Full meeting transcript - July 14, 2026

» huh? Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Welcome out tonight to this Tuesday, July 14th, 2026 Kershaw County Council meeting. We have one council member, Mr. Shoemake, coming in from his day job who should be arriving shortly. And Mr. Brazel is out of town, but should be calling in shortly. But at six o'clock, we want to be respectful of your time. And so we're going to go ahead and get the meeting started, anticipating those council members will join us fairly soon. Again, welcome out tonight. Glad to have everyone here. We've been called to order. We've got an invocation tonight. Councilman Tomlinson has invited Clarence Shue Shuford. How you doing, Shue? To offer the prayer tonight. And then he will offer, Councilman Tomlinson will offer the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr.

» Shuford is the American Legion Department chaplain, second vice commander for Camden Post number 17. We appreciate you being here. And if you would, please offer the invocation, step up to the mic. May everyone please stand. May everyone bow their heads. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom shall I take refuge, my shield and horn of my salvation, my stronghold. God, we come here today before you to lift up a prayer as a community. Bless this amazing council, Lord. We pray for unity, peace and wisdom. Dear Lord, also watch over our beautiful nation. Bless those that are sick. Your healing touch is needed right now. Dear Lord, if you could watch over our armed forces. Also our first responders. Safeguard them. Give us courage, hope and strength.

» Because your holy and divine word said, behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. And unity is what we need right now. Dear Lord, bless our nation. Bless South Carolina. Bless Curshaw County. In your holy and divine name. Let every believer say, amen. Amen. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God and indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you, everyone. And thank you, Shu, for that moving prayer. Thank you, Councilman Tomlinson for leading the Pledge of Allegiance. And welcome, Councilman Shoemake. All right, we've been called to order. We have the invocation. And we've now moved to the adoption of the agenda. Is there a motion on the agenda? Mr.

» Chairman, I have a motion that we adopt the agenda as submitted. Mr. Tucker has the motion. Is there a second? Second. We have a second. Any discussion on the agenda? And I'll just note, do we have Mr. Brazel yet online? Okay, just get my attention whenever he is able to chime in. Seeing no discussion on the agenda, we'll move to a vote. All in favor of the agenda, raise your hand. Ms. Hanna, it is unanimous. The agenda passes for those who are present and voting with Mr. Brazel not participating at this moment. As we did last meeting, everyone's here for the ordinances. And so under the Chairman's Prerogative Rule 4.2, I'm going to move Section 10 up until after the minutes. And we will have the votes on the ordinances at that time.

» Again, that's Section 10 up until after the minutes, and we will proceed in that way. Next item on the agenda we have is a proclamation. This is regarding the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, something that we try to recognize each year and do so faithfully. I'll make the motion that we approve and adopt this proclamation. Is there a second? Second. All right, we have a second. I'll go ahead and share this before we get to a vote. The proclamation includes the following important points.

» Whereas, signed into law on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA ensures the rights of citizens with disabilities by prohibiting discrimination in the areas of education, employment, government services, places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and other vital areas of society. And is recognized as the landmark legislation providing equal treatment of Americans with disabilities. Whereas, the ADA has expanded opportunities for Americans with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions about citizens with disabilities, and increasing opportunities for full community inclusion.

» And, whereas, numerous organizations, including ABLE South Carolina, advocates and community partners within Kershaw County, and across the Palmetto State work tirelessly with constituents to bring forth the promise of hope and freedom envisioned by the passage of the ADA. And, whereas, the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act provides a vital opportunity to renew our local commitment to the ADA's principles, ensuring the rights, independence, and dignity of citizens with disabilities, and empowering our county, state, and nation to benefit from the talents and contributions of all Americans. Now, therefore, Kershaw County Council does hereby proclaim July 26, 2026, is American with Disabilities Act 36th Anniversary Day.

» All in favor of this proclamation, raise your hand. It's unanimous, Ms. Hannah, for those who are present and voting for the record. And, before we get to any comments from the council members, I would just like to recognize Ms. Rebecca Fayl. Thank you very much for being here tonight. We'll have you come up in just a moment to be presented with this. Council members, any questions or comments regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act? Thank you for being here. So grateful to have you here. I've actually been involved in some litigation in the past with the ADA to make sure businesses and those who accommodate the public or government entities, accommodate those with disabilities to make sure they have access to various parts of society and can participate meaningfully.

» And so we're very thankful to have you here. If you're able to and you want to, you're able to come up, or you can even share a brief comment if you like. We do have a mic here if anybody with you wants to say something. Yeah, Russell. Hello. Thank you all so much for this wonderful proclamation. If you all didn't know that one in three South Carolinians has a disability and lives in our state every day, that is veterans, that is everyday people, our neighbors that live next door, anybody with heart disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer, the largest growing disability in our country. So we all know somebody that has a disability, and we all know people who want to be a part of their communities, living, working, and recreating.

» And so this proclamation really is a big deal because it says to our community, everybody belongs and everybody should have the opportunity to participate. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming out tonight. Ms. Fayl, Mr. Brazel, I understand we have you on the line. Are you there? Hey, Chairman. Yes, sir. I am here. I've been here. And for the record, I'd like to add that my vote was in support of this proclamation. I'll seek comments and consent from Council to amend the record for Mr. Brazel's vote to be in favor of the proclamation. Everyone consent, no objections? Yes. It's so amended. Thank you again, everyone, for participating in that. All right, that moves us up to public comments. Not Mr. DuBose tonight. Ms. Douglas. Thank you.

» We've got to get you a name tag. How many folks do we have signed up for public comments? Mr. Chair, we have 18 individuals signed up for public comments. You can check my math on that, but I believe that amounts to approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds per speaker to amount to our 30 minute total. Okay, just as a general reminder, I'm happy to hear people tonight on public comment section. It's not a time for a Q&A with Council. It's a time for Council to hear from the public, similar to public hearing. But the timing is more limited, but the topics are general. We found it helpful in the past. If there's a bunch of people that showed up, if you do have one spokesperson that's going to share a similar message, you might unite behind that person and consolidate your time some.

» But we're happy to hear whoever wants to come up tonight and whichever order you signed up. Who do we have first? Ms. Douglas. Mr. Chair, we have, I believe it's John B. Burns speaking on Bethune Energy. Mr. Burns, Mr. Burns present. And they'll have a timer for you on the screen, just so you can see. Yes, sir, Mr. Burns. Sir, if you could pull the mic over. The chemical industries experience have planned site characterization for a geological repository for transuranic nuclear waste. I've supported negotiations and acquisitions and diversers of chemical plants, coal mining properties, and oil and gas leases.

» My questions to the council are, has the council discussed or negotiated locating an AI data center near the proposed 500 megawatt power station? Have any of the major utility companies serving in Kershaw County, Duke, Dominion et al., expressed the need to construct a major power plant in the county? Have the electric co-ops in the county expressed difficulties purchasing power? If Beaufort Road Mary is going to link to the grid at the beginning, acquiring rights of waste for transmission lines, go to Google Earth and view the size of the substation and number of transmission lines leaving the Robinson Power Plant near Hartsville to get an idea of the distribution needs for a major power station.

» Existing long distance transmission lines in this area are probably operating at near full capacity and wouldn't meet the distribution needs of a 500 megawatt plant. As the council queried BR on whether it is negotiating long-term sales contracts with major utility companies, how has the project fit the goals of the Kershaw County comprehensive plan? As to the idea that pipelines and power lines change the underlying zoning is a pipe dream. The underlying zoning does not change because these are transmission lines and not an industrial line. Therefore, the Mr. Burns, your time has expired, unfortunately, and that's why on these nights we also have public hearing, which has a much longer time period.

» I've got a lot of people on the public comment section that have signed up, and I usually try to give people a little bit of extra time after the time's expired under the rules that this council has voted on. And if you could, would you conclude your remarks? Okay, fine with me. I'll mail you a copy of what I got to say here. Okay, thank you, sir. We appreciate you coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas, who signed up next? Next speaker is Russell Horton, speaking on Project Ballast. Mr. Horton, yes, sir. If you could pull the mic up some, I know you're quite tall, but folks won't be able to hear you. Council members, thank you for your time and for serving us all. General, help me. It's an undeniable fact that we need more power generation on our electric grid.

» Our county has seen over 14% population growth since 2020. Our state has grown by 1 million people since 2007 and is projected to have an additional 1 million people by the year 2042. So we will soon be in an energy crisis if new power plants are not built in the coming years. I know you all have done your research. I know you all have done your research and due diligence for this project, and so have I. It took me and my father several months to make this difficult decision to take some of our land that has been in our family for almost a century and put it under option to sell. But we decided that the land is better used, creating energy to serve our local electric co-ops, to bring jobs, new industry, and much-needed economic benefits to Bethune and Kershaw County.

» This property has existing pipelines and access to the Santee Cooper transmission right-of-way, so it is a highly sought-after location for this facility. I know people in the community have concerns, but the pros outweigh the cons. I have complete confidence that Beaufort-Rosemary will go above and beyond to follow all county, state, and federal laws and regulations to assure our community we'll be safe. Let's not allow this great opportunity to slip away. Thank you. Thank you for coming out tonight, Mr. Horton. Ms. Douglas, who do we have signed up next? Apologies. I'm having a hard time with the first name. It's either Denny, Donny, or Danny Cato. Is there a Mr. Danny Cato? Denny Cato? Donny Cato. Donny Cato. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. If I speak too loud, you let me know.

» I don't think that's at a risk for tonight. Go ahead. Yes, sir. All right. Here we go. I got a little history lesson here I want everybody to be aware of. Natural gas is natural gas. Whether you burn it in a boiler to generate power, or will you burn it in your house to cook your breakfast? No difference in it. You Google it up. Everything I'm going to tell you is right here on Google. Okay? Natural gas. I had five topics I wanted to speak to, but with a minute, you can't do five. Nanoparticles. Nanoparticles. Where do they come from? They come off your kitchen stove if you cook with gas. There's no such thing as not causing a problem in a house if you cook with gas. I'm telling you this to tell you this.

» Up there on the new proposal site, they're going to be burning natural gas that comes off the same natural gas line that comes to Bethune from down in Louisiana, I think. A long way from here. Okay? And the emissions from that stack or stacks that's going to be on that facility will dissipate in the air. In the air. Everybody's worried about that. I've been to two meetings last week. That subject keeps coming up, right, Mr. Tucker? Okay? And what I can find in researching all those things about natural gas is natural gas will not cause a problem in that small particles. Now, I want you to think about one other thing before we run out of time here. Everybody drove a vehicle down here. Carbon monoxide out the exhaust.

» And the other particles that come out the exhaust on automobiles, if the wind didn't just drivet them, then you'd all been dead a long time ago. So the small, minute particles that's going to come from that plant, if it's built, is also coming from the CPL plant or the new Duke name on it in Pine Ridge. If there's a stack anywhere that's running any kind of combustible fuels, then these particles are a part of that operation wherever it's at. There ain't no hiding. Thank you, Mr. Cato. I've just got to let you know that your time has expired, and we do have public hearing on these matters a little bit later. Ms. Douglas? Next, we have Robbie Brown speaking on Project Ballast. Yes, sir, Mr. Brown. All right. I've got four statements and four questions.

» Thank you for the Disability Act, and I'm a disabled person myself due to the military. And one of the things I'm disabled from is because of the particulate matter in the air. I was told in 07 and 011, there's no problem with what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan from the burn pits and the burning of natural gas, the burning of wood material, diesel, whatever material being burned, where it was crash pits, it was being burned. Thirteen years later, it's not a matter of if but when you're diagnosed. And if you go to the VA, you automatically give them 10%, 20%, or 30% disability based on where you were stationed at. That's the first statement.

» Second, when these disabilities develop for the residents who are diagnosed with lung issues in the future, who's going to pay for the disabilities or the treatment, council members, council residents, or state disability boards? Or somebody's going to have to pay for it. Second, or third, who would have been the most from this business in the county? Or the data center, talking about bringing. We didn't shut it down to other parts of the county. Why do we want to come to Thune? I don't think nobody really wants it in the county. They're bringing a data center or this gas center. And hydroelectric is a cleaner electricity, to me, been used that way for years.

» Fourth thing, would you want this within a mile of your home, family, or children, would you? And they developed something, a disease, because of lung disease, or emphysema, or whatever develops because of particulate matter. Who's going to be held accountable? They're talking about you can't sue the company in the future, but who's going to be held accountable? That's my fourth statement, sir, but I'd like for y'all to share that before y'all put on this resolution. Thank you for coming out tonight, Mr. Brown. Appreciate you. Ms. Douglas. Lynn Conto, speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Conto. Ms. Conto, if you could go ahead and start, please. I'm speaking for them. Great. I've seen many children here tonight. Yes, ma'am.

» You may not know this, but I used to actually work at the old Bethune Elementary School that was located near the proposed gas-powered plant. I was actually pregnant at the time with my own daughter, Sydney, and went into labor while at the elementary school, and had to drive 23 miles to the hospital in Camden. That was the longest, scariest 27 minutes of my life, while the most difficult pain in my life. I also learned that this experience at the Camden Hospital, Hartsville Hospital, and Kershaw Hospital are all 23 miles from Bethune, which is very interesting. And a very interesting coincidence, 23 miles from everywhere with an emergency health care facility.

» Do you think putting a gas-powered plant in this location is increasing potential health risk for a community that has the least access to emergency health care and is a good idea? It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a natural gas geoscientist to recognize the serious health risk. Stanford Law Research and Southern Environmental Law Research indicates that gas-powered plants are not good for health of any people. They have actually nicknamed it dirty energy. So why take the risk with other people's lives and locate a facility in a place that has limited health care? A gas-powered plant is not the answer for the modest community of Bethune due to the close proximity of residential areas where children spend significant portions of their time outside.

» Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds, which are commonly emitted by gas-powered plants. Exposure to these pollutants has been linked to increased rates of extreme asthma, respiratory infection, cardiovascular issues, long-term development issues such as stunted lung growth, and reduced birth weight. Cancer risk increases due to volatile organic compounds released in the air. Extreme asthma risk occurs because nitrous oxide and fine particulate matter reach, with sunlight, create what's called ground-level ozone layer. Ms. Conto, I just have to let you know that your time is expired. That's fine. We do have public hearing a little bit later. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ms. Conto. Ms.

» Douglas. Yes, Mr. Chair, we have Shelly King speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Shelly King. Yes, ma'am, Ms. King. Evening, counsel. My name is Shelly King. I live at 2226 Bethune Road. My family was given, my dad's mom and dad was given land from the King of England. So we have had property on Lynch's River for, since the 1700s. My dad was a timber caretaker. He planted pines. He cultivated pines all over South Carolina, North Carolina. He left my two brothers and I as caretakers of this property. I'm here to say that the natural gas plant would not be good as being a good caretaker of the Bethune area. We choose to live there because it's the country. We could live somewhere else. I have a niece and a niece-in-law that chose to live in Bethune and drive to teach in North Central.

» They could have lived in Camden. They could have lived in Kershaw. But they chose to live in Bethune. Quickly, my dog in this fight. On June the 10th, the day that the information escaped, that what was going to be in Bethune, my nephew and his wife and his 15-month-old had just signed a contract on a house, their dream house, on the corner of Timrod and Cascade Road. Boise Cascade Road. Not knowing anything about this. I know my time is up. But all the things that have been not told and are just now getting out to all the people in the community, it's not fair. You know, nobody's being held responsible for what can happen in the future. And I think that's our biggest concern. Nobody will be held. If something happens, nobody's held responsible, the developer or the council. Thank you.

» Thank you for coming out, Ms. King. Ms. Douglas. Next, Mr. Chair, we have Lori Curley for speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Curley, and just to make sure I'm on track with your numbers, Ms. Douglas, that's number seven? Yes. Okay. Ms. Curley, please. Yes, ma'am. Lori Curley. I live on Timrod Road. We picked that side of God's country to raise our children. Ma'am, if you could move the mic just a little bit, some people are telling me they can't hear. Our children, our foster children, our adopted children, and bringing my retired parents here when they're ready. I'm sure you picked out your homes for your family and your family's needs, which is what Jim and I thought we were doing. This plant will be less than a quarter mile and 700 feet from my neighbor. It's going to be in my backyard.

» It's too close. I'm not against that kind of industrial anything. I just don't think it should be near people's homes that they paid for. We'll never get what we put into it, let alone what we paid for it. We're going to lose. It'll be out my window. I'll be seeing that out my window. And no doubt, it'll bring chaos to all our lives. The traffic, the air, the noise, the pollution. How can we sell our homes with low or no property values? We're going to be stuck. Everybody, the community, will be stuck. No one will want to move to Bethune, and we can't take anything with us. I beg you, please, please vote no. Thank you. Thank you for coming out, Ms. Curling. Ms. Douglas. Apologies again on the first name. It might be a Cavett. It's a Mr. or Ms. Reichbost. Reichbost? Okay. All right.

» That will move us to person number nine. Oh, okay. Ms. Reichbost, did I get that right? Close enough? Okay. What was your first name? Can you make sure the mic's in front of there? Yes, sir, we will. I'm sorry, we didn't catch your first name. Good evening, everyone. My name is Barbara Reichbost, and my family lives in Bethune. As a registered nurse and mother, I am highly concerned about the environmental impact this plant would have on the community, especially the air pollution. My son was in the NICU for respiratory distress when he was born. For anyone who has experienced a child or loved one who had to go to the NICU, you know how gut-wrenching that is. A digital petition I started through Change.org has 508 signatures and an additional eight comments.

» This shows that the community does not support this project, and your position is to represent the community. I also want to speak to the Good Neighbor Agreement from Beaufort-Rosemary. Merriam-Webster defines bribe as money or favor, given or promised, in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust. Per the definition of the word bribe, I believe that Beaufort-Rosemary has attempted to coerce a public population to sway a vote through monetary means. This is a reflection of dishonesty and corruption demonstrated by the company to achieve their financial goals at the expense of the community. My son is only five months old. Please vote no. Thank you. Thanks for coming out tonight, Ms. Reichloss. Ms. Douglas.

» Next, we have Austin Reichloss speaking on Project Ballast. Mr. Reichloss. Hey, good evening, everybody. I would like to provide some information regarding the negative effects that this power plant will have on our community. The primary concern of gas-powered power plants is airborne pollutants, specifically nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. These gases react with oxygen, water vapor, ammonia, and sunlight to form nitric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfate particles, and nitrate particles. These acidic compounds eventually return to the earth as rain, snow, fog, and dust. Over time, this deposition can acidify soils, causing essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium to leach away.

» Crops need these nutrients for root development, cell wall strength, drought resistance, and crop yield. This results in farmers needing to apply more lime and fertilizer to restore soil fertility. Acidification can also release aluminum that is naturally bound in the soil. Once dissolved, the aluminum becomes toxic to plant roots, reducing their ability to absorb water and nutrients, while making crops more vulnerable to drought. As soil becomes more acidic, it reduces nitrogen-fixing bacteria, fungal communities, and microbial diversity. This slows nutrient cycling and reduces long-term soil productivity. The impacts do not stop here.

» As acidic water moves through the soil, it can carry dissolved aluminum and other metals into nearby streams and groundwater, particularly in sandy soils like those common in our area. As surface water becomes more acidic, it can result in fish eggs failing to hatch, juvenile fish experiencing higher mortality, a decline in aquatic insects, amphibians becoming more vulnerable, and decreases in biodiversity. It also damages fish gills and interferes with respiration. Increased nitrogen deposition can also contribute to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, degraded water quality, fish kills, and shifts in native plant communities. All of this information is sourced directly from the EPA.

» I do not think that these health risks and environmental concerns are worth whatever money this project may or may not bring to the county. And a lot of the residents in Bethune moved here because we did not want to be around industrial growth, and so we're asking everybody to vote no to this. Thanks for coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas. Next we have Denise Ganey-Rollins speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Ganey-Rollins. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. I have a shadow. My name is Denise Ganey-Rollins. This is my granddaughter, Madison. I spoke last meeting and I told y'all how my family had owned the same land over 100 years, and that my brothers and I still live there, and we have big gardens that we farm, and we can the foods that we grow.

» I also sent out letters to each one of you, and I hope that you read it. It was heartfelt. One thing that hit hard for me was that some of you made a comment that it wouldn't matter if it was in your backyard. Well, I have to be honest. I had no idea when somebody sent me N-I-M-B-Y. Didn't know what it was. But after I asked and Googled, it means not in my backyard. Well, those of you who don't mind, I really feel sad for you. You obviously don't have the backyard that my brothers and I have. Our backyards are our sanctuary. It's a yard where my grandchildren come. They come and play. It's a yard full of vegetable gardens. We're blessed enough that we can. We share with family and friends and neighbors.

» We enjoy family gatherings and sitting on the porch, shelling peas and picking off elderberries. We watch the beautiful sunsets and spend hours watching our birds at the feeders. Our grands love playing outside with the farm animals, especially the kittens. They love to gather eggs, chase the goats, and pick fresh fruits and vegetables. So our backyard does matter. It's not city living that we love. We want to keep it that way. Someone said that they don't want to stand in the way of someone's generational wealth. Well, let me ask you this.

» Is a couple of people's generational wealth worth the 75 to 100 families that will lose what they have worked so hard for when our property values plummet? I'm asking you on behalf of me, my family, my brothers, especially my grandchildren, to please vote no for this philo. Please do not let a gas power plant come in our neighborhood. And I'm also one of those disables that have seizures. So that's my seizure alert dog with me. So I understand the Disability Act. Please vote no. Thank you for coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas. Next we have either Zakiya or Zakiya Mikkel speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Mikkel. Good evening, members of the council. I'm Zakiya Mikkel, the Environmental and Climate Justice Chair for the South Carolina NAACP State Conference of Branches.

» I'm back again to be sure that the council is making an informed decision about the future of Bethune and Kershaw County as a whole. My understanding is that you all are considering offering a fee in lieu of taxes to a company called Beaufort Rosemary to support their project currently titled Project Ballast. In my research, I learned that Beaufort Rosemary is known for many different types of energy generation, including solar, wind, and other types of energy projects. But the one they are seeking to bring to Bethune is a methane gas plant. It also seems that the toxic gas plant will only serve one large customer.

» As an energy justice expert who has traveled the state and the region teaching and learning about the harmful plans Big Tech is deploying in rural communities across the country and the world, I'm left to assume this methane gas plant will likely power a data center. I am glad to come back and remind everyone what it's like to live near a data center if the need arises, but for today, I'll focus on what it's like to live near a toxic methane gas plant. Did you know that burning methane gas releases harmful air pollutants into the air, subjecting communities to fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides? Methane gas plants severely diminish and compromise the air quality in nearby communities.

» These chemicals increase the risk of asthma, heart attacks, and respiratory diseases in nearby residents. And by nearby, I mean folks living anywhere from one mile to up to 60 miles downwind from this plant. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the air quality of an entire region can be compromised by gas plants like the one being proposed here. You have to ask yourselves, if this $900 million investment is worth compromising the health of the children, elders, parents, families, and residents of Kershaw County. Will Kershaw use the money to build a health center to treat all of the people who will become ill in the name of economic development? Speaking of public benefit, this project boasts, I'm almost done, this project boasts the promise of about 15 jobs.

» We know those opportunities will likely not go to current residents of Kershaw County. My understanding is that the county doesn't have the final say on this development, but you do have the opportunity to stand with your community and not offer tax incentives to a business that will compromise the health and wellness of your constituents and you. I urge you to vote no to this. Thank you, Ms. Zakiya. Ms. Douglas? Pierce, speaking on Waste Management and Convenience Center changes. Mr. Pierce. Ms. Pierce. Oh, Ms. Pierce, excuse me. What was the first name again? Donna. Ms. Donna Pierce. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Pierce. Hi. I just want to talk about the recycling centers with the change that came out a few weeks, effective August 1st, the time changes and the limits at the convenience centers.

» There was a lot of uproar online, negativity. I have firsthand seen trucks coming, cars coming, loads coming from Sandhills area since I've been here. I moved here in 2012. I want to say how excited I was when I saw we had that convenience center. I've never had one anywhere I've lived, and I came from a big city, suburb of New Orleans. We did not have that. So just like Elgin, I lived about from here to New Orleans that we live from Columbia. It's a great service that we have. I support all the changes with it. I support the ID, checking ID. The guys work out there in all weather, and I'm guessing we don't have more. I heard people fussing. You get turned away, and I'm nervous, so I apologize. You get turned away whenever big loads come in and fill it up.

» Me, as a homeowner, don't like the idea that somebody who just demolished a house is bringing their stuff to this convenience center when it should go to the landfill. So I support all the changes, all the staff, everything that they're doing so that we are not turned away as just a simple resident and homeowner that is not working or demolishing something. I have actually been told as opening an account, I had to verify what county Elgin was in when it was on their ID for our purposes at the credit union, and they would say Richland County. I would say Richland or Kershaw, and they'd say, oh, but we enjoy the free landfill that y'all have for us. We drive from Richland County on one and put our stuff there, and I've been told that more than once when opening an account.

» So it does happen. My husband went there. I'm so sorry. I'm almost done. I'm so nervous. My husband went there Sunday on one in Elgin. Eighty-three cars were turned away from being ID'd. That was the first day we have been ID'd. It is necessary. It is needed. Where is the uproar of people using our tax money to dispose of their garbage from another county? Thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Pierce. Thank you. Ms. Douglas. Next, we have Ruth Parkins speaking on Project Ballast. Ms. Parkins, are you present? Yes, ma'am. Ms. Parkins. I understand that Project Ballast will have benefits for the county as a whole. I don't believe those benefits will extend to Bethune and the residents along Timrod Road, whose lives will be most affected by the presence of this plant.

» While the Project Development Manager assures us there will be no harmful emissions, the EPA has published many studies showing gas-powered plants negatively affect the health of those living nearby. Who should we believe? An agency who has the scientific expertise to measure such impacts or private individuals who stand to profit? We're also told the amount of water the plant will use will be about the same as that used by a farm. Given that water tables are dropping, as a recent article about Lee County's wells noted, we might be better off using the water for drinking and food production. I'm also concerned this plant fundamentally changes the character of the area, from agricultural to heavy industry.

» The company has optioned 800 acres, but the plant itself will only occupy about 100 acres. That tells me there's more to come, including the possibility of a data center. According to Capital News, data centers are responsible for more than half the growth in gas-fired power plants last year, and that more than one-third of the power plants in the development now will be used directly to power data centers. Finally, we're told this plant will benefit Bethune, but it will only create 15 permanent jobs. It won't encourage tourism or promote businesses that will provide local jobs.

» If the council really wants to help Bethune, why not encourage the development along the lines of Project Gemstone, the golf and wellness resort near Fairfield County that will create at least 150 jobs, instead of treating Bethune like the red-headed stepchild of Kershaw County. This is our home. Some of us were born and raised here. Others, like me, moved here for the openness and beauty in the wildlife that will be destroyed by this type of development, where we grew up. Once that is gone, it's gone. And no man of so-called good neighbor payments will buy it back. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Parkins. Ms. Douglas. Daniel Craig, speaking on Project Ballast. Say the name. If you could say the name again. Daniel Craig. Mr. Craig. Good afternoon, men of the council. Yes, sir.

» Our community has spent years looking for opportunities that can bring jobs, economic development, economic growth, and whatever else that anything can bring to our town. If anybody knows, you've drove through Bethune lately, it's dead. It's pretty dead. We don't have anything. Once this plant is under construction, we'll have construction jobs that will spend money at our gas stations, at our one restaurant that we have, and other small businesses. They'll have to stay somewhere, so that money will come back into our county. Natural gas provides reliable electric generation that helps meet the growing electric demands. Guys, if you know any history, Santee was flooded because they had to have power. They needed to get power from somewhere.

» What a small price we're having to pay, even though this will be in my backyard, maybe a mile, not like some, but it's right there on us. It's a small price that we have to pay for having electricity down the line. We have to look out for our future generations because eventually there's going to be no power if we continue in the way we're going. You know, so Santee had to pay the price. They lost their town. Their town is completely buried under the Lake Marion. I think it's such a small price for us to have to pay to have power with it being, you know, right there in our backyard. I think the cons don't add up to the pros, so that's what I want to say. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas. Next, we have Vicki Craig speaking on Project Ballast. Ms.

» Craig, did you say? Vicki. Is there a Vicki Craig present? We'll check one more time. Is Ms. Craig present? There she is. She's coming up. Ms. Craig, yes, ma'am. Good afternoon. I'm Vicki Craig. I'm a nurse practitioner, owner of Community Health. I've been a part of this community. I've been a part of this community, Bethune, for almost 30 years, and I've been, I've had the opportunity for over 20 years of public service to the community in regards to health care. When I heard about Bethune Energy, I was a bit concerned for our community, for our people, and for our resources, specifically the water resources and contamination. Further check-in and research has demonstrated that there should be no water contamination through the systems and processes that Bethune Energy, we'll utilize.

» Another concern was the air pollutants. This is the main reason and the biggest concern for most people here, that and their land values. For all the modalities utilized by power sources, even solar panels. With solar panels, though some are temporary, excessive water to clean can cause and strain our ecosystem, and the dust particles from the construction and the panels can contribute to particulate matter in the air. End-of-life waste can also be detrimental to our environment from the toxic materials if they're not recycled properly. The amount of land needed for solar panels further impact the disposal and impacts of our farmlands and our wildlife. The U.S. environmental research and regulatory analysis demonstrates natural gas.

» Fire and power plants generally emit fewer PM2.5 invokes than other fossil fuels because it burns cleaner and contains fewer particulate-forming elements like your sulfur and your heavy metals. The newer plants are equipped with modern controls that have much more PM2.5 concentrations, but still not enough. They're still going to emit some particulate. Let me just say this: with the advancement, it comes fear of the unknown. We're all concerned. We're all worried. But I think the big thing here is dangers are everywhere we can't see. We get in our car every day, and we pray that we make it home safely.

» So, we either move forward or we stay back in the '40s and the '50s and pray that God, I think the big thing here is we need to pray that God continues to take care of our community and expect Bethune power to do what they have committed to do, take the steps to protect our community and hold them accountable. Thank you, Ms. Craig. Yes. Ms. Douglas, who do we have next? Next, we have Tom Webb III speaking on power. Mr. Webb. Yes, sir, Mr. Webb. Yes. I favor protecting Bethune from corruption. If you would pull the mic up just a little bit. Okay, I'll try again. Yes, sir. I favor protecting Bethune from corruption. I spoke to a lawyer friend about the money that's being offered some people to speak up for the company, to speak up for the gas plant.

» And my lawyer friend said it looked to him like it was organized crime. And this robbery stuff pits one neighbor against another and amounts to paying for influence with county council. Not a very Christian thing to do. And I hope you won't touch it with a 10-foot pole. Thank you for coming out, Mr. Webb. Ms. Douglas. Next, we have Gina Knight speaking on project ballast. That was Gina Knight. Ms. Knight. Ms. Gina Knight. Is that the concluding? Or is there one more? There's one more. One more. Okay. Ms. Knight. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. Thank you so much for having us. My sweetheart. This is my grandson. I believe repetition creates consumption. The councilman kindly suggested Philo is non-germain to the health and well-being of Kershaw County constituents. I beg to differ.

» A Harvard Chan School of Public Health study published the 5th of 2021 shows the negative impacts of burning natural gas, makes increased cardiovascular respiratory disease, stroke, asthma, autism spectrum, premature mortality were noted. Most of you do not live in Bethune with us, but you are not exempt from the fallout. Industrial PM 2.5 travels via smoke stack, emissions, atmospheric mix, and local wind patterns, often carrying the particulate hundreds of miles downwind. So it will affect all of Kershaw County. One person's quality of life is too large a price to pay. No amount of money is fair trade. Thank you for listening. And don't forget that no harm rule, property owners obliged to not use their property in a manner which will not harm their neighbor. Thank you.

» I beg you to vote now. Thank you, Ms. Knight. Ms. Douglas. So there's one more speaker? Last but not least, we have Eve Carlin speaking on Kershaw County hate crimes ordinance. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Carlin. Yes, ma'am. Good evening, Chairman and members of the Kershaw County Council. I am here tonight representing not just myself, but the Kershaw County NAACP, the Kershaw County Democratic Party, the Kershaw County Democratic Women, and the concerned citizens of Kershaw County. On May 12th, we presented 95 sheets of petitions with over 600 names calling for the Kershaw County Council to pass a Kershaw County hate crimes ordinance. I have heard from some people that petitions like this are supposed to get a response within 30 days.

» I don't know if that's legally required, but tonight would mark about 60 days from when we handed in the petitions with over 600 signatures. So I am here tonight to ask the council to visit this issue, perhaps within 30 days. And if they can get back to me representing all of these groups, my number is on the sheet. And if we can be notified so we can be in attendance when this issue is discussed. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Carlin, for coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas, does that conclude the public comment list? It does, Mr. Chair. All right, gentlemen, with public comment concluded, and thank you again for everybody coming out and participating. With public comment concluded, that brings us to a series of public hearings. We've got four public hearings on for tonight.

» Again, the process is you sign up for the public hearing. Each individual will have up to 10 minutes to speak on the particular public hearing. And the matters that are spoken about are supposed to be germane or related to the public hearing item under the rules that this council's voted on. I'll go ahead and open up the first public hearing and see. Do we have anyone signed up? Ms. Douglas? We do, Mr. Chair. We have one person signed up for the public hearing on the first ordinance. Okay. And since there are multiple public hearings tonight, I'm just going to make sure people have signed up for the thing they intended to. The first public hearing is an ordinance to approve a lease. This is 7A. Ordinance to approve a lease of real property located at 632 West of Cab Street.

» And that would relate to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Who do you have signed up? I have Claire Buchanan. Ms. Buchanan, did you intend to speak on a lease related to the Carolina Forestry Commission? Did you intend to speak on another matter for public hearing? Okay. Oh, well, we can transfer your name as you did sign up to the public hearing section. What were you intending to speak on? Oh, you weren't speaking. Okay. Well, then you can just sit down and enjoy the meeting. Okay. So we don't have anyone signed up at all for item number 7A? No, Mr. Chair. Okay. I'll open the public hearing and we will therefore close the public hearing. It requires sign up. Public hearing on 7A is closed. We'll move to the next public hearing and check the list.

» Do we have anyone signed up for 7B on the agenda? We have no speakers signed up for 7B, Mr. Chair. And again, I'll announce that 7B is an ordinance to approve a lease of real property located at 632 West of Cab Street. And that's in relation to the Department of Natural Resources. No one has signed up. I'll go ahead and open and close the public hearing. It's open and closed. And forgive us for the formality, but we have to go through these machinations to comply with the rules to make sure things are binding under state and local law. That takes care of item number 7B. Number 7C. Do we have anyone signed up? No, Mr. Chair. No individual signed up for 7C. Okay. Item number 7C is an ordinance authorizing execution of a delivery of a special source revenue credit.

» That is a SSRC related to a project previously known as Project Gemstone. And it relates to the name of the company, Candy Root Lodge Holdings, LLC, and affiliates. It relates to certain economic development properties and incentives related there, too. Since we don't have anybody signed up, I'll open and close the public hearing on 7C. It's open and closed. And we move to item number 7D. How many folks do we have signed up for item number 7D on the public hearing? Mr. Chair, we have 15 individuals signed up to speak for the public hearing on 7D. Okay. Under the rules, again, you've got up to 10 minutes to speak for each person. I don't know that you intend to speak that long for each person.

» I don't know that the council will have to vote at some point to condense the public hearing because we do have to conduct this business tonight. The public hearing is not designed to have a filibuster. But we're interested in hearing from those who have something to say and share tonight. And so you've got the list of 15 folks. I'll go ahead and open up the public hearing. Who's the first person that signed up? Mr. Chair, pardon me, I have a Russell Horton. Mr. Horton, you signed up for what you said your piece. Yes, sir. Okay. All right. So let's move to person number 2 under public hearing. We have Emily Poole. Ms. Poole. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. My name is Emily Poole and I'm a staff attorney at the South Carolina Environmental Law Project.

» Scalp is a nonprofit public interest law firm and our mission is to use legal expertise to protect land, water, and communities across the state. I am here to share my concerns regarding Beaufort Rosemary's gas plant proposal and the fee in lieu of tax agreement that you are considering for the project. This FILO agreement would considerably offset the property taxes the company behind the proposal rightfully owes by instead allowing it to pay a reduced rate for many decades. Under normal taxation, this project would generate about $14 million per year at full build out. Under this FILO agreement, Beaufort Rosemary's payment drops to merely $2 million per year.

» That means Kershaw County is losing over 85% of revenue from the proposed project and giving up tens of millions of dollars each year that could be providing critical funding to public education and other essential services over the 40-year lifetime of the agreement. South Carolina law recognizes the gravity of local tax breaks and requires that certain conditions be met before a FILO is established. Specifically, state law mandates that the project benefit the general welfare by providing services, employment, recreation, or other public benefits, and that the benefits of the project be greater than the costs as demonstrated by a full cost-benefit analysis.

» Does a gas plant that only creates 15 jobs satisfy this statutory burden? More importantly, do the purported benefits of this proposal outweigh the environmental, economic, health, and social costs that will be borne by your constituents as this polluting facility moves forward? Unfortunately, many public harms are confidently expected as a result of this proposed gas plant. By burning methane gas, this facility will produce many tons of dangerous air pollutants, including fine particulate matter or PM 2.5, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and other pollutants. The impacts of the harmful air pollution that will be emitted by this plant are very serious and should not be minimized.

» This pollution is linked to adverse health outcomes such as respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, asthma, and in more severe cases, heart attack, stroke, cancer, and premature death. To make matters worse, screening tools show that this area is already sensitive to environmental pollution, nationally scoring in the 89th percentile in low life expectancy, in the 74th percentile of people with asthma, in the 92nd percentile of people with heart disease, and in the 71st percentile of people with cancer, excluding skin cancer.

» These existing respiratory and health conditions make the surrounding community especially vulnerable to harmful air pollution and more likely to shoulder the economic burden of increased health care costs associated with hospital admissions, asthma attacks, cardiac arrest, and missed workdays. In addition to air pollution and health concerns, this proposed facility could also drain precious water resources within the county. The plant will require water as part of its operation, but no information has been provided on how much water will be required, where it will be pulled from, what the contingency plan is if air cooling systems fail, and what strain this usage will place on existing surface. Water demand following extreme drought conditions.

» Have each and every one of these public harms been considered by county council? Do the benefits you see from the gas plant outweigh all of these environmental, economic, health, and social costs? The reason why so many people have shown up to meetings, emailed you, called you, and requested more information is because they want to protect the places they call home, as we have already heard tonight. Many questions remain unanswered about the full scope and impact of this gas plant project, and the public deserves to know what is actually being proposed for these nearly 800 acres before county council approves tax incentives. The decisions unfolding across South Carolina demonstrate why transparency and complete information are so important on the front end of these deals.

» Most recently, Spartanburg County's Valera data center, which was not even presented to the public as a data center when the FELO agreement was passed, has announced plans to expand its on-site generation ninefold from a 50 megawatt facility to a 450 megawatt facility. The public deserved to know what was actually being proposed from the start, and now the trust between that county council and its citizens is incredibly frayed and in need of significant repair. In conclusion, I urge you to fully meet the requirements of the FELO statute, considering all of the public harms posed by this project, and to provide all pertinent information to the public so that a transparent, reasoned, and legal decision can be made. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Poole. Ms.

» Douglas, who is signed up as number three on the public hearing. Next, we have Samantha Melamed. I apologize if I mispronounced that. Samantha Melamed. Yes, ma'am. Hi. My name is Samantha Melamed. I am here from Aiken, South Carolina. I am the co-founder of Pace Aiken. I was approached to build a gas-fired power plant on my property in Aiken, and when that happened to me, the folks from Colleton County came up and supported me. And so I am here to support my neighbors in Kershaw County. A few things I want to say is our county council stood up for us and helped us when this happened, and it was an incredible moment between the community and the officials elected to represent them. But in the interim period of time, a lot of the things that the folks here are worried about happened.

» Our real estate sales plunged in the area where the gas-fired power plant was going to happen. Developers literally stopped developing. Sales stopped mid-contract. The real estate agents were desperate to help us fight this. Our state and local government officials really helped, and we are in the middle of passing zoning changes to push these types of developments into industrial areas. One of the things that I very much did in Aiken was work on a comprehensive plan. It took us 18 months. I am incredibly familiar with the wonderful comprehensive plan that you all worked very hard on and was passed in October of last year because it very much protected the rural areas of the county. It was exactly what we were trying to do. It also has the equestrian overlay.

» I am a sixth-generation farmer. My farm is 250 acres. They approached me. I said no. They came to my 85-year-old neighbors. They came to me sobbing. I was organizing our group to go up and stand up on this, and we were able to fight it back. I am really hoping that you listened the way our Aiken County Council did as well. Another thing I want to say is, as I have gotten really involved in this, I am a PhD scientist in genetics. My specialty is in lung cancer. I have been doing lung cancer research for 30 years. I was going to move. I will just say that. As a note, I am not here in my professional capacity, but I am an expert in this particular area. The type of power plant we are talking about here is for hundreds of thousands of homes and often are being used to power AI factories.

» That is not something I am getting from Facebook. That is not something I am getting from a New York Times article. I actually have been listening to a lot of podcasts from the data center developers themselves. They develop AI factories. The first thing that they do is they get power. The second thing they do is they lock down community support. And that is when they can move in and put in behind the grid, so it is not even hooked up to the grid. A lot of times these 800-acre developments, big ones like this, they put the power. They then want to hook up to the utility, or they just keep it all for themselves, and that is how they proceed.

» So this very much follows the playbook that the data center developers themselves are talking about in their conferences called Data Center World and others, where they get together and they look at where do they want to put these type of facilities. So the fears that you hear expressed, this happened in Aiken. We fought it back on the gas-fired power plant, but this is exactly the playbook that they follow. So I drove up here an hour and a half because I wanted to help out my neighbors in Kershaw County. And then I just implore you, like the wonderful comprehensive plan that you passed designating this a rural area, please protect Bethune. Thank you. Thank you for coming out tonight. Ms.

» Douglas, who do we have next? This was another double writing, but we have a Donny Cato on this one as well. He's already said his piece. Next, we have Sarah Williams. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Williams. I'm Sarah Williams. I want to thank you for letting me speak tonight. Project Ballast provides Bethune with air pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, light pollution, extreme water usage, and environmental destruction. All of this for just 15 jobs. This project is bad for the environment and the people it sustains, leaving the community to wonder what happens if they can't breathe the air and their wells dry up. Answering the community questions about the environmental and health impacts of this project with promises of a commitment to mitigation is of little value and comfort.

» The company behind Project Ballast is offering to pay residents in the area $10,000 to acknowledge this project is industrial by signing a pre-written letter of support, which pretty much assures their inability to speak against the project. They also agreed to pay up to $10,000 a year toward property taxes for 20 years after construction begins. That is real generous considering property values will go down. This company is buying the support this project cannot earn. In my mind, if you have to pay people for their support and also silence them, it is a very harmful project. I also believe this power plant is the first step toward a data center or worse. Depending on the wind, this project will affect more than just the Bethune area. There are two projects before you tonight.

» One is a good fit for this rural county and the other is not. Smog from Project Ballast could settle in over the Candy Root Golf Lodge project. Once Project Ballast is built, you can't control the wind. Please don't sell out your citizens in Bethune and the rest of Kershaw County. I'm asking you to stand up for our environment and your citizens' health by denying this fee-in-lieu of tax agreement. Thank you, Ms. Williams. Ms. Douglas. Next, we have Linda Knetzer. Ms. Knetzer. Well, here we are again dealing with many of the same old problems and issues regarding the impacts of development and growth in our county. Ask yourself why there is very little information available about the Beaufort Rosemary Energy Advisory Group.

» Apparently, there are only three employees, what I've been able to gather, all with the same last name and address. I call that a family. Also, they seem to be affiliated with a Renewal Energy Company in Scotland. And that company, I forget the name of it, but it does a lot of solar and wind projects, apparently, in their area. If there are no health problems, risks, or other negative impacts from this plant, then why do they find it necessary to offer residents compensation to not oppose this project? One thing that I did want to point out. We're not sure that the power created by this project is really going to come to help our electric needs.

» But we don't need to forget that we do have a couple of nuclear reactors kind of close to us that are being worked on now that will provide more energy for the central South Carolina area. So I don't think we have to be dependent on this natural gas plant for our electricity needs. It states in the Kershaw County Council purpose that the council will be accountable to the residents of Kershaw County. By making that your priority, there would be no way any council member could vote to give tax breaks or permits to the proposed natural gas power plant in the Bethune area. I don't live in Bethune. I don't even live that close to Bethune. But I do stand with the people of Bethune. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Conatzer. Ms. Douglas. Next, we have Lynn Conto.

» I'm not sure if she wanted to speak on this as well. Ms. Conto has signed up again. Yes, ma'am. According to Oil and Gas Watch, any company that has sought out the neighbors of their facility with tax incentives is the word I'll use, are trying to do nine things. They're trying to manage risk, avoid community backlash, protect corporate reputation, focus on lawsuit prevention, avoiding protests, controlling information, suppressing public outrage, protecting their property value, securing favorable zoning and tax breaks. Nowhere does it say they're protecting the community. That's your job. Since that is your job, please remember, money comes with strings attached. Do not sacrifice the health and water supply for this community. It is a necessity. A tax break is a luxury.

» You can give the tax break, but you aren't doing what you need to do for all these other businesses in our community. Why choose this one? It doesn't seem quite fair. You know, this title for this company figuratively means stability, firmness, steadiness to character, life, and behavior. This community is a very good community. I've been involved with it for 30 years. They look out for one another. They care about each other. I need you to do that for them, too. Do you realize that this is just four minutes from town, 2.5 minutes from City Hall? Do you know how close that is? Do you realize how much this is going to affect the health of the town? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Pipeline Safety Trust, the Bethune community is at risk.

» You know, if you're a half-mile from the site, you're in what's called the danger zone. If you're a mile from the site, you're in what's called premature mortality risk zone. If you're a mile to three miles away, you have what's considered the greatest health risk, according to the GAPS. That is putting pretty much everybody in the Bethune area at risk. 1.2 miles, they have public health and air quality radius issues. 1 to 10 miles, you're what's called ground-level ozone impact area, which will trigger extreme asthma issues. But did you know what's even more serious? That this will go beyond that area. You see, the spring and summer winds blow southwest. So it's not just going to affect the community of Bethune. And the winter winds blow north and northwest.

» And then the autumn winds blow northeast. And then cold fronts come in with high-pressure systems that could push the winds west. So everybody is affected. Now, here's the biggest issue for me, and I've talked to you about this before, is the water. 28,000 gallons per megawatt an hour. The station in Colleton used 1.3 billion gallons per month. Let that sink in. Natural gas power plants pull millions of gallons of water per day from underground aquifers. Do not risk this community's water supply. It is a necessity. It is a necessity. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Conto. Ms. Douglas, who do we have up next? Next, we have Grace Kane. Ms. Grace Kane, yes. Good evening. Good evening. I want to start this off by saying I was given no money to say what I'm about to say, which I think is important.

» My name is Gracie Kane. I am 24 years old. My husband and I chose Bethune as our home. We were married just two months ago. We both work for Prestige Farms, where I serve as the accounting manager. I hold a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in data analytics. I recently earned my master's of business administration. We live on Holton Farms, owned by Prestige, very near where this proposed natural gas plant will be built. I know I may be in the minority tonight, but I wanted to speak because I believe there's another perspective that deserves to be heard.

» Not the perspective of someone who has lived here their entire life, but the perspective of someone who made the conscious decision to move here, invest here, pay taxes here, and hopefully raise a family here. I've listened over the past several meetings. I've noticed that many of those speaking against this project have lived here their entire lives. I respect that. This is your home, and you care deeply about protecting it. But I also believe there's value in hearing from someone who intentionally chose Bethune, because that decision gives me a unique perspective. Moving from Raleigh to Bethune has been one of the biggest lifestyle adjustments I have ever experienced. I'll wait.

» Raleigh offered opportunities, restaurants, local businesses, recreation, and places where people naturally gathered. When we moved here, it became obvious very quickly that Bethune was a very different place. Many businesses have closed. There are very few places for families to spend time together. Very few opportunities for young professionals. Very little that encourages people my age to move here. Making friends outside of work has honestly been difficult, because there simply aren't many places for people to gather. This isn't meant as criticism. It's simply the reality of a town that has struggled economically. And because of that, my husband and I have had countless conversations about our future. Those conversations almost always end the same way.

» We ask ourselves, should we stay in Bethune? Not because we don't love the people here, not because we don't enjoy living on our farm, but because we wonder what opportunities will exist here for our future children. Will there be businesses? Will there be jobs? Will there be things that encourage them to stay? Or will they have to leave like so many young people already have? I don't want to leave. I want Bethune to thrive. I want it to become a place where young professionals see opportunities. Where businesses open instead of close. Where families choose to settle instead of passing by. That's why I support responsible economic development. Over the last month, I've heard one phase repeatedly: do your research. So, I did. I didn't stop at Facebook posts.

» I didn't rely on AI-generated summaries. I didn't rely on rumors. I went directly to the source. I emailed the vice president of development. I asked hard questions about emissions, groundwater, livestock, environmental monitoring, well testing, emergency response, permitting, and what happens if something were to ever go wrong. I have every one of these emails available, should anyone on the council wish to review them, which I do urge you to do so. Research isn't reading what someone else summarized online. Research is asking questions, reading original sources, comparing information, and being willing to challenge your own assumptions. That brings me to something else that concerned me throughout this process.

» At previous meetings, articles have been presented as evidence to this project. One referenced general EPA information discussing the fossil fuel industry as a whole. Another discussed a proposed natural gas facility that is more than four times larger than the one that is proposed here. Those sources may have value in their own context, but they are not studies of this project, this location, or this facility. The background memo provided on those references explains that the EPA material discusses the electric power sector broadly, and the Harvard report has been presented as though it is directly applicable to Bethune. However, it was commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center, an organization actively opposing the Kennedy's project.

» It evaluates a 2,200 megawatt facility more than four times larger than the 500 megawatt in Bethune. Those are important distinctions when we are deciding what evidence should guide decisions for Kershaw County. Another article discussed was a paper written by a student in Wisconsin, which is not peer reviewed. Again, I simply asked the council, should we base a decision that should shape Kershaw County for generations on generalized information, advocacy reports, or student papers from another state? Or should we evaluate this project on its own merits? That is all I'm asking. Judges' project based on evidence that actually applies to this project. Now, I wasn't planning to say what I am about to say tonight. In fact, I completely rewrote this speech.

» Because after speaking publicly yesterday on Facebook, where I had commented on a post where grown adults were bullying someone for not thinking the same as them, something happened. I engaged in what I would call a healthy debate, but it was soon interrupted by some members of the community. I was told that my opinions somehow matter less because I only lived here for three years. Then I came home and found people taking pictures in my driveway. And found people, not pictures of the proposed site, pictures of my home. Please think about that. Are these the kind of people that are thinking with logic and reason? Are these people going to listen to fact? My husband and I chose this community. We invested here. We bought a home here. We planned to raise our children here.

» And because I expressed a difference of opinion, people felt comfortably coming onto my road and photographing where my family lives. If I were worried about what will discourage young families from moving to Bethune, I can promise you, it isn't just whether a power plant gets built. It's whether people who move here feel welcome after they arrived. That experience was extremely disappointing. Not because it changed my opinion, but it was reinforced something, I've been thinking throughout this process. The greatest obstacle to growth isn't always a lack of investment. Sometimes it's the way we treat people who have different perspectives. Economic development doesn't just require businesses.

» It requires people, young families, professionals, entrepreneurs, people who are willing to invest their lives here. And if a newcomer who speaks up is told their opinion matters less or becomes subject of personal attacks, how can we expect anyone else to choose Bethune? This project represents approximately $900 million investment. That investment has potential to strengthen our tax base, improve schools, support emergency services, help infrastructure, create jobs, and encourage additional businesses to invest in our community. No project is perfect. Every project deserves scrutiny. Every question does deserve an answer. But scrutiny should be based on facts, not fear, like some were trying to invoke yesterday. Evidence and not speculation.

» Tonight, I simply ask that the council make its decision based on information that directly applies to this project. Because your decision tonight will not just affect today's residents. It will affect whether their families like mine decide to stay. And whether our future children have opportunities here. And whether the next generation sees Bethune as a place worth building a life. I chose Bethune. I want to continue choosing Bethune. And I simply hope Bethune chooses a future that gives families like mine a reason to stay. Thank you. Thank you very much, Ms. Cain. Ladies and gentlemen, please, we're going to have a respectful evening, I hope. I know everybody's very charged on this. And I believe in the First Amendment wholeheartedly. But we don't embrace the heckler's veto.

» Let's let everybody speak and say their piece and then sit down. Ms. Douglas, who do we have next on the list? Next, we have Jim Curley. Mr. Curley. Mr. Curley. Yes, sir. Good evening. So here we are. About 35 days from when this started for a lot of us. First, I just want to thank council members. Council members that don't agree with us. That answered, I think, every email. Council members that took, I don't know, how many calls from me and called me back. Council members that came out and listened to our concerns. Council members, even if some of the people expressed them in a non-respectful way. I thank you for coming out. And especially for the council members that voted no on the second reading. So, you know, over the past 35 days, we've researched, we've listened, we've evaluated.

» We've tried to share the data we've had. I know some data has been said it doesn't apply, this doesn't apply. And that's why we've spread so much, not just the plant in Colton, but the gas, the Columbia Energy Center in Gaston, plants in Wisconsin, plants in Virginia, all over the country. I know some of you, or hopefully all of you, received those reports of varying size plants. The one common denominator with them is that they all are either projected or do already produce nitrous oxides and particulate matter. Matter of fact, you can't find a source online that says natural gas plants do not emit particulate matter that is harmful for your health. You can't find that source. You can, you know, the EPA, you can use their COBRA tool, which some of these studies did.

» But they also used real data from other plants that are already operating that were comparable in size. So there's also been discussion, I know, last meeting, about property rights. And I'm a property rights guy. It's different to sell your land to someone than have your council give that the person who's been sold to a tax incentive to put something on that land, especially whether there's benefits or not, have been evaluated. And I know there's a lot of economic benefits, but it's clear. The data is clear. The research is clear. The stuff I showed you is clear. There are health risks and associated medical costs with those risks for this type of plant. And especially for the close community, but also for the wider community.

» Which, you know, which dollar amount can outweigh the health and very life of people in Kershaw County? Even if it's just a small community of citizens, we still count. Either everybody counts or nobody counts. I think I read somewhere in some novel. So the nitric oxide and particular matter or particular concern, not to mention greenhouse gases. We heard of low ozone and things like that. I'm not against power plants in general. I use electricity in my home, although there's some people who think I don't. I use electricity in my home, but there's a place for them. And it's not, you know, in the middle of a rural community where people have come. My wife talked about why we moved to Bethune. Although we're not. Well, I think some people do consider us newcomers.

» We've only been there 22 years. But why we moved there and what it won't be anymore. When we walk out our backyard and see smokestacks and know we're breathing it in. My livestock's breathing it in. My zucchini's breathing it in. And things like that. So, and of course, there's the unanswered questions about the 600 or 700 acres. There's so much out there. I know, you know, I've talked to Beaufort Rosemary. I've read the answers to their, to the questions. But a lot of them just are not, don't give a lot of detail that we need. And I think you have to really outweigh, you have to weigh the benefits against the health and life of the citizens in this community.

» Um, so with these unanswered questions, uh, and the clear health risks and, um, and, and other detriments, I would think in hopefully in good conscience, uh, you must reject the filo agreement tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Curley. Ms. Douglas. Next we have Christine A. Cato. Would you say the name one more time, please? Christine A. Cato. Ms. Cato. Ms. Cato. Is there a Ms. Cato present who signed up? Is that Ms. Cato? Nope. We'll call the name one more time. Christine A. Cato. Not seeing a Christine A. Cato. Who's the next person on the list? Next we have Amy McCaskill. Ms. Amy McCaskill. Yes, ma'am. Yes. Uh, I have the letter from the Coastal Conservation League that had a lot of information that I know I shared, um, what I thought was scientific information for y'all.

» But, uh, it's from the Taylor Allred, the State Energy and Climate Program Director for the Coastal Conservation League. And he says, Dear County Council, please accept the following letter submitted on behalf of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League in opposition to Beaufort Rosemary's proposal to develop a 500 megawatt gas power plant near Bethune, South Carolina. The Coastal Conservation League respectfully urges the Kershaw County Council to reject this proposal and all fee-in-lieu of tax agreements committed to supporting this project. The Coastal Conservation League is a statewide nonprofit organization headquartered in Charleston that advocates to protect the natural environment of South Carolina's coast for the benefit of all.

» We envision a South Carolina coast where wildlife thrives, air and water are clean, and natural landscapes are protected for generations to come. The siting of a major fossil fuel power plant in a community comes with potentially serious impacts that should be considered, including infrastructure needs, air pollution, water usage, potential impacts to surface and groundwater supplies, noise, light pollution, upward pressure on energy costs, and more. Many of these impacts impose quantifiable costs to community members. Those costs could outweigh the benefits and those who bear the costs are not necessarily those who benefit. At this time, not enough information has been provided to have a complete picture of these costs and benefits.

» It is our understanding that the project would generate $2 million per year in revenue for Kershaw County, but it is not clear how that revenue would be spent or whether there would be any additional community benefits agreement. The health impacts due to Kershaw County's costs are a major concern with any gas plant this size, which would emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, and other harmful pollutants. The health care costs resulting from just the fine particulate matter emitted by the plant could exceed the annual revenue provided to the county by the project.

» There is no safe exposure level to fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, PM 2.5, which is able to penetrate the human body's defenses, enter the bloodstream, and cross the blood-brain barrier. Exposure can cause cardiovascular damage, respiratory illness, neurological problems, and cancer. Not enough information has been provided to determine the project's PM 2.5 emission rate, but even assuming a conservatively low emission rate similar to much larger, more efficient, combined cycle power plants, the fine particulate low emission rate similar, the fine particulate matter from this project would increase health care costs for South Carolinians by $1.5 to $3.3 million, according to our findings, using the Environmental Protection Agency's COBE model.

» The actual costs are likely to be much higher, and other pollutants would drive additional costs. The company's project background page states that they are, quote, "exploring an energy generating facility in Kershaw County to meet the needs of the local community." And it cites population growth as a reason the project is needed. However, this project is not a part of the electric utilities' long-term resource plans for meeting future demand, and the project has not been studied in the utilities' generator interconnection cues. Moreover, population growth in Kershaw County would be inadequate to justify the plant. The county has a population below 75,000, and even at a rapid growth rate of 2% a year, it would not likely exceed 100,000 before 2040.

» A 500-megawatt power plant could generate the amount of electricity used by 500,000 homes. It's far more likely that this project would provide power to a large new industrial customer like a data center. Important questions remain that should be answered prior to a final vote on the proposal. For example, Beaufort Rosemary has acquired 800 acres for the project site, but the gas plant would require only 100 acres. We understand that a natural buffer is necessary for the facility to remain compliant with the noise limitations for residential properties, but 700 acres is notably excessive for meeting the stipulation. So we ask what will happen to the remaining 700 acres? The council should consider this along with its consideration of the proposed gas plant.

» In addition, the facility's cooling system would likely draw on groundwater, potentially requiring hundreds of millions of gallons per year. Has the company provided any data on expected water use? Does Kershaw County have the capacity to supply this without putting other future uses at risk? In closing, we understand that this project could bring economic benefits to Kershaw County, but the Coastal Conservation League is concerned that the costs outweigh the benefits. Due to the negative effects the gas plant will have on the land, water, wildlife, and residents of Kershaw County, the Coastal Conservation League opposes this project. We respectfully ask the county council to reject the proposed fee in lieu of taxes agreement for a 500 megawatt gas plant.

» Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, ATOL, All-RED, State Energy and Climate Control Climate Program Director for Coastal Conservation League. Nowhere in the third reading version of Project Ballast Ordinance is the health of people in Bethune mentioned. Three of councilmen who responded to my concerns about the polluting effects this plant would have on the people living in close proximity to it, were in agreement that the potential health risk was minimal, if at all. They asked for scientific studies, scientific proof of health risk, and they dismissed every one. It was obvious Project Ballast was on a fast track before first reading when councilmen claimed no knowledge of it.

» One councilman talked about hydrogeologic concerns and that a study needed to be done before he approved this project, as Bethune sits on an aquifer. Did that happen? How is that precious water source going to be protected? Is Project Ballast going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg? Again, this will all be on the backs of the citizens of Bethune. Right now, the federal government is dismantling environmental protections. Time and again, councilmen referred to, quote, "regulations being followed when the time comes." But deep down, they can't deny Bethune residents will bear the brunt of the pollution to come. This whole process has been belittling, handpicking a few souls who the company let in on the secret.

» No plan shared by the developer or by the county with some of the people they knew would be affected most. Residents at the intersection of Timrod Road and Boise Cascade Road did not receive letters. I'll say that again. Residents at the intersection of Timrod Road and Boise Cascade Road did not receive letters, and nobody north on Timrod Road, such as my 87-year-old uncle here who lives less than a mile away, if not a half mile. He has received no communication from the county or the development. Is he part of the second wave of this? Some people within a mile of the proposed plant are still hearing about it for the first time. That's in the last couple of days. They just learned about it.

» People in Bethune generally, and especially some who live near the proposed plant site, have been condescended to when asking basic, legitimate questions and are overwhelmingly disgusted. Rightfully so. There is no reason that this can't be considered deliberately with more time. Please vote. Please do not vote to support this. Thank you. Thank you for coming out tonight, ma'am. Ms. Douglas, who do we have next? We have Adam Smith. Mr. Adam Smith. What number is that, by the way? 12. I believe that would be number 12. Sorry, there's skipped a line on here. Okay. Mr. Smith. Good evening. Just briefly a little bit about me. My name's Adam Smith. I was born, raised, and currently live in Bethune.

» I'm a third generation cattle farmer with our farm being about two miles from the site of this proposed power plant. First of all, Mr. Cato, Mr. Jones, Mr. Brazel, if he's here, thank you for voting with the people over profits last time. While I do share the same concerns that others have raised regarding pollution, contamination, et cetera, I'm looking at this primarily from a different angle. Mr. Shoemaker, you said at the last council meeting referring to the golf course project that a county that doesn't grow dies. I have to disagree. I don't believe growth is necessary for survival. Adapting, maintaining, developing, sure, but not growth. In fact, when growth is left unchecked, it can become detrimental. Such growth has a name, cancer.

» I see this power plant as nothing more than a gateway for more of this growth. More housing, solar farms, or heaven forbid, a data center. None of these I see as a net good for our community. I can't speak for everyone of Bethune, but I'm willing to bet that most of us choose to live there to get away from just these sorts of things. We like our small town small, and right now it feels like there's a rug that we're standing on and it's about to be pulled out from up underneath us. My next concern is water usage. I understand natural gas energy production and the technology of this plant in particular is supposed to use much less water. That's great. Nevertheless, it would be an additional strain on our water resource.

» And thinking down the road if this power plant does in fact open the door to more housing in the area or data center, water usage is only going to be compounded even further. This is personally at the forefront of my mind when I consider the drought we've experienced so far this year. At least three local municipalities, including Bethune, have implemented or otherwise encouraged water usage restrictions. Again, I'm a cattle farmer. I'm nervous that one day I'm going to show up, the troughs are going to be empty, and I'm going to have to rush to have a well drilled deeper. As I see it, any vote in favor of this project is at best a disregard and at worst an act of betrayal to the will of the people most impacted by it.

» I get it, those of you who have voted in favor of this project have nothing to lose and everything to gain, but it isn't your responsibility as an elected official. We've gotten along just fine without this power plant, but we can continue to do so. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Ms. Douglas, who do we have signed up next? Next, we have Tom Webb. I'm not sure if he wants to come back up. Mr. Webb, was that a double sign up, or do you want to speak again? He's coming, you know he's coming back up. He knows the rules, he's coming. He knows the rules, he's coming. Hurry up, Tom. Yes, sir, Mr. Webb. Well, I'm going to be real long-winded this time. Be prepared. Power corrupts.

» To get their foot in the door with 500 megawatts of power, then what? A data center? Eventually a data center? Are they telling you? They're not telling us. It was a data center. Put them out in the desert southwest, not around people, not here. The company is sneaky and not forthcoming about what's up with almost 800 acres. Something ain't right. I don't trust them. Neither should you. Just leave it alone. Thank you, Mr. Webb. Ms. Douglas, who do we have signed up next? Next, we have Paul Black. Mr. Paul Black. Yes, sir. Mr. Black. Good evening, County Council. My name is Paul Black, and I want to first thank you guys for this opportunity to speak and for the effort that you've put in as our county council representing us. I am a resident of Kershaw County.

» I've been here for about three and a half years now, and I'm speaking to you on that behalf, but I'm also the senior campaign organizer for Sierra Club, and that is the nation's largest and oldest environmental advocacy organization, and I specialize in energy issues. So, oh, dang, I was not close to the mic. I just heard my echo. Am I too close or too long? Mr. You're fine. Go ahead. Mr. Okay. My apologies. But I spend a lot of time in front of county councils and talking to elected officials, talking to leaders, talking to decision makers across both North and South Carolina and talking to leaders, and talking to people around power issues, around how we get our power, around where it comes from, and the importance of making educated decisions for the how as well as the how much.

» And I come to you this afternoon, evening, to ask for you to vote against this project. Mr. This project is -- there's a host of issues around methane gas. And just because you call it a natural gas plant, that does not mean that it's good to have around you. It's like calling coal natural solid or oil natural liquid. Like that's a PR term that -- game recognize game. I can recognize, you know, the gas providers for coining that. But I'm drifting a little bit off topic, so my apologies. The point is, just because it's called natural gas does not mean that it has natural good impacts on the citizens of Kershaw County and the citizens of any county that a facility is built around.

» So one of the folks that spoke a little bit earlier said that this is something that -- a price they're willing to pay for their community, and the price that the community of Bethune should be willing to pay. And that is a gross characterization of the rest of the comments that folks in this community have made. I don't live in Bethune. I live on the other side of the county. But the will of the people has been heard pretty loud this evening as well as over the last 35, 40 days when -- ever since this project -- information about this project has emerged. The concept of sacrificing a certain community for future economic development or enrichment, the term use of that community is a sacrifice zone.

» So what we are discussing is the creation of a sacrifice zone for the town of Bethune, for that region of Kershaw County and for large swaths of the county depending on where the wind blows. And the subsequent health impacts cannot be underrated. We've had speakers this evening talk about what happens when these -- when particulate matter comes down to the ground, when it gets into the lungs and gets into the bodies, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and causes premature mortality. These are concerns that cannot be understated. Can not be overstated, my apologies. That's why I need to stay on my script.

» But the point is, when county council is considering passing a tax incentive for an industry that actively hurts the health of the community, rewarding a polluter for bringing an industry here, that is a mischaracterization of the will of the community and worse of a trail. And I believe that my county council is better than that. And there's -- there we go. And the fact that this company is coming with these good neighbor agreements, offering five-figure checks at first blush for folks willing to speak on behalf, it already poisons the well for anyone speaking to the affirmative of this project.

» Because I -- as someone who does advocacy work, if you heard that an environmental group was out there offering five-figure checks to folks to speak in favor of a project, would you be able to trust the words of those who speak up on that behalf? It is a little ludicrous. And while there was some comments made around, like, you know, a land holder's right to, you know, operate -- to use their property as CFIT, I understand that. I am a landowner here in Kershaw County. And during the pandemic, I even got my real estate license. So it's like I am familiar with private property rights and the bill of rights that come when -- that come withholding property. But there's an oft-quoted saying in civic life, my freedom to swing my arm ends when I punch someone else in the face.

» And in this scenario, the freedom of a land holder to do what they wish for their land ends when it has such a negative, detrimental impact on the community and the other folks trying to enjoy their property, trying to enjoy their land in the way that they see fit. And this is a classic example of how one person's right ability to do what they want directly contradicts the ability for others to enjoy their property to that same end. So I just don't want my neighbors in Bethune to be punched in the face. There was also a statement I made during the second reading that, you know, there are a lot of other power plants here in South Carolina and that these issues aren't controversial.

» As someone who's worked on pretty much every single power issue in South Carolina for the last six or seven years in some way, shape, or form, I cannot say that these issues are not controversial. The closest parallels are the situation that happened in Aiken where we're lucky to have someone from Aiken able to speak on their behalf. And what's currently happening up there in Spartanburg around the Valera data center where instead of a power plant coming first, a data center came first. And now they're trying to back to our power plant. So, and that is, that situation is rife with issues. And I can't say that it's a non-controversial topic.

» So there, and then when we're talking about just power generated for our community and power facilities, as was mentioned in the letter from the Coastal Conservation League, this power plant is not in any of the utilities integrated resource planning. I, I can attest to that myself as someone who has to painfully go through those documents. And so this is not what's been projected by Dominion, not projected by Duke and not projected by Santee Cooper as a need for growth here in South Carolina. It is, like this project came out of the blue.

» And while they might eventually sign some form of interconnection agreement, possibly, that's a possible, It is telling that a plant that would be, that a plant this size that could power four to 500,000 homes is not being called for by the investor-owned utilities and the state-owned utility that have the burden of service for South Carolina who have to power every single house. They didn't call for it, but an independent merchant power plant is coming in to build a facility that is not called for and claims that is for the welfare of keeping South Carolina lights on. I'll try to wrap it up, since I have a bit of a habit to go alone.

» The rust nature of this project, it highlights all these insufficiencies, the lack of information that we have, the lack of clarity around how would this power plant impact the community, exactly what is the configuration of its turbines, where exactly is the water source, will it be surface water, will it be, will it be water for draws from the aquifer, how much will it need, how much will it return to the river. How much will it need, how much will it return to the river basin, if it is being from service water withdrawals, how, like, there's so many questions. I could sit here and rattle them all off ad nauseam, but I've been going on for a while. I think this project is going through at light speed and has the potential to have a cataclysmic impact here in Kershaw County.

» And I just want the county council to disprove, vote no on this, not pass this third reading, and hopefully if they still want to proceed, they can do so without being incentivized, and hopefully we'll have an opportunity to learn more. And just one last quick thing, like, I had the, I live here at Kershaw County Convention, and we had an issue around like an odor in my community. Yeah, and my county council member, he got to the thick of it, he found out the information, what was wrong, and he solved that project. It was, I was here for a year here in the county, and to see that civic service, it was really heartening, and I want my county council as a whole to be able to do so as well. Thank you. Thank you for coming out tonight. Ms. Douglas. We have Cody Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell.

» Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, members of the county council. I'm Cody Mitchell. I represent House District 65, which is the northern end of the county, including my hometown of Bethune, but more importantly, I'm a resident of Bethune. I've been there my whole life. Over the past few weeks, I've heard from countless constituents about this proposed power plant on Boise Cascade Road in the Timrod community of Bethune. How I found out about it was Facebook, which is interesting to me that that's how I found out about it. My constituents informed me instead of me informing my constituents. Their message has been very heartfelt, very consistent, and very clear. They're extremely concerned about the effects of this project that none of us know what they may be or may not be.

» They're also concerned about the futures of their family, and they're also worried about their community. I'm here today to say that I stand with them. I believe in economic development. Of course, I understand economic development as well as all of y'all do. We need jobs. We need income. That's how we get taxes. But not every project is the right fit for every community. Based on the conversations that I've had with the people of Timrod that have lived there their entire lives, they're extremely concerned. Not as much about the project itself. I know that there's been a lot of conversations about the environmental concerns, and those are valid because we haven't gone through permitting yet. We haven't had Department of Environmental Services. We haven't had the EPA.

» We haven't had all of those people who are outside of y'all's purview talk. But there's a whole lot of uncertainty, and uncertainty develops conspiracy. And that's what happens. It's not that there's a power plant. Of course, no one who's spoken is happy about a power plant. But what you hear is, what's next? Well, none of us know what's next. That's the concern. Everything I've heard is, Cody, I'm not crazy about a power plant behind my house. I'm not, you know, beside my hunting property. But what if they put a data center? I don't know the answer to that question because I didn't know about the project until a month ago. And no one knows that. The developer doesn't even know that. I mean, I don't blame the landowner for, you know, optioning and selling their property.

» That's what they're supposed to do. That, you know, we had a war 250 years ago for them to do what they want to with their property. I don't blame county council for economic development. I don't blame the developer for capitalism. What I do hesitate on is what's next. And none of us can answer that question. And that's not only this community that's having to deal with that. Bethune, Herschel County, wherever. It's the entire state of South Carolina. It's the entire U.S. It's the entire world. That's the world we live in. But I think that it causes pause of why we're moving this project so quickly when there are so many questions. So I appear on behalf of my constituents to say they're concerned. I know that y'all are concerned. But, you know, I believe Mr. Curley stayed at 35 days.

» I didn't count the calendar, but I have no doubt that he's accurate. 35 days. I know I've known about it for about a month. That raises concern to me. And I just ask that y'all not act with haste, but pause and seeing where this goes. What I will also note for the constituents that are behind me, if county council approves this project, if county council doesn't approve this project, I'm not on county council, so I can't go wrong either way on that. But I would note that this is not the end of how this happens. Any project has permitting that's involved in the state. This is a utility project. You'll have to go through the public service commission. It's a 500 megawatt proposed plant. It'll have to go through environmental services. Your voices will continue to be heard.

» And I recommend and suggest that you continue to allow them to be heard if this project is approved. With that, county council, I thank y'all for y'all service. I do not envy where y'all sat tonight, but I thank y'all for your service and I thank y'all for y'all's friendship. Thank y'all. Thank you for coming out tonight. No one else has signed up, correct, Ms. Douglas? That is correct, Mr. Chair. Okay, that moves us to the next. Thank you again for everyone's participation. It's going to be a long meeting, and so I'm going to move us on through. We've got approval of the minutes up next as an agenda item that requires a vote. Do we have a motion on the minutes? Make a motion. We approve the minutes. Second. Mr. Cato, we've got a second as well.

» Any discussion on the minutes? Seeing no discussion. Mr. Brazel, any discussion remotely on the minutes? No discussion, sir. How do you vote Mr. Brazel remotely? Yes. Yes. That's a yes for Mr. Brazel. All present and voting. Raise your hand if you're in favor on the minutes. It is unanimous. In favor of the minutes are approved, Ms. Hannah. Next up, we're going to go ahead and address ordinances. And so we're going to start with section 10, item number A. Item 10A is third reading. We had first reading and second reading as indicated. And we just recently had the public hearing. Third reading on an ordinance to authorize a fee in lieu agreement between BRNG LLC. It's a company that was previously identified as Project Ballas and one of more sponsored affiliate counties.

» Do we have, and it also includes SSRCs or special source revenue credits for the benefit of the project. Do we have a motion on third reading on item number 10A? I would make a motion that we adopt third reading. Mr. Shoemake has the motion. Do we have a second? Mr. Chairman, I second. Mr. Thomason has a second. Mr. Shoemake, you had the motion. You've got the floor. Sure. A few things. First off, I appreciate everybody coming out tonight. You know, when we do this job, I think we got some feedback, by the way. Councilman Brazel, I think you may be on. Yeah, Mr. Brazel, if you could, please mute your phone. We're getting some feedback, it appears. And you will be recognized at some point to speak whenever appropriate. Thank you, sir.

» So, obviously, the job that we do up here can be very difficult at times. We're choosing, you know, these projects and what we support and what we don't support. I've been vocal that I have voted for this project twice. I plan to vote for it tonight. I've been very upfront with everyone that has reached out to me and told them that. So, I want to lead with that. I don't want to bury the lead here. I support this project. But, and again, I don't expect to change the minds of anyone in the room. I think you've come here having done your research and got to the place where you feel like you should be. And I just want to explain my logic for you. I think one of the key things to note is what we're voting on here and not voting on, which is a fee agreement, a filo agreement.

» And I understand some people are just against them generally, and that's fine. But that's how we get business into Kershaw County. That's how every county gets business into county. So, what we're voting on is whether to give a filo to a use that is zoned for that use. And I think that's another important point. The area that we're talking about is zoned for this type of heavy industrial use. It is zoned for it. They're not seeking a zoning change to make this use happen. You know, I also worry about, just as a general rule, Kershaw County moving into a place where we sort of adopt this culture of no. I don't think many people here fought harder on the growth concerns than I have with permit allocation, lot sizes, impact fees, working the comp plan. And I think it was Mr.

» Smith who brought up his fair disagreement. I think, you know, when I say that we either grow or we die, what I mean is just a factual statement. No county stays the same in population. The county either loses its population or it gains population. So, when I say we either grow or die, what I mean is growth is inevitable, right? Growth is coming to Kershaw County. And counties either grow or they find themselves losing population. We're in the great fortunate problem that we are growing. So, how do we grow the right way? I've set up here and made difficult decisions and talked to my friends who are developers and gotten, you know, into, you know, very, very lengthy discussions with them about why I supported limiting residential growth.

» And for these same reasons, a lot of these same reasons, I support this project. If we start saying no to residential growth, no to industry, no to commercial development, or saying it can only be golf courses or things that don't, you know, produce any type of chemical or no production processes at all, then what we end up with is a place that nobody wants to come to to do business. So, I think this is exactly the kind of growth that pays for the infrastructure issues we've addressed in some of our growth issues with residential growth. You fix your infrastructure issues by increasing your revenue base. That is just a mathematical fact. And this does that. It also does it. A lot of talk about sort of the jobs.

» I think it's about, I've heard about 20, 25 jobs, but fairly a small number of full-time jobs, a lot of temporary work. But when you talk about a $900 million economic benefit that doesn't add rooftops or kids in a school, there's actually some positives in that as well. You know, and you don't have the people flooding the schools in the neighborhoods. So, again, I think that if we say no to every opportunity or opportunities like this, we're going to have fewer opportunities for that next generation. One of the questions was about in our own backyard. As most everyone knows here, I live out in Elgin, and, you know, I am within a mile of a sewer plant, a chemical plant, and a landfill. And we have issues sometimes, right, and we have to work those issues.

» I've had conversations with most of those folks. Some are bad. Some are good. And what I do understand is that part of a county growth is you're going to have uses that a next-door neighbor may not love. But when they're zoned for it and they, in aggregate, do more good than they do harm in the community at large for the county, then I think you have to support them. So, I have accepted this in my backyard. In terms of community support, I understand what we had in the room, that there's no denying that. But I would also like to point out that the Health Services District has supported this project. Bethune Rural Water says they can handle it and they welcome it. The Community Medical Center is supportive of this project. And we've been reached out to by several property owners.

» And to that point, I do want to say, I have been in Kershaw County my entire life. I saved a short stint when I joined the Marines and was a defense contract where I was, you know, serving our country and still maintaining residency here. I am the fifth generation of my family. My children are the fifth, my children are the sixth to grow up in Kershaw County. We cannot cast stones against people that move here and want to call themselves residents. We can control our growth. But when people become part of our community, we have to accept that. What I saw with Ms. King getting booed really bothered me. I understand people don't support this project. And if you want to boo me, that's fine. I ran for office. I said, I'll take this hit. She didn't.

» It's a 24 year old mom who wants to come in here and share her opinion. And by the way, so I can be fair, Mr. Curley, I super appreciated your comments. And we've had multiple emails back and forth and we're going to disagree on this. And that's okay. Not a single person in this room doesn't have my phone number. I think I've returned every phone call and responded to every voicemail or email. But if I haven't, send them my way and I'll happily set a meeting up. I was in court all day today, hence the suspenders in time. But I do think we have community support for this beyond what's represented in this room. Now, of course, the big thing that's been addressed is taking the concerns seriously. You know, and obviously these concerns deserve respect. I'm not an environmental expert.

» Very few people are environmental experts on methane gas plants. But I, like the folks in this room, have done my research as well. And I think it's important to note that we have to separate some of the concerns from evidence. Gas plants are heavily regulated. I know one of the EPA articles that was discussed deals with sort of the entire power grid in general, which misrepresents the impact of natural gas. I would also note that the same EPA studies, you know, we've talked about EPA a little bit. EPA's own data shows that home wood burning. So burning wood inside the home is a bigger source of the PM 2.5 nationally than the entire gas power sector. So, you know, I think, and you know, like there was the letter from the Coastal, which I appreciate. I read that.

» I did some homework on that. And I would note that there were some gaps in that letter, not the least of which is their complete underestimation of our growth rates. We've been at over 2% every year for the last five years, except for one. So not everyone has their facts all the way right. But what's going to happen with this after this vote if it's successful? As Representative Mitchell mentioned, this has to go through other regulatory processes with bodies that are tasked with weighing those environmental impacts. But my own research doesn't lead me to believe that I actually agree with the gentleman here. I think it's an old Ben Franklin quote, actually, about the man's right to extend his fist ending where another man's nose begins. I don't disagree with that.

» Where we disagree is whether this does that. So I respect your opinion. And again, I come down on a different side of that. But I do believe that this plant is the right move. It's going to have to follow the law and go through these regulatory processes. So, again, in conclusion, I think we need to avoid falling into a culture of no. I think we need to let businesses know that we're here for them. And so upon weighing all that evidence, I'm in support of this project. I know a lot of my council members have to speak. So this will be my last word on it until we vote. But I appreciate you all coming out tonight. And, again, I would ask, as you guys come to these things in the future, let people speak. Respect their different opinions. Have a conversation with them.

» But the booing, I thought, was a little bit untoward. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Mr. Thomas, and you have a second. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I won't be quite as long-winded as Councilman Shoemake. I think he did have a lot of the same points that I wanted to touch tonight. And I don't think there's really any need for me to repeat some of the things that he said. However, I would like to state, over the last couple months, I've had the opportunity to speak with a lot of residents, to do a lot of research. There is one phone call that I do still owe a call to is Ms. Bone. She called me this afternoon, and I have not had the opportunity to call her back. I plan to call her back tomorrow after this vote.

» And I, too, have been up front with everybody I've spoken with about my support for this project. Over the last couple months, I've had the opportunity to talk with representatives from South Carolina utility companies who have natural gas-fired plants across the state about concerns, issues that they have. I've had the opportunity to speak with environmental regulatory staff for state agencies, both in hydrology and emissions. I've had the opportunity to speak with residents of the community, both for and against this project. I've had the opportunity to speak with the company. I was on the phone for about an hour last night, just following up again, asking some hard questions. And I got some answers that I really appreciated prior to third reading.

» I've had the opportunity, and one of the main reasons that I do support this, because I have had the opportunity, and I appreciate our Kershaw County staff setting that up to visit the Dominion Energy -- was it the Columbia Energy Center plant in Gaston, South Carolina. It's a very similar-sized plant. I actually have a good buddy who works for Dominion, and I've told a few of the residents that I've spoken with that they'd like me to set up a tour for them I could have called. And they said, "No, I don't want that opportunity." They're having the opportunity to visit that plant. Specifically, there's a high-density development a quarter of a mile away from there. There's multiple industrial facilities right there.

» I asked, during our meeting there, I said, "Have you had one concern from a resident about noise, environmental pollution, or anything since Dominion purchased that?" I believe in 2004. They bought it from a private entity in 2004 or 2006, one of those years. I can't remember off the top of my head. The answer was no. They promised. And this was when we had the opportunity for our entire council to be there and do. Lastly, I, too, agree -- I get everybody who spoke tonight, both for and against. I was blessed to grow up on a small family farm in Antioch. We still own that small family farm. My parents still live out there. My grandparents. My son's out there right now with my parents staying on the farm. You know? And I understand the landowner's perspective.

» And I also understand the neighbors around the property, their perspective as well. Because, you know, one day my family may be in a situation where they need to sell a piece of that property. You know, we've invested for generations. I will be the -- when it comes down to me, I will be the fourth generation owner of that property. And I hope one day I'm not in a situation where I have to sell it. I hope my family before me is never in a situation where they have to sell. But if it comes down to it, I think they have the right to do so without a big impact and burden on things. I appreciate the NAACP speaking tonight. I appreciate the resident from Aiken from coming out. The Southern Environmental Law Group. The Sierra Club. I appreciate everybody who spoke tonight.

» And this is not an easy decision. But it is a decision that I feel that I'm making that is best for Kershaw County. So thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson. Council members who are present, any other comments or questions? Mr. Jones. Thank you very much. Let me just start -- I've got a couple things I want to share here. But let me just start saying this. I, too, feel I have gotten very little information on this. I don't like the fact that there's been a $10,000 shut-up money offer to certain folks. And I truly believe that this is a Trojan horse from a data center. And I'm going to tell you right now, I'm going to stand with the people from Bethune. And I'm going to go -- and I've got to share something with you folks. Some may like it, some don't. I don't really care.

» And by the way, too, I'm not a typical politician. I don't need your vote. I want your vote. I'm done in five more months. But I would like to think in 20 years I've done something. Well, I got reelected. But anyway, I have a 26-year-old son. I did not talk to him about this. But he sent me a short statement. And he went to school at Winthrop, who graduated Carnegie Mellon. And he's up there working in Ohio. But he is coming back to Kershaw County eventually one day, if I got anything to do with it. But he sent this. And I just want to share this with you. It says, "Good evening, everyone. My name is Taylor Jones." First off, he said, "Hi, Hannah." Below, this is attached information from my dad, Jimmy. He said, "Good evening, everyone. My name is Taylor Jones.

» I would like to thank all of you for allowing this information to be put out here tonight. I currently am pursuing work outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and can't be present in defense of our community, supporting our community. I consider Kershaw County to be my home, the place I grew up, where my friends and family are. I know I stand for my fellow community members when I express how detrimental this proposal plant in Bethune could be. My son's saying he will stand with Bethune. He was raised in Lugar. Increased demand on our electric grid. The potential use of hundreds of thousands of gallons of water or more for cooling operations. And the immense pollution associated with burning natural gas. And locals will feel this the most. And we're not locals.

» They'll be constantly breathing in emissions every time they step out of their house. Our friends in Bethune have a real valid concern that should not be dismissed. I received my master's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, not too far from where I studied. And Washington County accepted natural gas extraction wells, pipelines, and compressors to be built. Initially, residents were told this would bring about economic growth in Washington County. And it was found that those concerns over -- I'm sorry, I have to read his writing. It was found that concerns over groundwater contamination reduced the value of some homeowners' homes and relying private wells by as much as 24%. No good neighbor deal is what it was. But yet, that's not what was so.

» And also, a lot of the devastation, the development left behind in the head. Regarding this plant, I do hope members of the county council can assure all of the public that this will not work to house a future data center. And as I said, I think it's a trojan horse for a data center. May you vote yes tonight. Be that commitment. Stand with your people in Bethune. And what would that commitment hold if you stand with your people? Excuse me. I got a little confused right there. If a data center were to come from this development, you'll be telling -- you will be willing to -- here's what he's saying. If a data center were to come from this development, would you be willing to step down from council if you voted yes? Because we understand there's no information being given on data center.

» I understand that this sounds extreme, but I don't think it's much to ask that an elected member of county council who works for the community. As mentioned before, even if it is not a data center and simply a natural gas power plant, the effects are still devastating to the local community. Think of Washington County as I mentioned earlier. After construction of this plant is completed, it's estimated that there will be 15 to 20 jobs. How specialized are these positions? Will they benefit local workers? Do EPA requirements justify a plant that works and destroys our planet? Does a company -- does a company doing anything -- is a company justified in doing anything wrong when they have to offer somebody money to shut up? That's just the biggest problem of mine, to be quiet.

» But anyway, he says, "I am asking this county council to not pass the perceived investment and pass the perceived regulations we believe this plant will hold. And instead, look to our fellow citizens of Kershaw County who are asking, and you can stand up for them. Do not allow another corporation who only productizes profit to stretch his hand into our backyard. Thank you for your time. I'm very proud of my son. He's got a little bit of me in him. And I'm going to be honest with you. I apologize for my stuttering and my pausing. I have a reason for that. But anyway, get into that later. Let me just say this, too, about a data center very quickly. Negative impacts of data centers.

» Data centers will, while essential for modern technology, have several detrimental effects on local communities and the environment. Environment concerns, high energy consumption. Data centers consume vast amounts of electricity, often relying on fossil fuels, which contributes to increased carbon emissions and air pollution. Water usage. They -- I just want to breathe deep. They require some -- Mr. Tucker is stretching. Oh, okay. They require significant water for cooling, with some large facilities using up to 5 million -- I think it's 150,000 gallons away, but it can go up to 1,500,000,000 to 5 million gallons daily. This can lead to water shortages in an already water-scarce regions. Pollution is a problem. Economic impacts are a problem. Increasing utility bills.

» If you have a problem. To operate the center generates noise, light pollution, which can disrupt local wildlife, negatively affect residents and quality of life. Limited local benefits. Despite promises of job creation, we're talking about a $900 million investment. Okay, that's great. But we're given a fee in lieu of tax, and we can get that back. And then, all of a sudden, we got 15 jobs. If you -- 15 jobs, $9 million investment doesn't match to me. That's why I believe without a doubt. It's a data center. And the fact that you're on -- you got 700, 800 acres or whatever, and you're on 100 acres, you still got all that other land out there. Let me tell you something. I've gotten very little information about this, and there's just too many questions out there.

» Health risks, air quality degradation, emissions, backup diesel generations to the power plants supplying data centers can worsen air quality, leading to respiratory infections and other health problems in nearby residents. And we've got a lot of information about this. So, we've got a lot of information about it. We've got a lot of information about it. We've got a lot of information about it. And we've got a lot of information about it. We've got a lot of information about it. And we've got a lot of information about it. And we've got a lot of information about it. We've got a lot of information about it. It's very fast, but it's very important to me. Let me say this to this beautiful young lady over here. Nobody deserves to be treated disrespectfully. We need to show respect.

» Look, nobody's agreed with me on councils for the last 20 years. I mean, and I've gotten beat up pretty bad some days, but I came back. But regardless of all that, and we're not going to agree tonight, but I'm asking this council. We all represent Bethune. I know you're the representative, and I know you're the chairman. We certainly can get votes from that area. But we all represent this entire county. And I don't care. I'm not into this. This is your district. This is his district. This is my district. I would not want this in my backyard. I watched the families come up here tonight. A couple of the grandmothers and mothers were in tears. And they had their grandchildren with them. I would just like to ask my chairman, who I have much respect for, who represents this county.

» I hope his vote will be the fourth vote we can have tonight to postpone this, stop it, or whatever. But I want to say to each and every one of you, thank you for coming. Thank you for putting up with my comments and things. But I've always said in county council, let me just say this. I'm having trouble tonight. I have Parkinson's, and what happens is it swells my vocal cords up sometimes. So I'm trying to get this out and I apologize. And I have not said that publicly. This is the first time I've said that publicly. You're doing fine, Mr. Jones. Thank you so much. But it makes me, I just want to make sure y'all understand why I may hesitate or whatever. But anyway, having said that, I love you guys. Thank you for the time you've given me to serve on county council.

» Thank you for your friendships over 20 years. I'm going to support the majority tonight. I've always said I put people before money and that's just, that's just the way I feel. But let me say this too about these folks up here. Every one of them are good men. Every one of them are doing what they think is right. We just don't agree. Okay. I happen to be right. Thank you very much. Does that conclude your remarks, Mr. Jones? It does. Thank you. Mr. Brazel, while we still have you on the phone, anything remotely? Chairman, hey, can you hear me? We can hear you. Go ahead. Hey, thanks. Councilman Jones enjoyed your remarks. You did just fine, sir. Chairman, I'd like to, not being in the room, it's difficult, but I've been listening and keeping up as best I can.

» The few questions that have crossed my mind regarding the power center, or the power plant rather, where do we know where that power is going? Is it just going into co-ops, into a general grid? Would it help decrease rates? What benefits do we know that the citizens of Kershaw County would have from that power plant? Do we have any answers? Well, is that a rhetorical question, or you're asking me? Well, I'm not sure if there's a representative there that could answer it, sir. I mean, I've done my own individual research since I had the entire council take a tour last December, and I'm aware of those concepts. Okay, so we don't have anyone in the room. I mean, if you wanted, I mean, who are you looking for? I didn't know if there was a representative.

» Santee Cooper or Dominion or someone who purchases power? Right. All right. I can generally explain the process. I did not receive your prior request to try to have one of those folks here, but they do an RFP? No, no, no. I understand the process. Because I've worked for Santee Cooper when I was in college. Coal fire stations, hydro, et cetera. So I do understand the process. I just wanted to find out if we had someone in the room that could better explain to us how it could benefit the citizens of Kershaw County. But that's the one thing that I searched for that I haven't been able to find. You know, anybody on the city's grid has been paying a tremendous price.

» And if someone said, Russell, this is going to lower rates across Kershaw County, and it's going to help the city of Camden, who's experienced especially high electric bills and rates, then I could see benefit. Obviously, there's a room full of people who are afraid and see harm. And for those reasons that I don't see a benefit and that there is a potential that there could be a data center, I'm going to be a no vote on the situation. I just have not had enough positive to outweigh the negative. Now, I'd love to hear from anyone who could conclusively tell me, no, there's not going to be a data center. But what I've heard is, it's going to be built and developed and then potentially sold to someone who would, who would operate it and produce power and distribute power.

» That's my understanding. Correct me if I'm wrong. I didn't hear. I heard something, but I'm sorry. Mr. Brazel, if you have a question that's directed to a particular member or staff member or council member, please state it. And we can make sure we try and respond to you as you're chiming in remotely. So, one question that I would have for our attorney, and I don't think John's there tonight, but whomever's representing Kershaw County tonight, are we conclusive that a data center would not be on that property? Well, I can respond to that question. It's not zoned for a data center.

» And so, any attempt to have a data center land on this property or any other one in Kershaw County, except for those industrial zonings that directly relate to it, would have to come before the Planning Commission or this council. And so, just like any of the neighbors or myself could not build a skyscraper on my property, my property's not zoned for it. It couldn't happen unless it is applied for and brought to this council or the Planning Commission. Well, that is good to hear, and I hope that that stays true and that we -- I know that we turned one -- well, we didn't have to turn it down. One showed up and it disappeared rather quickly a few months prior to looking at this, which left questions for a few of us, but from everything I've heard, that's not the case.

» And I hope that continues to be the case. So, still left with a lot of unanswered questions. For those reasons, I will continue to not support the fee-in-lieu tax agreement that I would -- I would have to say, regardless of zoning, this project hinges on the agreement. I don't think financially it would make sense to develop there if this fee -- if this was not in place. Thank you for your comments, Mr. Brazel. Mr. Cato or Mr. Tucker, any comments, questions? Mr. Tucker. Mr. Tucker. Mr. Tucker. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to all of you showing up here tonight. I want to say a special thanks to the ones that came out Thursday to the town hall in Bethune at the Women's Center. I'm elected, have been for a while.

» Any darts, arrows, bad comments, I put myself in this position to take, and I'm okay. I appreciate that day and I appreciate today when you came out and spoke so courageously for your community. Now, where my problem lies is with Ms. King. I'm going to start there and then I'll roll back. She spoke up Thursday night in that meeting as well. And she was received, not with an applause, because there was applause and then there was nothing. To be a good neighbor and a good Christian, you must treat people kind, decent, regardless whether you agree or disagree. I'm saying this because when, and I wrote it down, when Mr. Curley came up, I wrote down on my paperwork, professional, fair, and kind. That's the way you should be wherever you agree or disagree on any topic.

» To everyone, especially when you have young people that's trying to move in. I'm eighth generation from this county. I go way back. And I hope and pray that my grandchildren, which is eight of them, will be able to reside here when they get old enough and work here and live here. That's yet to be said because they're young and they're still trying to get through school and do things. But my kids graduated right from Camden High, all three of them. I went off to school, went off to college in various different places. I'm saying that because my blood, my roots run deep in this county as well. Now, the question was asked by Councilman Brazel in reference to what this company is going to do if this is approved tonight.

» Well, let me tell you a little bit what they did with the power plant in Alabama, Calhoun, Alabama. They built that plant. And then that plant eventually, I think in 2022, you can Google it, was sold to the local Alabama power plant to be permanently theirs and run on their grid. They built it and they gave an alternate way of power to the grid. And then they turned around and sold it to the power company. There was never a data center that came about. And that's as late as today when I looked it up. So I know that I can't promise or I can't tell you that that subject would never come up.

» But you've heard it from the chairman and you probably knew it already during your studies and your inquiries that the land has to be rezoned, has to come back before this body whenever that does come up. So there is recourses and there is process that you can take. Let me say this about a data center as well. If you want something to be done by a data center, your representative Cody Mitchell, who represents House District 65. This is not a Kershaw County problem. This is a state national problem. Encourage him, support him in putting some state law into place. That's what they do. This is, like I said, not a Kershaw County problem.

» Put some state law and make it where they can regulate where the burden is not on the citizens where they put these data centers, where the burden comes back on the company if they truly, truly want to put one. Because everywhere where they have gone pretty much has been for the taxpayers or the citizens to help support private industry. And I can tell you now, I don't believe in helping private companies to start their business or run their business on the backs of citizens. Fee in lieu is different. We have to do fee in lieu if we want to be competitive in economic development. Our tax rate is like ten and a half percent. You're looking at six percent, I believe, in Georgia and less than that in North Carolina, which is the boarding states in this corridor that we're in.

» If you don't lower the fee in lieu, you will get nothing. So as my grandmother would say, who is up in heaven, piece of the pie is better than none of the pie. And that's what this council, who has supported this in the past, is trying to get. If you have zero, you get zero. But if you have something that you can grasp, those $2 million that we spoke about from the young lady that came up, there's $2 million we don't have to put in the coffer to keep your taxes from being raised. And I want to say, because I chair the finance committee here in Kershaw County, I am very proud that we were able to balance the budget without raising your taxes in the millage factor for this 26, 27 year.

» And we did that because we were able to capture the growth and fee in lieu and other things to balance that budget. And that means a lot. So I want to say that there's other avenues and there's other procedures that you can take. You've heard a lot of them tonight. And I wish that you would keep that in mind as you go through. But please, please, in the future, at least if I'm in your presence, let's keep our young people and our neighbors good neighbors and let's treat them with love, respect and dignity. Mr. Chairman, that concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Kato. Yes, sir, Mr. Chair. Well, I've patiently waited my turn. For over two hours tonight, we listened to the concerns of the citizens of not just Bethune, but all of Kershaw County. And I appreciate each and every one.

» I appreciate the concerns from the ones that are opposed to this plant. I appreciate the ones that come out in support of it. I want to say to start with that I appreciate and anybody that knows me very well in here knows that I'll shoot you pretty straight. I'm just going to say what I think and how I feel. I want to thank Buford Rosemary because every time I've called them or I've had a question or I wanted them to call somebody, they have done exactly what I've asked them to do. So I've got to give them credit on that. Anybody that's called me and asked to speak with them, they have done that. This is probably one of or it is the most controversial, stressful situations I've had so far in four years on council. And it's even worse because it affects a place that I grew up.

» It affects a place that I call home and everybody's talked about their generations. I had generations going back through law enforcement generations that ran the meals, the grits meals, the flour meals. And I mean, I don't even know how far it does go back. But I have those roots here in Kershaw County, mainly on the northern end. I've tried my best to answer every phone call, text message and email that I've got. And if for some reason I overlooked one, I apologize to you tonight. But I have had probably close to a thousand in just the last three weeks. You know, I really appreciate the way that 98 to 99% of the people have handled this situation, the opposition of this situation.

» I said this in my council briefings the last time on the second reading that I was proud of the people of Bethune and the way that they handled this. But I was very disappointed to hear Ms. Cain speak tonight. And I apologize, you do not deserve that. Everybody deserves to be heard and everybody has a right. My father fought and many other men fought and women fought for our freedoms. Some died, some were injured, and some come home safe. But they all give us the right to have a choice and to speak our mind. And everybody deserves that. So Ms. Cain, I'm sorry that that happened to you. But I am very proud of the majority of the way things have been handled.

» And I thank Bethune and the others for being here tonight to show your opposition and even the ones that showed your favor for this project. Russell and his family, I love dearly, no doubt about it. I was raised around them. I understand your place. I don't fault you. And there shouldn't be another person in this room to fault you for what you are attempting to do. It's your land. And I understand that. You know, while talking to Mr. and Mrs. Curley spoke on it tonight, they said that they didn't really have an opposition to a plant, but to the location of it. You know, I'm not going to sit up here and tell you that everything I've heard and we've heard, I'm not even going to get into all these numbers of what's poisoning who and what and where and all this kind of stuff.

» Because I don't know that, be frank with you, I don't know that I believe it all. And I don't know if anybody really knows the truth. And I don't know that I would be opposed to just this plant. But I will tell you this. I'm opposed to the location. Half a mile. And I've heard people say, well, you know, county has setbacks and it meets the setbacks. Well, I get that. But a half a mile really isn't that far. You know, I thought about this. I was up at Bethune the other day and I happened to go by the old walking track at the high school. That walking tracks a quarter of a mile. Well, if you stretch two of those walking tracks out, you've got a half a mile. And that's not very far. And I asked myself, would I really want that plant that close to my house? And the answer is no.

» You know, I told somebody when this thing first started, you know, it wouldn't bother me to have the plant. Well, that's true. But it would bother me if it was that close. So that is probably one of my main concerns is the location. My next concern, and some of my colleagues will disagree with me on this. But I feel like I need to say it because it's just the way I feel and it's the truth. And I agree with Cody on this part. We need to work on more transparency when it comes to these county projects. The transparency part of this and don't get me wrong. I had it explained legally at the second hearing about how the first reading works and title only. And I get that. That's law.

» But after that, we need to work on our transparency of getting it out to the community in which these projects are going. Not just the one in Bethune, but all out throughout Kershaw County. It may be a project that I still support. It may be one that I oppose. But at least it gives the people in that area the rightful opportunity to know what may possibly be coming to their area. I'm not going to take up any more time. I'm not going to get into any more weeds. Everybody here knows exactly how I feel. And I want you to know that this is, as they said earlier, if this passes tonight. And I accept the opinions of my colleagues. They know how I feel. And whatever happens tonight, we will deal with. But know that it's still a long way from the end if it passes tonight.

» But I appreciate dearly each and every one of you coming out tonight. And I thank y'all for y'all's hard work in protecting your community. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Cato. I'll conclude. I have a few remarks. Just so folks understand my position, I've stated I support this and I want to say why. This is one of the most challenging votes that I'll encounter perhaps on council. I may have a little bit of runway ahead of me, but it's already been eight years I've been serving. And longer than that, if you include time at the Statehouse. First, I wanted to state that this really has been a unique project as far as economic development goes.

» In that it's the only one I'm aware of in the history of Kershaw County where the council has gone and actually done a site visit to look at something. I wanted to make sure that that happened because I thought it was that significant of a project. But people need to have a runway of six plus months. So December 2025, we actually went to see a 500 kilowatt mega plant so that council members had the opportunity to ask questions of any experts they wanted to, to get as much information as they wanted. At that point, folks had cell phone numbers, which historically never happens.

» Typically, only the chairman and the economic development director would be privy to that information until you come up to a second reading and you start getting into more details and a executive session on the matter. So if there's any information that people don't have, there's been plenty of time to ask questions and figure it out. And during that period of time, I've asked a lot of questions and really tried to understand what the risks are, what is real, what the facts are. And just for context, South Carolina is the number one state for new move ins in the country for the last two years. I was also surprised to learn that Kershaw County is the only inland county in the top 10 out of 46 of new move ins. So we're number seven. We're the only inland county.

» Meaning, of course, you've got Aiken was one of them. You've got Lancaster, some that touch other states, but all the rest of them touch the coast. But we're the only one in the inner part of South Carolina. And so I reached out to the co-ops to try to understand where boots are on the ground. What does the power generation need? And invariably, they said, we need more power generation. Now, the way I understand the process works is Central or Santee Cooper will put out RFPs, requests for production or proposals, requests for information and state, which is going to be a period that comes up in the next four to five months. I'd have to look at the exact date. And then people propose what they can get a project done for and sell or produce the power for. That they would purchase.

» And so that's kind of the process that goes. But locally, speaking with the folks that provide electricity to my house and yours, they're indicating that we need the power generation in South Carolina. Speaking to general market pressures, since a power generation plant sends the energy back to a larger distributor, it'd be Santee Cooper or Central, and then it comes back to co-ops or Duke or whoever has purchased it. No, there's not a direct specific line benefit for Kershaw County. But there are general market pressures of supply and demand. And if you increase supply, it puts a downward pressure on price. And so I think that that is encouraging, though I can't cite a specific data point on a percentage that the electrical rates would drop.

» But of course, the city of Camden may not benefit from that because they have a long term contract. Other folks that are served by other providers and utilities in Kershaw County definitely could benefit and see the market pressure that goes down. I had questions brought to me and it's interesting when you're talking about somebody else's land, they folks will kind of suggest what should happen with the land. Folks have suggested to me and I'll just say as a caveat, I've also received hundreds of calls, text messages and emails. And forgive me if I didn't get back to you on all of them. I'm still ferreting through many of them and trying to respond. But folks have suggested the land should be used for agriculture and maybe historically it was used for that at a certain point.

» And the suggestion was made, you know, just plant corn out there. Well, I did a little research on that and 13 acres of corn uses about 120,000 gallons of water per day. I was very surprised by that. I don't have a real agricultural background, but 13 or so acres of corn uses a whole bunch of water when it's in peak season. This project, as I understand it, would be seeking a permit not to exceed 120 to 150,000 gallons of water per day just for context. So if you planted 100 acres in corn, you're looking at a magnitude more of corn being watered, you know, unless we had, you know, I guess regular rainfall that could compensate for that. I also was very concerned about some of the studies that were circulated and saying that these are dire health risks.

» And so I tried to understand and ask experts, including experts who testify and are recognized by courts as experts in these matters on air quality control pollution. It could be mold. It could be particulate matter. It could be NO2. But the things, some of which will be generated by a natural gas plant. What I discovered was, and I even asked this of the folks and person that wrote the Coastal Conservation League letter. I went through that and actually reached out to that group as well. And I asked what daily activities, to help me understand this in context, are similar to the risk if you live, you know, I think 0.4 of a mile or half a mile away from a natural gas EPA compliant site like this that's 500 megawatts.

» And what I discovered was if you cook with propane or natural gas, which I do, I have my entire life, you're exposing yourself to a significant multiple of what you'd be exposed to of PM 2.5 or NO2. These are not terms that I really cared to know until, you know, last December or January of this year when I started researching. And so you're looking at, it could be 40 to 50 to 60 times depending on whether or not you have an outside vent off of your natural gas or propane stove. And so every day when me and my kids and my family cook.

» And that's just to say that I have not seen any data that supports the idea that this one or the other 22, I believe, natural gas plants, and I've been asking for it and hunting for it and trying to look for claims or lawsuits or anything related to the other sites that pose significant health risks that are even close to what we experience every day. I've got a wood-burning fireplace. Some of you might enjoy that in the wintertime and need it for heat. We use one. That one, burning biomass, burning wood, produces so much more PM 2.5 and particulate matter. It's a multiple that would really surprise you compared to what you might be exposed to from a EPA-compliant gas plant with filters. It's just a reality.

» Whenever you're burning natural gas or propane unfiltered in your own home, you're within two or three feet of this gas and all of its byproducts and benzene and other items that actually get filtered out through a natural gas plant. So I was surprised to learn some of those things. As we sit here, this meeting has approximately been powered by about 30-plus percent natural gas. The energy mix in South Carolina might surprise you. It's a little over 50 percent nuclear. About a third or a little more than a third in peak times is natural gas. And so we rely on it even in this moment at night when we're running our HVAC. And there's a mix because they all sell to these large hubs and then it comes back to your local providers and utilities that bring it to you.

» Over 30 percent is natural gas. You've got coal and biomass, which is roughly 10 percent. That's being phased out. Hydro is about 3 percent. And so it's not a real significant portion. And then 1 percent is solar. And so we already rely on natural gas and it's not realistic to to have solar that actually that's extremely cyclical. They can supplement small portions of the grid. But with the growth we're having in South Carolina, natural gas is one of the ways I think that we can can meet the population growth we've had and the energy demand that was reported to me from the local co-ops. I had concerns come up and I tried to investigate research about agricultural impacts.

» So where I live is also less than a mile from we call it the mountain, but it's a landfill right there that's next to Kershaw and Richland County. It's where Kershaw County dumps from some of its sites. And it actually this would not be I guess it would because it's technically in Richland County, but there's there's a natural gas power generation there. They collect the methane and burn it off and have a tower that generates power right there live about a mile or so from the sewer plant that's on the edge of Kershaw County in Richland County and about a half a mile from the chemical plant. And I started asking around and checking with all the farmers and seeing what issues people had experienced.

» That's a very agrarian area actually, and I don't know the actual head counts of other farms. I understand we had a very successful cattlemen or our farmer here tonight, but I know across from me is one of the most successful and busiest cattle farms in the whole county. Like 450 head right on the miles property that will boozer operates and just busting at the seams and the cows seem to be growing doing great. They they still bale hay and several local hay fields. And I haven't seen the data to support a negative impact from those exposures. And I haven't seen the data to support a negative impact on agriculture from this one as well. Now, I want to talk about some of the positives that I see to this or at least the potential positives because it's got a long way to go.

» Since I've served on council for eight years and then two years at the State House as representative. I know we have other representatives in the audience tonight. I've tried to help Bethune every time I could. Whenever Suwomenon had a philo vote to expand jobs and operations and equipment there supported that. We recently supported funding of Cassett and then directed ARPA funds to the Boyd Young Recreation Park. And then even Representative Mitchell, who I disagree with tonight, but I respect immensely. We worked together and I supported his request for the Bethune water tower that had to be fixed. Otherwise, it was going to be in drastic disrepair. We worked with the the council there and and got that state funding for it.

» And so I've seen from the county level and the state level the requests that come in the need that Bethune has for infrastructure for improvement for funds to come in and help Bethune. And I view this as an opportunity. Some folks have said this will this will harm or hurt Bethune. But I view it as the opposite. Imagine if if from the philo funds 200,000 or $250,000 per year could be directed back to Bethune area and used as a grant match, which matters at the state level. And so if you can turn 250 into or 200 to 400 or 500 and do a downtown streetscape improvement or improvement for blighted buildings or grants to help local businesses grow and improve or a playground downtown to attract families and kids.

» That's the vision I have and several people have called me encouraged and wanting something like that and actually saying they really want to see it. I know the room tonight has been has been pretty much vigorously against and I respect that. But there are a lot of folks that want to come out and speak tonight that that didn't for the same reasons that I kind of heard they didn't want to get booed and harassed. And so that's the vision that I have and I hope it would be a very helpful opportunity because otherwise I don't know where the funds come from. But then would have to keep going to the state or the county to to get funds when it really requires some growth. And it has to be an attractive area enough where families that are of the age to have kids want to move to Bethune.

» And it's got to be kind of a neat and cool spot if you want to grow. Otherwise, you just keep it just the same and you'll see, I predict because I've seen it over 10 years, some of the same struggles that it's had in the past, which which are very tough. And I've been struggling for that eight to 10 years to figure out how to try to address those. And I see this as one opportunity to have some injection of capital into Bethune that can help the local population and businesses. You know, I had several other items that we've that I was going to share, Mr. Tucker, but some of them, no pun intended, since we're talking about agriculture, we'll be beating a dead horse.

» And so I'm going to bypass those and see if council members have any other final questions, comments or anything else they want to bring up or say. And no one present is speaking, Mr. Brazel, anything remotely, nothing from Mr. Brazel remotely. And I'll just say that I hope that if this does pass tonight and it does satisfy the APA and DES requirements at the state and federal levels, that you will reach out and help us figure out how to improve and address some of the concerns that are in Bethune, how to make it attractive so that population grows and you can have a school there and take that position to the school district or bring businesses in. And I'm very interested in that figure out how you can get the matching funds to help the area. With that, we'll move it. Mr. Tucker.

» Yes, if I can. And I know that someone's probably even listening or in the audience from Rosemary. I don't know the exact protocol on who received letters and who didn't. But just from my personal standpoint, if this does go through, can you reach out to the others who may be in that corridor that you might have skipped or that just wasn't in that area that you thought they were in? I just like to know that whatever has been offered to certain people is offered to everyone that's in that pathway of the potential plan. I just ask that you please do that. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Mr. Chair. Mr. Jones. Just very quickly. One last plea with y'all. Vote no. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't get that earlier. Thank you, Mr. Jones. All right. So with that, we'll move it to a vote.

» All those who are present and in favor, raise your hand on third reading. That is Shoemake, Tucker, Connell, and Tomlinson in favor. All who are present and opposed, raise your hand. That is Cato and Jones. And then Mr. Brazel voting remotely. How do you vote? Opposed. That is a no vote remotely from Mr. Brazel. Ms. Hanna passes for the record on 10A. That's third reading. That brings us to item number 10B on the agenda. This is an ordinance regarding. Yes, sir. Thank you. Council has asked that. Council has asked that we take a five minute break. We've been at it for a good while already. We'll recess. We'll recess for five minutes. Thank you. All right. We're going to come back in session. We've reconvened a quorum and we'll pick up with the agenda where we were. Mr.

» Brazel, are you still on remotely? Yes. Still here. We got Mr. Brazel still. Okay. That moves us from item number 10A to item number 10B. This is a third reading on an ordinance authorizing the execution and delivery. Oh, one item. Where's our attorney? Okay. That moves us from item number 10A to item number 10B. This is a third reading on an ordinance authorizing the execution and delivery. Oh, one item. Where's our attorney? Thank you. Thank you. Where's our attorney? Yes. Yes. Just yes. That's all. Okay. Go ahead. There she goes. It's not John's. Thank you. Yes. Ms. Douglas. Thank you. One thing before we move on from the last agenda item, there was a matter that was brought up from staff and council about a common consent request.

» And we would seek common consent that for the third reading of 10A, they had, was it Richland County or Richland? The word Richland was. Oh, that was for the resolution 11A. Oh, it was original 11A. Okay. Later on. Well, we'll address it when we get there. All right. Then we're back on item number 10B. This is a ordinance authorizing the execution and delivery of a SSRC or special source revenue credit agreement between Kershaw County and Candy Root Lodge Holdings LLC and certain affiliates of Candy Root Lodge Holdings LLC. Also previously known as Project Gemstone with certain economic development property in the county and matters related there too. We've had first and second reading and the public hearing. Is there a motion on item number 10B? Mr.

» Chair, I'd like to make a motion that we approve the third reading. We've got a motion to approve. Is there a second on 10B? Second. I yield. We've got a second from Mr. Tucker. Any discussion? None. None. We've been through two readings. This is the approval for the Candy Root Lodge Golf Resort coming up to Mount Pisgah. I'm excited to see. I think it's a great opportunity for the area, for the community, and for the county. I'm glad you're excited about something. I think it is important to note as a factual matter that this is technically the second most controversial Bethune project we've talked about tonight.

» Well, the audience dumped out, and I want to thank Attorney Smoke for hanging in there because he's three hours in now and it's like us, but thank you for spending the night with us, sir. All right. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. Any other comments, questions? Mr. Brazel, anything remote? None. How do you vote? I vote yes in favor of. That's a yes on 10B remotely for Mr. Brazel. For those who are present and voting, raise your hand if you're in favor. It is unanimous for those who are present and voting with Mr. Jones being out of the room at the moment. All right, 10B passes. Thank you, Steven. We can get your name tag if you're going to come back. Thank you, Steven. Item number 10C. This is an ordinance regarding approval of a lease for real property located at 632 West of Cab Street.

» We've had first and second reading. We just had the public hearing, and of course, it is in relation to the Department of Natural Resources. Do we have a motion on third reading? Make a motion we approve on third reading, Mr. Chair. Mr. Tucker has the motion. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Kato has a second. Mr. Tucker, anything on third reading? No, sir. Thank God this is over. Mr. Chairman, can I get some, with my father-in-law being the head of DNR, should I recuse myself on this vote, third reading? You said your father-in-law? My father-in-law is the director of DNR.

» I think I actually voted on it the other two readings, but would there be any issue related to this? Should I recuse myself from this third reading? Would you recommend that I recuse myself? It falls in a slightly gray area, but given that it is an agreement with a contract and a lease, and there's money changing hands, I would recommend you this. Then, Mr. Chairman, I recuse myself from this. Yes. Very well. Any other comments or questions? Mr. Kato, you had a second? Seeing none, we'll move to a vote for those who are present. All in favor, raise your hand. That is Shoemake, Tucker, Connell, and Kato in favor with Mr. Tomlinson abstaining for the reason stated. Mr. Brazel, any comments, or how do you vote? No comments. I vote in favor. Yes. Okay. That's a yes. So, it passes with Mr.

» Jones being absent at the moment. That brings us to item number 10D, third reading, regarding an ordinance to approve a lease of real property located at 632 West DeKalb Street. This is in relation to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, and we've just had public hearing. First reading and second reading are appropriate as occurred and listed in the agenda. Do we have a motion on third reading? Make a motion on third reading, Mr. Chairman. Second. All right. We've got a motion and a second. Mr. Tucker, anything on third reading? No, sir. Thank you. Hearing none, any other comments or questions from those who are present? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote. Actually, let me just check with Mr. Brazel real quick. Any comments, Mr. Brazel? None, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

» How do you vote? I'll vote in favor. Yes. That's a yes remotely for Mr. Brazel. All who are in favor who are present, raise your hand. And it's unanimous for those who are present and voting with Mr. Jones being absent at the moment. This brings us to our discussion items now, which is section number nine. So we move now to item number 9A placed on the agenda by Mr. Brazel. Topic is inmate work crews, road crews. Is there a motion? Yeah, I'll make a motion to discuss whether or not we can utilize inmates to pick up litter and trash in Kershaw County. Is there a second. Is there a second? Second. Mr. Thomason has a second. Mr. Brazel, you have the floor for discussion. Hey, thanks, Mr. Chairman.

» So I've had actually other members of the community, including some city council members, reach out to me and ask this question repeatedly. And I've failed to get a clear answer. So I think it's probably best to ask legal. It seems like that before COVID, inmates that were incarcerated at Kershaw County jail and detention center were able to get out and help keep Kershaw County clean. Post COVID, I think things changed and maybe they didn't revert back to the natural state. I would just like to gain some clarity as to how inmates can be utilized to keep Kershaw County beautiful and contribute to cleaning our community and keeping our road size clean and neat. Mr. Brazel, Mr. Cato has a response initially. Councilman Brazel, I can speak a little bit on what happened.

» And it mainly happened back around COVID when I still work for the state and for SEDC. What happened was we seen a influx of contraband being brought in and escapes. But the main reason for the Department of Corrections was the staffing and finding people that was able to transport these inmates, stay with these inmates. And I believe the same was with the Kershaw County detention center. However, I am very much in favor of bringing this back if it's possible. But I do know that there was a lot of problem between and some of the SEDC inmates were being supervised by Department of Transportation employees. So the Department of Transportation employees had to go to special training and stuff to basically see these inmates that were put on work detail.

» So it was a staffing issue from both, not just SEDC, but DOT. I have been. Mr. Shoemake. So, Councilman Brazel, this is Derek. Another point on this, first off, would love to see it too. I've actually had this issue come up a lot over in my area. And I actually have talked to the SEDC, well, he is no longer the SEDC director. When I talked to him, he was the SEDC director, Brian Sterling, who's now a U.S. attorney. And I actually, I saw this on the agenda. So I texted him and confirmed with him that's still the policy. SEDC is not providing inmate work crews statewide at this point. Now, maybe they'll change that. Maybe we can talk to our delegation.

» As to the jail itself, the jail's a trickier beast because most of the folks, other than those being held on detainer for the state that were in prison, pretty much everyone in the jail is legally innocent because they haven't committed a crime, found convicted of committing a crime. So to do an inmate road crew at the jail has to be all voluntary. The inmates have to volunteer for it, and then we have to staff it as the county. And talking to Danny, when we run those numbers, the cost of getting staff, new staff out and getting those inmates out, assuming they volunteer, is actually a little more than some of the contractors we can hire. Because we'd have to cover the cost 100%. So that's where I was.

» But I'm happy to when you get back to sit down and, you know, we can make some of those calls again together. But that is, that was what I, the information I got probably within the last six months, kind of looking at this issue as well. Well, I think it's something that we've done in the past, if we've done in the past, we can certainly do it in the future. It just, I think if there's the willingness, and it sounds like there's a willingness from several members of council and Danny, I'd like to thank you for your input. You certainly know more about it than I do, and Derek, you as well. So what we can do is we can, hey, Councilman Jones, as well. Yes, absolutely.

» I didn't know if you were back in the room yet, but what we can do is we can maybe defer this into the next meeting and have some better conversation and try to come up with a plan and willingness to enable or reenact what once was a very normal situation that I think kept our county beautiful. So, so Councilman Brazel, this is, this is Gerald. We have done this in the past, and each time that we did it, we utilized volunteers, because they are pretrial detainees. One of the things that just in discussion with Jermaine Gordon, Dr. Gordon, the director, is this is something that is falling off, as Derek pointed out, across the state. But it is also labor intensive. And from a risk standpoint, there is, you know, some considerable risk as well.

» At the will of counsel, Director Gordon is available to discuss further, unless you guys are good with where you're at right now. Can I say something? Sure. Mr. Jones. I don't know where we are with what's been said. I apologize. I had to leave for a minute. We always, one, you can't put pre-sentence inmates out on the road. They got to be sentenced. And the only sentence inmates I had when I was the jail administrator were mostly family court. I don't know how that's going now. But if you do have some sentence family court there, I'm certainly in favor of using them on the sides of the road. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Well, I think, you know, pending Gerald's remarks, you know, Gerald, thank you. And Councilman Jones, thank you as well. What I would like to do is continue this conversation.

» And had I been satisfied where I was at, I would have not have put this on the agenda. I'm dissatisfied with the situation. And I think a lot of citizens are as well, as well as other political members of different councils in our county. And they'd like to see these things happen, right? We are the ones that make the at-will decisions, the council itself. And in our direction, I would like to find a way to make this happen. Oh, that's easy. Thank you, Mr. Brousel. Are you requesting that we put on as a discussion item on the next agenda? Yes. And we can have others available for further discussion. And then council can make the decision as a group together. Okay. Whoever those others might be, please inform staff so they might be present. Ms. Hanna, please note that for the next agenda.

» Thank you. Any other discussion? That's it. Thank you, Chairman. All right. That concludes item number 9A. No vote is required. Item number 9 be placed on the agenda by Councilman Jones, Convenient Center Hours. Is there a motion? I so move. We have a motion. Is there a second? I'll second. I'll make a second. We got a second. Mr. Jones, you have the floor for discussion. I'm so enthusiastic on that second there. I know it's been a long night. Yeah, it has. Listen, keep this short and simple. I think one thing that we might have overlooked, I'm all in for the hours of the convenience centers to do Sunday and Monday.

» Just take the lake hours and make them open on Sunday and maybe enclosed another time because the people at the lake are having, it's tough on them to have to, they either rent somebody and then they got that garbage coming out and there's no place to put it at the end of the day. You know, I would really like staff to consider. And one thing I said, I talked to Gerald, Gerald said, well, we're not always, he looks at me like, what are you going to say? He said, well, you know, we're not always locked in at where we are. If we see something's not working, we can certainly go ahead and change it. And I appreciate that. I'm just, I'm just telling you, we got a lot of residents on Lake Road. We've got a lot of residents on Lake Shore Road, both sides of the lake.

» We got a lot of residents right up there in that area. But I wish some way that those two, we could keep open on Sunday for just a few hours, if nothing else. Would it, would it be possible for me? Go ahead. What? Just make sure. Mr. Chairman, if I may. Yeah. Mr. Jones is done. Go ahead, Mr. Bradley. No, I yield to him. I'm not done yet. Mr. Jones, would you like to make a motion? If you would like to make a motion to open the lake recycling centers, I can make an amendment and then we can put it to a vote. I don't think I can because I did. Yeah, I've got to call a point of order. We're in a discussion item. Yeah. Mr. President. There could be a request to be placed on the next agenda as new business or some other old business matter or something.

» I'd like to place on the agenda for new business. If you would note that, please. Next meeting. Since I did put on one for discussion now. And guys, what I'd like y'all to have is just have an open mind. Just think about what I'm saying. Just make it so much easier for those folks at the lake. And I know y'all want to do the right thing and follow my lead. Councilman Jones, I've received, obviously, the lake is inside my district. And I've received numerous calls, texts, concerns, people that are disappointed, you know, slightly upset. And we'd really, really be hurting a considerable amount of rural population. And people do use their homes at the lake on the weekends. And they do need to empty their trash on Sunday afternoons. So I think a limited schedule on Sunday afternoons.

» I've done some research and I've seen that in other counties, maybe from 3:00 to 6:30, depending on sunset and that sort of thing. Well, I believe in my mind that my brother John Thomas is going to ambush Mr. Shoemaker and Mr. Tucker and Mr. Connell. Well, may I say something, Mr. Chairman? He thinks the word of y'all, but he was one that was coming to this very... Mr. Shoemaker, sorry. Yeah. That hint bush has already occurred. But I will say this. I want to be very clear about something. I would oppose any vote on this. And I want to tell you guys why in advance of next week, just so you can think about it as you prepare your thoughts.

» You know, one of the worst things we can do, in my opinion, as a council, is send the signal out that we're going to second-guess our administrators before policies even went into place. This is Danny's policy. He briefed the Finance Committee. We backed him on it, even though it wasn't a vote, like, here, because he just asked our opinion. And maybe that makes sense. I want to be clear. I'm not saying I disagree with that idea, but I think the proper channel is to let Danny work this thing when it starts August 1st. Trust our administrator because Danny's going to be retiring, you know, he's not a young chicken like many of us. But, you know, in three, four years or two years, three years, whatever Danny decides to retire, we're going to have to find a new administrator.

» And the signal it sends to know that if they reschedule dump hours, the county's going to come right behind them before the policy goes into effect and change those hours is a bad, bad precedent to send, in my opinion. So I will not be supporting that. Yes, sir. Thank you. But I disagree with you on that. Because we set the policy, you know, and we make sure that the people, we're the ones that are really accountable to the people, the staff are accountable to us. We don't set the landfill hours, right? We could. We could. And that's my point. We could step into every one of his roles. Yes, sir. And that's why we don't get a good administrator. Well, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's a good argument. But it's not, it's not realistic. Let me just tell you.

» Anyway, I know it's not new, but I just want, that's, that's all I have to say. Okay. Mr. Jones, are you still holding on to the floor? I'm trying to, yes, sir. Okay. Mr. Cato would like to say something if you're ready to re-yield. No, re-yield, because I need to come back. Go ahead. Okay. No, I mean, I do understand what Mr. Shoemake's saying, and I do agree. However, I do see the issue at the lake as being the problem in the county. I think what I'd rather see happen is maybe let's give administration an opportunity to see if something can be changed or worked out rather than us just step in and try and take a vote to take over. Give them an opportunity to see if there's something that might could be worked out, I would have changed or something. I think, if I may, Chairman. Okay.

» Any other council member not spoken yet, wish to speak? And then we'll hear from Jim. See none. Mr. Brazel, and then Mr. Blanchard. Go ahead. Danny, thank you. And I don't, you know, I don't think I made any unclear statement initially when this was brought before us. Nobody asked me if I liked it. It was, it was told to me that this was going to be done. And so it's, it's, it's nothing personal towards administration. And I certainly can't find how us hiring someone in the future, how this will be detrimental. It just shows that we're representing the people. Uh, no different than the votes earlier tonight. Everyone had an opinion and everybody was respectful of the opinions, even, even in a very heated situation in a, in a three hour debate and a public comment session.

» That was a tremendous effect on certain people in the community. And, you know, this is, you know, frankly, it's, it's no different. It lands, it lands in our lap. At the end of the day, we have to voice our opinion. I think if I don't speak up, I'm sending a word that, that I'm not willing to represent. Um, Danny has the opportunity between now and, and two weeks from now, or Danny and Gerald together to, to work on an arrangement. And I'm happy to hear from them. And if they can make an adjustment prior to that, then no vote needed. And, uh, I'm happy to vote to overrule otherwise. Well, I think we've already got it, uh, as an agenda item on the next available agenda.

» So y'all have made your wishes clear as an individual council member or two council members wanting to put an agenda item on under new business, which will be eligible for a vote. So in the meantime, folks can do the research. Um, before we move on from the discussion item, I just wanted to mention that there is some root cause for the policy. And one of the questions that I know staff is researching is this is a, a issue that costs us several hundred thousand dollars. Don't cost no more money. Well, um, before you shortcut me, Mr. Jones, I'm sorry. It actually does cost us a lot more when people come into Kershaw County and commit fraud and make us carry other trash and dump it and pay the fees at the landfill. I've asked for the exact number. I don't know if we have it yet.

» Actually, we don't, we don't have an exact number, but when we looked at, um, the placer of ID data, it shows that a third of the, uh, deposits made at the Elgin convenience center on Sundays are from Richland County residents. Not talking about Elgin. Well, I understand that. With all due respect. But, but one of the things that, that admin was trying to listen to are the complaints that we receive about inconsistent hours across solid waste as a whole. People that we've heard from want consistent hours for all the convenience centers. Um, employees want consistency, um, with their scheduling, uh, across the board. Um, it's, it's really important to understand that. I, I think I speak for, for Danny and the rest of admin and the rest of staff.

» We are dedicated to making processes and services better. Um, we do that by not being afraid of change. We, we embrace change. Um, and once changes are made, that doesn't stop. That process doesn't stop. Once changes are made, we consistently reevaluate and we pivot if necessary. But again, making the decision to change something before it's even enacted, um, is, is a little frustrating because we have the responsibility to listen to staff. And I think that's what Danny has done. I think that's what Chris has done bringing this proposal to us. Thank you, Mr. Blanchard. Um, I, if you can't get us the data in the meantime, on what we can estimate the, the fraud is resulting in additional costs.

» And I'm sure between now and next vote, we can talk about the most narrowly tailored way to address the issues. And that was really good, Jim. Absolutely. And we, we had Chris here tonight, uh, who would be willing more to, uh, willing to talk about it, but we can certainly discuss it next. That was very eloquently put. I didn't agree with it. Thank you very much, Mr. Jones. Wait a minute. I still got the floor. All right. Mr. Jones, Mr. Chairman, if I may say one more thing. One more thing. To clarify, uh, Mr. Blanchard. I understand, uh, your perspective and your point of view in the 500 employees that serve 72,000 people in Kershaw County. Our situation is the exact juncture position is yours. We're accountable to the people. We're accountable to the people.

» You guys are more accountable to your employees and trying to provide a wonderful workplace. And, and I, and I appreciate that, but no different than us trying to make a quick adjustment after we were told something was changing. Um, we, our phones start lighting up. Like this is an immediate concern for the people that live in Kershaw County, especially in these, in these certain areas. And to, to bring back data about what Richland County is doing. That's not even in this equation. That's not part of this discussion. What this discussion is about is about the recycling centers on either side of the lake. So I just wanted to make that extra clear. Well, Mr. Brazel, I'll just say, uh, in reply, I think it's directly a part of the discussion.

» I'm interested in the data because overall we're talking about a holistic, um, solid waste convenience, our policy that might need to be catered particular areas. Maybe some not. Um, you know, I've heard from several folks that want staff and us to root out fraud, waste and abuse. I think this is an attempt at that. I'm not saying it doesn't need to be refined, but I think that's square. One of the issues in front of us. Can I say one last thing? Yeah. I don't, I don't disagree with the situation in Elgin. I think, I think that makes a lot of sense, but here's a, for instance, if, if you were to leave, um, when I leave out of Stowe Island, I was taking trash off and I was stopped and I was asked to, for, to see my ID.

» I said, well, I'm not a Charleston County resident, but I, I own a home and I pay taxes here. And he says, Oh, okay. Could you bring your tax bill next time? I said, sure. I'll try to put it in my truck. So there are many people that live on Lake watery that pay a 6% rate in tax that come from Charlotte or wherever the user, their lake home. And then when they leave, if they find that Kershaw County is closed and not willing to accept trash on Sundays, they're going to be extraordinarily frustrated. And, and they're a heavy taxpayer in Kershaw County. Mr. Braswell, I'll just note that I'm in the exact same boat in regards to the property on Edisto. And that facility is closed on Sunday, which extraordinarily frustrating, isn't it? Closed on Sunday. I figured out a way to work around it.

» I know it's, it's frustrating for me. It, it, it irritates me every time. Okay. All right. Any other discussion council members, Mr. Jones? No. Okay. I got you too riled up. I'm done. No, no votes required. Thank you for the discussion. And again, we already have it as a new business item under, I believe Mr. Jones and Mr. Braswell's names and others can add in if they like. And thank you staff for working with us on this. Yes, sir. That's 9B and then no votes required. 9C project ballast, Mr. Jones, you had as a discussion item. No, that, that should have been taken off. Okay. We will have no motion on 9C for Mr. Jones. That brings us to 11A and I would, before we seek a motion on 11A, just like to get clarification from council or staff, the Scrivener's error related to Richland County.

» Was that in relation to 11A that I mentioned earlier? Yes. Okay. All right. So do we have a motion and then we'll seek a motion to amend, but do we have a motion on 11A? This is a resolution committing to negotiate ad valorem taxes. This is really kind of a housekeeping matter after the third reading that we just had between Kershaw County and BRNG LLC, a company previously identified, is project ballast. Do we have a motion? Make a motion, Mr. Chair. Mr. Tucker makes a motion. Do we have a second? Second. We have a second for Mr. Shoemake. Before we have any discussion, is it okay, Mr. Tucker, if we get an update on what amendment might be needed from legal counsel? Yes, sir. Mm-hmm. Yes. Ms. Douglas. Yes, Mr. Chair.

» The text of the ordinance itself, if you'll notice on the title of the, or excuse me, not the ordinance, the resolution, there's a reference to Richland County and that should obviously say Kershaw County. I believe that was just an error when that was passed through in different versions. And legal just had a couple suggested edits. Also Scrivener's, more just of making sure that our present and past tenses are correct. As to section two, to remove from the second sentence, the word subsequent and the words to be, such that that sentence would read, the further details of the fee low payments and the agreement will be prescribed by ordinance of the county, adopted in accordance with South Carolina law and the rules of procedures of the county. Mr.

» Tucker, you had the floor, but will you yield to a motion to amend as stated by legal counsel? Yes, sir. I most definitely will. I will make that motion, Mr. Chair. Mr. Shoemake has a motion on the recommendations from legal counsel and some Scrivener's corrections. Any second? I just made the motion. I'll give a second. Okay. Mr. Shoemake, you've got a second. Any discussion on the motion to amend before we get back to the original motion? No discussion. Seeing no discussion on the motion to amend. Any discussion, Mr. Brazel remotely? Hearing none, we'll move it to a vote for those who are present. All in favor of the motion to amend. Raise your hand. We have Shoemake, Tucker, Connell, and Tomlinson in favor. All opposed on the motion to amend. Mr.

» Jones and Cato opposed or present in voting. Mr. Brazel, do we still have you? We just lost Mr. Brazel. He's going to take trash out. Okay. The motion to amend passes. We're back on the original motion on resolution for 11A. 11A has been corrected or amended to include at this point the recommendations from legal staff on some Scrivener's issues. Do we have any further discussion on 11A? Seeing no further discussion on 11A and understanding Mr. Brazel's not on the line anymore, we'll just move it to a vote for the quorum that's present. All in favor, raise your hand. That's Shoemake, Tucker, Connell, and Tomlinson in favor on 11A as amended. And anyone opposed? Raise your hand. Mr. Jones and Mr. Cato opposed. The resolution 11A passes. Next up, we've got item number 12A.

» This is in relation to pickleball courts placed on by Deputy Administrator Gerald Blanchard. Is this an update for us or is it going to require a vote? It will require a -- well, it's actually just an update to letting you know that -- well, no, staff is seeking approval to purchase and move forward. Okay. Give us a brief background and then we can see if we get a motion. Yeah, this is a source well contract with SportsCourt at Carolina Incorporated in the amount of $249,000. The project has been accounted for in our current budget and Kershaw County appreciates any private donations that could possibly be used for this activity as well. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Blanchard.

» Do we have a motion on the recommendation from staff and the item before us in relation to pickleball courts? I make a motion that we approve this request from staff on the pickleball courts. I do have a question. I will second it. Okay. We have a second. Mr. Tucker, you had a question? Yes, sir. Mr. Blanchard, of this $249,000, how much of that was private? Do you remember -- I can speak on that. I believe you've got that, Mr. -- I can speak on that. So, approximately $210,000 has been committed, though we have not voted on it yet. We will -- the council and perhaps I will have -- This is going to be a gift? A gift. So, we won't be pulling anything out of our coffees? No, we've already -- we have already budgeted $300,000 towards pickleball improvements.

» I'm trying to make sure some of the funds go to Mr. Cato's area as well. What's the name of that tennis court? Does it have a -- Oh, that's Boyd Young. Boyd Young. So, thanks to Boyd Young where we've had significant improvements, there's private citizens interested in donating up to $210,000 through various means to split between those two pickleball projects, Casey West and the one adjacent to Boyd Young, which is a tennis court that needs to be revamped into pickleball, which is extremely popular now. And I'm hearing a bunch of demand for it. I assume council members are hearing some of the same demand for conversions. I hadn't heard anything. You hadn't heard anything about pickleball? Okay, well, I don't know if it's generational or not, but everybody tells me they want to do it.

» So, at any rate, instead of having the vote just on the 249 tonight, which, you know, I think we moved this forward, just know that maybe next meeting, as soon as we can get it lined up, we'll be looking at a substantial donation, which I think will let us -- Can we wait until next meeting to do this? No, I think we need to go ahead and improve this and get the contract working and work from the capital that we have. Well, I'd be more apt to support it if I knew the money was there. No, the money is there. Money is there. A grant -- I mean, not a grant, but a donation. No, an amount greater than this -- in the budget that you just voted in favor of? I know that. A budget amount has already been allotted higher than the 249. Yeah, okay. So, the money is there to get this project done.

» I'm just saying that in a future meeting, we'll be able to vote on another $210,000 that will allow us to address Boyd Young, I think, at the same time. Would this just be for KC West, or is this going to include Boyd Young? No, the 249 is the quote for KC West. So, where would the other come from for Boyd Young? You're going to get a $210,000 donation I anticipate coming in, assuming the council votes to accept it. And I'm hoping economies of scale, perhaps with the same contractor, won't have to mobilize twice in Kershaw County. They can do one project in Kershaw County and then roll right into the next one. And if they have some of the same equipment that needs to be used on the next project, it's easy to transfer.

» And I'm hoping we can save some costs there and benefit another portion of the county. Well, I'm going to tell you why I probably will support this tonight, if you're interested. I am, yeah. Well, we budgeted for it. I think we need to get this rolling. I know, because the pecan orchard money is still in the budget. It is. Okay. And we're going to move forward on that, too. Okay. All right. Thank you. If you want to put that on as a gym item, we can discuss it. Maybe next time. Sam and I are working together on that. Okay. But for the matter before us, Mr. Tucker, you did have the floor. I just want to give that background. No, and I appreciate that. So, that gave me great clarification on where we're at.

» And I look forward to generous donation by private citizens to move forward in the upper end of the county. And I will be playing pickleball, too. So, we don't have 50,000 left over to help with that Boyd Young project anyway. So, if it comes in at the same with the 210 plus the 50 left over, we're still good. Yeah. This is awesome. We just cut the ribbon on the KCYS new parking lot. This will be huge. Those tennis courts get very little use and starting to fall in district anyway. This is awesome. I'll just say, since it's immediately adjacent to where we're doing this renovation, assuming the vote passes tonight, the playground, which is also donated, we've got to make sure we do a good job of staying on top of equipment repairs.

» And I get calls from time to time about, you know, whatever apparatus it is that's having an issue. People really notice that. And especially with their kids playing out there, we want to make sure we stay on top of it. Mr. Chairman. And it's going to be more highly traffic once the pickleball courts come. People are going to be in and out all the time. So, if you don't mind, let me speak to this since we're talking about KC West. So, great picture photo for the ribbon cutting last week. I missed it. But, we need to look at, because I've got my butt chapped pretty good, for some basketball courts to go out there somewhere. Understood. I'm telling you now. I will not take this beating by myself.

» All of you sitting up here and who are not here is going to get part of this if we don't do something. We need to find out where we can locate some basketball. God bless you. Out of that part. Because it sends the wrong message, number one, for our community and our county. I haven't heard nothing about that. White man KJ. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Tucker and Mr. Jones. Thank you. Any other discussion on this agenda item, 12A? Seeing none, we'll move it to a vote on the bid before us of $249,239.96. All in favor, raise your hand. It's unanimous for those who are present and voting with Mr. Brazel having dropped off the call at the moment. Thank you. It passes, for the record, Ms. Hannah. That's 12A, 12B.

» I don't know that this necessarily requires a vote because we're not adjusting the schedule for the rest of the year. I think we'll talk about that at our next meeting. But council meetings-- It requires a vote to cancel. What's that? It requires a vote to cancel. Yeah. I mean, well, if a quorum don't show up, the meeting's canceled. Either way, I'll make a motion that we cancel the 7/28/26-- Excuse me. Make sure I have that date correct. It's 7/28. Yeah. The 7/28/26 council meeting. I'll explain after we get a second. Second. We have a second. We've got the annual South Carolina Association of Counties training seminars and conference during that time period. So every council member that's attending, which would be a quorum, will be out of town and unavailable to attend the meeting.

» And so we typically cancel that meeting. And then I would suggest that the next meeting that we have in August, we take up the council schedule for the rest of the year. Look at holidays in November, December, whether or not we want to do other meetings based on schedules. But that's my motion just related to the 7/28/26 meeting. Can we entertain a amendment to this motion for the schedule for the rest of the year? Would that be appropriate? We could, except for I've got a couple of economic development matters or other time sensitive matters that Mr. DuBose was telling me about when a certain newspaper publishes versus not for a hearing and other things. And I don't want to prejudice any citizen or any potential business looking at Cresshaw County.

» I just want him to be back in town and confer with you. And then y'all both update us and say, you're okay. We don't need meetings on these dates to meet a timeline for somebody's either rezoning or project or something even important as, you know, solid waste service. But 7/28/26 meeting is the item before us for cancellation. Any further discussion? 28/26? 7/28/26, July 28, 2026. The, again, the annual South Carolina Associate Academy Conference is occurring. Okay, all in favor? It is unanimous for those who are present and voting. Ms. Hanna, the 7/28/26 meeting is canceled. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It takes care of number 12B. 13A, we've got a reappointment on the agenda from District 3, Councilman Shumick. This is related to the Cresshaw County Clean Community Commission.

» Do we have a motion? Yeah, I have a motion to appoint Ms. Dennis. She has been on the Clean Community Commission's. I understand that she's willing to serve again. Thank you, Mr. Shumick. Is there a second? A second. We have a second. Any further discussion? No. Who seconded it? Brandon. All right. All in favor, raise your hand on the reappointment. It's unanimous for those who are present and voting. Ms. Hanna, that takes care of item number 13A1. We'll get to council member briefings. Mr. Cato. I don't really have a whole lot. I don't really have a whole lot. I think we've had a long enough meeting tonight, but I do want to thank the ones that come out for the ribbon cutting at both Boyd Young and up in Bethune. We've had a good crowd. We've had a good crowd.

» I think at Copeland and at Boyd Young and the parks look amazing. Thank everybody for their hard work and for their support. And I want to say thank you to all the ones that lifted up prayers. I'm a new grandfather. Congratulations. My grandbaby was born on the 3rd of July and a few little complications that sent her to the NIC unit and she stayed in there for about seven or eight days and she was brought home Sunday evening. But I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and reaching out to me during that time. Thank you, Mr. Cato. Mr. Tomlinson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The 3rd of July is a good day. That's my late sister-in-law's birthday. So when one leaves, one comes in place. So congratulations, Mr. Cato.

» And I was being sincere earlier in my comments when we were on the third reading of that ordinance. And I know that there's not a person sitting in this audience who was here during that time, but I'm sure that some are still listening or they might come back and listen. I sincerely appreciated every single person's comments, whether for or against. And that's what this process is about. I see the mayor of Bethune sitting in the audience here currently and council member elect who will be serving with us here in January in the audience still. I really appreciate, you know, being here. But if anybody has any concerns about the plant or would like to call and talk to me, I am available. I've tried to respond to everybody's text calls.

» And like I said, there is one that is on the top of my head, Ms. Bond, who I will call back tomorrow. I did not get that chance. But if you need me, my number is 803-427-9284. 427-9284. My number's on the website. I put that out there so people, yeah. One more time. So people, but I'm being, it's all sincere. You know, I'm being very sincere because I think this is something that impacts the people. Mr. Tomlinson's time. Yeah, thank you. Call tonight. Thank you. And staff, as always, thank y'all for being here. And thank you for all you do. This would not be possible without you. And Ms. Hannah's probably ready to go home and wants me to hush. So I'm going to take that in my cue. Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson. Mr. Jones. I will give y'all a list of who I'll thank.

» Just, I'm saying that with a good humor. Let me just say that, I don't know if y'all are aware or not. Y'all know Gary Patterson with Patterson Insurance, Allstate Insurance. He was named the new head of officials for football in the ACC. Yeah. He's supervisor of the football officials of the ACC. That is really neat, you know, and very proud of him. So Jonathan and I want to make sure we get the Pecan Orchard on the agenda and get something done as soon as possible. Thank you, Jonathan. And having said that, I don't think I got anything else. Just, I appreciate this council. I don't agree with you, but I appreciate y'all and the way you conduct yourselves. And I mean that. I think this council works well together even in disagreement. And that's the way it should be. Thank you.

» Thank you, Mr. Jones. Mr. Shoemake. Yeah, not much. It's a pretty charged meeting. We're pushing 10 o'clock. I think, I think I'm good. Thank you, Mr. Shoemake. Mr. Tucker. Don't quite be that brief. I want to say thank you, Mr. Blanchard and Ms. Douglas for stepping in and filling in. I thought that you guys did a magnificent job tonight. Never had any questions about your abilities or talents, but it's always good to have council be willing to step in when our attorneys out. And the same thing with our administrator. And we appreciate all you do behind the scenes as well. So, and I just want to say so it can be recorded that I feel the same as my colleague here to my right.

» I'm not willing to snatch the rug from the staff on these recycling centers until we get some data and allow staff to make adjustments like we said we would before doing anything drastic. And I know we're getting pressure. And we're getting those phone calls and you know, the ambushes and all that, but it's not my first time and won't be my last. So that concludes my report, Mr. Chair. Thank you very much, Mr. Tucker. I don't have any reports tonight other than to just remind everyone, hug your kids, hug your parents, hug your family members. It still echoes for me. My dad's a recent stroke and I've had other family members or friends, excuse me, also who have almost lost someone or lost someone recently.

» And there are so many things that are more important in life than some of the things that we get distracted with and family is really what matters. And I just want to share that in God. So with that, we'll carry on with the agenda. That brings us to Mr. Deputy Administrator's briefing, Mr. Blanchard. Yeah. Thank you, sir. I certainly hate that Mr. Brazel fell off the call because I just wanted to say that all of our permits are in for the expansion of the veterans boat ramp. Wow. So we've got those in. Now we're just waiting for a couple of quotes to be able to move on getting that 16 foot expansion on that. And I think that will definitely help the citizens that are using the boat ramp out there. We are watching Woodward Sports Complex very closely.

» Um, just trying to make sure that, uh, fall ball does not, uh, this does not extend beyond the opening date or fall ball. We're doing our very best, uh, working with, uh, KBI there. Uh, had a re, um, recent meeting with, uh, DS and, um, on well, Kim, they continue to remove, uh, product off of that, um, uh, that site, uh, during their closing process. So it's, it's just removing wastewater and sludge from the EQ basin. So DHEC is good with what's going on there. Our DS is good with what's going on there. They are working with, um, uh, the EPA, uh, to ensure everything is copa static. So we're all good there. Where are they taking it? Do you know? Say again? Where are they hauling it to? They're hauling it to the, um, wastewater treatment plant off of Spears Creek.

» I forgot the name of the company. Okay. That's Southwest. Yep. Yep. Uh, they're removing three to five truckloads a day of waste still. So. Bad stuff. I said bad stuff. Yes, sir. Um, we did recently hire our grant administrator. Uh, so that is going to be, uh, Crystal Stafford. Uh, she's a resident of Lugoff and she starts on the 18th of July. So we're excited about welcoming, uh, Crystal on board with us. Uh, employee luncheon on the 22nd from 11 to two. Uh, please plan on a joining or please join us, uh, in welcoming and, and thanking our staff for the job they do every day. Um, thanks for putting up with the backups, uh, tonight. I appreciate your patience with us. Um, and other than that, that's it. That's my report. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Blanchard.

» And for, uh, serving tonight, filling in and we miss, we miss, uh, Mr. Templer. His name's Dan. I think, yeah. I'm sorry. I'm a little tired. Mr. Danny Templer. Uh, his name's right in front of me on this big sign who, who, who, I think he's vacationing locally. So, you know, bless his heart on that. Um, do we have any second from 11 to two? Okay. Any nonprivileged legal briefing? Uh, no, Mr. Chair, nothing from legal. Thank you very much. That will bring us to item number 17, which we do have three matters for executive session. I would seek a motion on items number 17, A through C.

» This would be discussion of negotiation Institute proposed contracts for A and C, and then receipt of legal advisory date related to a potential claim and other matters, uh, covered by the attorney client privilege. This is all under SC code 30 dash four dash 70 A two. Do we have a motion for executive session? Very begrudgingly. I so move. I'll, I'll second the motion. Yeah. We have a second. Any discussion on executive session? Seeing none, all in favor, raise your hand. It is unanimous on executive session. We are an executive session and for public benefit, Ms. Douglas, I don't think any votes are anticipated. Uh, no, Mr. Chair. Not to acknowledge. Okay. Thank you. Second. We have a motion and a second. Second. Well, I guess I made the motion. I'll take your second.

» All those in favor of any executive session, raise your hand. I think Mr. I made it, but it's okay. He can. It passes. Mr. Shoemaker, you in favor of any executive session. It's unanimous. Ms. Hanna. And then seek a motion for adjournment. So moved. Second. And we have a second. No discussion. All in favor, raise your hand. We are adjourned. Hey, I wanted to say something. Yes, sir. A friend of mine, his name is...