hold is a necessity. It gives us time to make informed decisions, create a comprehensive plan, and focus on a capital improvement plan. Quality housing standards are necessary ordinances that meet the will of the community. It gives us time to move forward. It gives us time to move forward. Thank you. Thanks for coming out tonight. Mr. DuBose, did I hear you're right? There's no one else signed up? Correct. All right. That concludes the public comment. We move into a series of public hearings. The first one is going to be 7A regarding an ordinance about conveying 1.76 acres. I want to make sure I have the proper legal name. Is it the Battlefield Trust? Mr. DuBose? Correct. American Battlefield Trust.

» We'll open the public hearing. Anyone signed up? No. Right. We'll go ahead and open the public hearing if anybody present wants to speak. Seeing none, we'll close the public hearing on 7A. That moves us to 7B. This is a public hearing regarding an ordinance to institute impact fees in Kershaw County. Do we have anybody signed up, Mr. DuBose? No, Mr. Chair. No one signed up. I'll go ahead and open it if anyone wants to speak on it. Seeing none, we'll go ahead and close the public hearing on 7B. This brings us to item number 7C on the agenda. This is regarding an ordinance to execute and deliver a special source revenue credit agreement between South Carolina and ECM Asset Management LLC along with EuroCharm America LLC.

» This was the project previously known on the other readings as Project NAM. Do we have anybody signed up, Mr. DuBose? No, Mr. Chair. I'll go ahead and open up the public hearing. Anyone present wish to speak? Seeing none, we'll close it. That's 7C. 7D regarding public hearing. It is an ordinance regarding a memorandum of agreement between the Kershaw County Library and the South Carolina Department on aging. Do we have anybody signed up, Mr. DuBose? No, Mr. Chair. Seeing none, we'll go ahead and open it up. This is 7D. Anyone present wish to speak on 7D? Seeing none, we'll close it. And then the final public hearing for the evening is 7E. This is regarding an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium in Kershaw County. Do we have anyone signed up, Mr. DuBose? Two speakers, Mr.

» Chairman. First speaker is Linda Knatzer, temporary moratorium. Ms. Knatzer, you've got 10 minutes. Chairman Connell, council members, still no sighting of polar bears, dinosaurs, Elvis, or any Kershaw County residents who want more mega developments and speak out against the proposed temporary moratorium. There is, however, a tsunami threat headed our way in the form of approximately 2,000 lots already permitted for development, along with over 1,400 applications currently pending. Even with the temporary moratorium in place, this could dramatically change Kershaw County as we know it.

» Do we really want more crime? More traffic? And less of the things that make our county so special? I still love this area, but there are a lot of things about it that I certainly don't like as much as I once did. I attribute this to unplanned and unrestrained growth. Just last week, when I was watching Columbia TV stations reporting local crime incidents, unfortunately, more and more are happening here in Kershaw County. Do we know what we're allowing into our area? And how are we now discussing a new detention facility, which we don't even know how we're going to pay for? Maybe just send some of our bad guys down to Florida, the alligator Alcatraz. That might be a solution.

» Over 50 years ago, Joni Mitchell warned us, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone," by singing, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. They cut down all the trees and put them in a tree museum. Some of that has already happened, but new trees can replace ones that have been cut down, and parking lots can be demolished. Once 200 acres are developed containing 300 privately owned houses, there will be no going back. Our beautiful, God-given green areas will be lost forever. Also, sadly, we have lost some of the great sense of community we once had.

» How do we recover that? With a stroke of a pen, I would be delighted to change temporary moratorium to permanent ban on the large developments that we don't want, don't need, and will forever change the landscape of this place we choose to call home. Thank you. Thanks for coming out tonight. Mr. DeBose, did I hear you right? We have someone else signed up? Yes. Lynn Conto. Ms. Conto, please. You've got up to 10 minutes. I'm only going to take one. All right. Well, glad to hear you. One of the things I've been proposing is a moratorium for about a year. And it's not just off the top of my head. It's through a lot of research through different counties throughout South Carolina and throughout the country.

» It is a successful process for county council and city councils to use a moratorium to come up with a new plan to make improvements for responsible growth. Just take the time, do the research. The information's there. I could talk for way longer than 10 minutes. And I'm not going to do that because I know you can read. But what I'm telling you is the information is out there. It's not taking away individual rights because you are representing all of us. And that's what I want you to understand. When you do a moratorium for a temporary pause, it is to respect everybody's needs in this community. Thank you for your time. Thank you. All right. That concludes the public hearings. That brings us to item number 8A on the agenda. Approval of minutes.

» Is there a motion? I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. Second. Mr. Thomason has a second. Any discussion on the table? Seeing no discussion, we'll move it to a vote. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are present and voting. And we still don't have anybody remote, correct? No. Russell, Councilman Brazel texted and said he had awful service. So he'll probably enjoy it. Yeah. We've got two council members tonight out of pocket, as I mentioned, on vacation with some limited service, apparently. And that's fine. That brings us to item number 9A, A-Tax Commission. I place this on the agenda. I'll make a motion that we discuss it. Is there a second? Second. Got a second from Councilman Thomason.

» This is just for discussion only, as it's indicated in the section. We have multiple vacancies coming up on the A-Tax Commission. I've asked Ms. Hanna to circulate that by email so you can know what's coming up, whether it applies to your district or not. And just be looking at how many vacancies we're looking at. Is it three or four? Five. Excuse me, five. So we have five vacancies that we'll need to fill so that the next budget cycle, we can get the recommendations for A-Tax and, you know, we're spending anywhere between 40 to 60 plus thousand dollars. And those folks bring other projects to us to look at for A-Tax funding. That's five on A-Tax? That's what I, yeah. Either people are not renewing or they have termed out based on time.

» But just on the A-Tax Commission, not all total? Just on A-Tax. Oh, wow. Okay. So I want to bring it to your attention, which is why we're talking about it now. So whenever you see the email come across, gentlemen, please take a look and dial in on, let's get in those filled. These broke up into districts as other commissions? Yes. Yep. She has a, she has a chart that will lay out whether or not you have some responsibility in the area and trying to get somebody appointed. Ms. Hanna, is there, how many have we had apply specifically for A-Tax? Yes. Have we had any applications? No applicants. Yeah. So we need applications submitted as soon as possible. And there are just, there are some limitations on, like there has to be someone in the hospitality.

» Like there's some employment limitations based on that type of committee as well. Yes. It's based around heads and beds, I believe is kind of the slogan of the A-Tax Commission. Any further discussion, comments, questions? Anything from staff? That's okay. All right. No votes required. Next agenda item, that's item number 10A. Any summary from staff before we move for a motion? Mr. Blanchard? Yes, sir. Thank you. What you have before you is first reading of an ordinance to amend the Lee County, Kershaw County Joint Industrial Park Agreement by adding the Creed Solar Farm property to the agreement. Okay. Is there a motion? I'll make a motion. All right. We have a second. I'll second. Mr. Robinson. I think it's pretty clear.

» Is there any more clarification that we need on this? This is basically a fee in lieu and SSRC that you approved back in February. Yes, sir. We just need to add that property to that. So it's just make an amendment to the current. Correct. Okay. All right. Any further discussion or questions, comments? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote on first reading. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are present and voting for the record. That's 10A. Next up, we have item number 10B. Mr. Blanchard, any summary before we move for a motion? Yes, this is for second reading of an ordinance allowing the cell of 1.76 acres located at 205 Sumter Highway to the American Battlefield Trust. This is the property that is currently serving as EMS1. Okay. Thank you.

» Is there a motion? I'll make a motion. I'll second. Mr. Thompson makes a motion. Mr. Shoemake has a second. Mr. Thompson, do you have the motion? This is something we've discussed on first reading. I'm in supportive of it. Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Shoemake, anything? The one thing I wanted to bring up for council and the public is in talking with Mr. DuBose, the grant application requirements from the Battlefield Trust will place on the property the restrictions that we and I were interested in. You don't want to sell the property at the cost of the county got it and then have somebody flip it for a higher price later. And Mr. DuBose, could you speak briefly on the restrictions that would ultimately apply to the property based on the grant process? Correct.

» I believe it's restricted for utilization essentially for a public property. And again, the specter of it being flipped and a gas station being put there or something is not permissible. That said, this deed constriction component was a discussion early on in the process. And American Battlefield Trust is agreeable to inserting that language in the deed as well. And it's simply not in the purchase and sell agreement, but they have a red line revision. And on third reading, that deed restriction language would also be in there. So it will essentially be doubly restricted to keep unwanted uses from occurring. Okay. Thank you for the summary, Mr. DuBose. Any other comments or questions? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote on second reading. This is 10B. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms.

» Hanna, it's unanimous in favor and passes second reading. Gentleman, that takes us to item number 10C. This is second reading on the ordinance regarding imposing impact fees in Kershaw County. I don't know that we necessarily need additional summary from staff. Is there anything new that's come up on this one between first and second reading? Okay. Do we have a motion? Mr. Shoemake has the motion? I'll second. Mr. Cato seconds. Mr. Shoemake? I think it's necessary. I think Ms. Conto said a lot, and I agree with probably everything she said on impact fees. So I think we need them in this time. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Cato, you had the second. Ditto. No further. I mean, it's cut and dried. Yeah. Well, let me tell you just quickly. I think it was 6 February of 20.

» I'd have to look at the exact date, but it was before I went to the State House that we actually voted on the study to approve impact fees. So you have to get the data statutorily before you can actually impose it. And I remember doing that so long ago. So it's a real testament, again, to Mel Pearson and how much stuff he got done that government moved so slowly. But here we are, and I'm glad that you are. May I just say one thing? Just very briefly, and I said this today to a news interview that -- and we've said this privately, so I don't mind saying this publicly. I really hope we see the school district pick this up as well, get a study done. Because as soon as the school district is done with that and has an impact fee study in front of us, I will be a yes vote for that too. Okay.

» Thank you. Any other comments, discussion? Seeing none, we'll move it to the vote on second reading. All in favor? Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are present in voting. That takes us to item number 10D on the agenda. This is that SSRC, the credit agreement we just had the public hearing on. Again, regarding South Carolina and ECM Asset Management LLC along with EuroCharm America LLC. Any summary from staff or Mr. Burgess before we move to a motion? Yes. This is a $10 to $12 million total investment with 40 to 46 jobs, full-time jobs, bringing those to Kershaw. Okay, before we have anyone from the company or Mr. Burgess come up, let's see if there's a motion. I'll make that motion. I'll second. Mr. Shoemake has a motion. Mr. Thomason has a second. Mr. Shoemake.

» No, I think it might be nice just to bring up, just to recognize, I mean, someone who's putting an investment in our community that I'd love to publicly recognize and thank. Yeah, whether it's Mr. Wall or Mr. Burgess or someone from the company, if you'd like to come up and say anything before we actually have the vote. These things are always so cryptic. For necessary reasons, obviously, we want to respect the company. They might have a first mover interest in the local market or, you know, have to line up financing or other projects and mobilizations. And so now on third reading, we know, the public knows the identities of the companies. Go ahead, Mr. Burgess. I'd like to introduce John Wall. He's going to speak on behalf of EuroCharm.

» We also have in the audience, Benjamin Shu, who is the sales manager for EuroCharm and was part of the actual search for the property that brought the company to Kershaw County. So with that, I'll turn it over to John Wall. Mr. Wall, please. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, council. I know that you're on a tight timeline and I'll to honor folks, but appreciate your service to the state, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate all your service to the community, Mr. Shoemake. Appreciate your service to the country. This is a great company that has placed their trust in Kershaw County because of its people. I'd like to thank all of you. Mr. Dubose, his rock star team, you know, from the county attorney's office.

» This is, like I said, a $10 million investment at the very least in 46 new jobs in Kershaw County. They're going to 412 Grove Street in Lugoff. This will be their first manufacturing and distribution facility in the United States. So they placed a lot of trust in the state of South Carolina and Kershaw County. So we appreciate your support, your continued support. They are a key supplier to Honda, BMW, Polaris, Harley-Davidson, among others. And it's an honor to work with them. And I'm looking forward to the great things they're going to do here in Kershaw County and the state of South Carolina. So we appreciate your trust and support. Thank you, gentlemen. We're glad to have you here tonight. Thanks for being present. Thank you, Mr. Wall. Mr. Shoemake.

» Yeah, I just want to say anytime we have this kind of development, I want to thank, I know our economic developer, debt development office, Mr. Burgess. I know the chairman's been working hard on this. And Mr. Shoemake, thank you for bringing your business to Kershaw County. And I just want to say, I also compliment your choice in council. I've known Mr. Wall for a long time and he is excellent at what he does. So you picked a good one. And I think you picked a good county as well. So thank you very much. We look forward to doing business with you. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Any other comments, discussion? Welcome to Kershaw County. We're glad to have you as partners. Yeah, we look forward to hearing about your expansion in the near future. All right. With that, let's move it to a vote.

» All in favor? On third reading? Raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous and passes third reading for those who are present in voting. All right, next item on the agenda is 10E regarding an ordinance authorizing entering the creation of a memorandum of agreement between the Kershaw County Library and the South Carolina Department on Aging. Any other summary that we need from staff? No. No, sir. Okay. All right. Do we have a motion? Make a motion. We approve this ordinance on third reading. On third reading. Second. We've got a first and a second, Mr. Cato. You got the first, Mr. Cato. Anything else? No, I just, I spoke on this during the second reading and I just think this is a great opportunity and I just look forward to Kershaw County moving forward with this. Thank you so much. Mr.

» Thomas, do you have a second? I don't have anything to add. Mr. Blanchard, I got ahead of my skis a little bit. Is there anything that's changed from second to third reading we should be aware of? No, sir. Not that I'm aware of. It's a term for one year, monthly fee of $100. This requires you guys to agree to it. And do we have to re-up this each year? Yes, sir. Okay. So we'll have to approve and have three readings each time as a recurring matter. Okay. Correct. Yes, sir. All right. Any other comments or discussion? Questions? All right. Let's move it to a vote. All in favor on third reading. Raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous and passes third reading. That's item 10E. A is the next item on the agenda, placed on by Councilman Shoemake.

» Is there a motion? I'll make the motion that we refer changes to 6-2-2-1 and 6-2-2-2 to the Planning Commission. We've got a motion. Is there a second? I'll second Mr. Shoemake's motion. I'll second. Mr. Shoemake. Yes. We're not voting tonight on a change to the zoning, but sending to Planning Commission, two very sort of cleanup changes. The first is to 6:2-2.1. And basically what that says is, if the Planning Commission is unable to have a meeting, if the Planning Commission, if we refer something to Planning Commission, they have until their next meeting or 30 days to come back. If not, it automatically comes back to us. That's something that exists in state statute. This just adds it into our local ordinances to clean that up. So we're just taking the state statute.

» The other one is on 6:2-2.2. And this would amend the public hearing section to say that we have to have 30 days unless the statute says otherwise. There's a small class of things in the state code that only require 15 days notice. And with the Chronicle's publication schedule changing, this would allow us for those text amendments that don't affect land use to do the 15-day notice. Again, all state statutes that we're bringing back into the local code. We're not voting on the code today. All we're voting on is sending it to Planning Commission, and it will come back to us as an ordinance change. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Mr.

» Thomason, you have a second? Yeah, I would just like to add, I think this is an additional measure that where Council and Planning Commission can continue to work together. It's something that's going to give more opportunity for us to be able to get things done in Kershaw County for the betterment of the citizens. So I'm in support of this. Okay. Thank you. Any further discussion or comments? All right. All in favor of 11-A on the referral? Raise your hand. Ms. Hannah, it's unanimous and passes as to 11-A. All right, gentlemen, that takes us to council briefings. Mr. Cato, may I start with you? I have nothing tonight. Thank you. No report tonight? No report tonight. Mr. Thomason? I would just like to keep the Tucker family in our prayers and thoughts. Just be with the family.

» It's a lot losing a level. Thank you so much. We'll go over there and support him in just a little bit, I'm sure. Mr. Shoemake, any report tonight? No, same. Obviously, I look forward to seeing Sammy soon. I will say there's a young man in the audience, Cade, who is a high school student at Chapin, and his mother and I went to high school together. He's here to observe government in action. And you should know, Cade, you're watching the most efficient meeting I've ever seen. So, welcome. I'm not going to say it has anything to do with the council members who are absent. If that concludes your report, I just did want to share on the behalf of the Tucker family, again, Sammy Tucker Sr. has passed away. The funeral is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 9th, 11 a.m.

» at Camden First United Methodist Church. The other thing I'd mention again is that the vote for the moratorium will occur, third reading will occur on July 22nd. So, look forward to that meeting and reach out to council members or otherwise. Keep yourselves informed as to what's going on with that because that vote will occur then. And the summer has just flown by, I have to say. I want to say thanks to staff in helping us get through the budget process. Now we get to reset and look at goals for the future and focusing on what's going to happen next. And look forward to working with you all on that matter. Any administrators briefing tonight, Mr. Blanchard? Yeah, just real quickly. The parks and rec projects are coming along swimmingly. The only outlier is the boat ramp.

» We have had some delays because of weather and also some concrete issues that had to be pulled up. But otherwise, they're good. Wastewater expansion project is tracking. It's on schedule and on budget with no identifiable issues. And efforts to identify funding sources for pecan orchard are ongoing. We continue to look for different funding sources for that stormwater issue. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Blanchard. Does that conclude your report? It does. Yes, sir. Any legal briefing, Mr. Bowes? Nothing for open session. Okay. And gentlemen, I would seek a motion to defer these two executive session items to the July 22 meeting. You got it. Mr. Shumak has the motion. Is there a second? Second. All right. It's on the table. Mr.

» Shumak, I'll just go ahead and mention that we set these items before we knew the official schedule for the Tucker family and all of those proceedings. And neither one of these that we have tonight for executive session are necessarily time sensitive. They're more of an update nature. And so we can wait until July 22. Any comments or discussion on that? Okay. All in favor of deferring, that would be a motion for 15A and B deferral to July 22, Ms. Hanna. All in favor, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it's unanimous by those who are present and voting. With that, we've concluded the agenda. Is there a motion to adjourn? So moved. Got a motion. Is there a second? Second. We've got a second. All in favor? It's unanimous, Ms. Hanna. We are adjourned. Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight. You deserve an award for that.