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MINUTES FROM TOWN COUNCIL MEETING AT COTTAGEVILLE TOWN HALL
MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008 AT 7:00 P.M.
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Mayor White called the meeting to order, explained the sign-in sheet, led the Pledge of Allegiance and called the roll.
Members present were Mayor White, Council Member Eutsler and Council Member Strickland.
The following takes place in open session.
ATTESTATION

Terri Crosby, Town Clerk
MAYOR WHITE: At this time I’ll entertain a motion for the approval, the minutes from the May meeting.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I make a motion we approve the minutes of May meeting.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Ayes have it.
At this time we’ll have the mayor’s report.
Tonight we’ll have the first reading of our 2008-2009 budget. This is a good budget, which I feel like a lot of hard work went in to it. Our budget has improvements in the technology area, of the police and staff.
We have planned on monies for the old elementary school and the transition when we make it to that facility.
Our biggest question and I think everybody’s biggest question is, that is, the price of gas. We have requested police officers to limit their personal use of their police cars. I have a new officer on a to-and-from-work use of his car.
The police car’s in the budget. We have two new police cars being ordered. We also have a resolution on that tonight. There are — They’re the new flex-fuel cars. Paul’s car is an example of one. We’ve had great results with this car.
The new cars have been ordered for the next fiscal year. They’ll be white and they’ll be marked. We’ll be saving up on the gas price between the new car mileage savings and that selling of the old to help offset the price of the car payment.
The town ordinance review. I’m currently reviewing the town ordinance book. I’ll be requesting some changes starting tonight. These paragraphs contradict the use of employee’s handbook and I’m requesting some changes there.
Litter pickup. The first round of trash pickup last month went well. Paul will probably have more to tell you in his police report. Paul also came up with a very good idea in reporting littering. Please report any littering you see to the police until we get this program implemented.
I attended the Lowcountry Council of Governments board meeting on Thursday night. Grant deadlines were announced with some community development grant areas which we will be applying for and there’s, there’s about three grants that Michelle Knight (phon.) had brought up during that meeting which I think that would all be good for the Town of Cottageville.
And before — Let’s see.
I’ll be approaching CTC – Colleton County Transportation Commission on the shape of Pierce Road this month. This will be the third time I’ve approached them. I hope that council and town members will support me in turning out for this meeting. This road is in terrible shape. I’m asking for the same consideration to be afforded to Cottageville that is being — to any school that’s built in the Walterboro area. Please let people know that you are concerned by coming to this meeting. I have a sign-in sheet and I’m gonna put it up on the podium, that if you’re interested in coming to the June 12 meeting at six p.m. please sign up and if there’s any changes I’ll let you know.
(Presentation made to Terri Crosby.)
And at this time we’ll have Terri’s report, town clerk’s report.
MS. CROSBY: We have now gone to biweekly on payroll and paying bills. Everything is going well.
I finished a T21 grant which will be for streetlights on Highway 17 and the Town of Cottageville signs.
I also finished up 2008-2009 budget.
I am working on a work session for the planning commission, council and mayor. This work session will be for the zoning ordinance. Miss Jenny at LCOG who does the zoning is out on sick leave right now.
I’m trying to get a class set up for the new committee persons that need the mandatory six-hour training class; also trying to set up a continuing education class for the ones that have already taken the six-hour class. This class will be for three hours. Talked to Chris at LCOG. He is working on something for classes and said hopefully he will have something planned in maybe the next forty-five days. I will let the planning commission and board of adjustments know when this class is planned.
I sent out certified letters to those who haven’t paid their business license. They were returned to me for non-pickup. I had Chief to hand-deliver the letters. If they’re not paid by the end of this week citations will be issued and they will have to come to court.
I paid one assessment this week, received one set-off debt payment.
I am working with the town attorney in reference to passing an ordinance for hospitality taxes and accommodation taxes. This will help the town revenue.
The law enforcement grant was completed back in the spring will be on or around June 20.
I’ll be working with Michelle Knight at LCOG on upcoming grants for the fall, will let you know more detail next month.
Also started posting the agenda and minutes on the web page.
I will be working on employee’s handbook, updating some items that need changes due to the biweekly pay. I will have this ready at the next council meeting.
A competitive grant we applied for back in January is being processed. The grant review committee has not set a date to meet for making the awards yet.
The telephone system is in now and is operating. Everyone’s office now has voice mail.
Working with the auditor on scheduling the 2007-2008 audit; will let you know at the next meeting when the audit will start.
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you.
At this time we’ll have the police report.
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: Good evening, everybody.
The police department in the month of May took seventy-eight reports, twenty-six arrests, over a thousand property checks. We assisted other agencies twenty times and took a hundred and thirteen complaints and I’m happy to report we had no accidents within the town limits of Cottageville in the month of May.
In reference to what Mr. George talked about, about littering, I spoke with Palmetto Rural. We’re working on having a hotline for littering because littering is a big problem in Cottageville. Group goes around and cleans up and then it gets hit again. Our worse area right now is the Adams Road, Depot Road area so I’ve already got a number established but we’ve got to work out some kinks so we’ll have the hotline going for littering and we’ll put that on the web, the website and hopefully out here on the board. Hopefully in the next forty-eight hours, seventy-two hours we’ll have that hotline running.
I’d rather you not publish the number right now until I confirm it but it’s gone be 835-3344. I tried to come up with something like STOP or DON’T but those numbers were already taken so the best number we came up with was 3344.
I’d like to introduce Randy Price (phon.). He’s one of our new officers. He’s been onboard since the middle of last month. Randy’s got thirteen years experience. His first full week on the job he done real good; he’s arrested nine, nine in his first week, anywhere from drugs to alcohol to driving under suspension and all that was on the late shift, too, on the evening shift so got a lot of drugs and alcohol floating through town but he’s done a real good job in his first week and hopefully he’ll continue to do that.
This is Randy.
I didn’t know if the mayor wanted to say anything.
MAYOR WHITE: Well, all I can say is normally when I run into Randy it’s on the way back from jail from Walterboro. I was coming home from church on Sunday morning and I actually met Randy at the — down at the Dollar General. He was just getting back from jail so he, he does have that distinction of — He’s really been doing a good job and, and we look forward to having him so you’re definitely a welcome to the community.
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: That’s all I have. My other stuff will be in Mr. Strickland’s report.
MAYOR WHITE: At this time we’ll have the judicial report by Dawn Boren.
MS. BOREN: We had the average amount of phone calls and walk-ins for this month.
Chief Paul Haase and myself completed letter court on May 6, 2008. We had no participation in May’s letter court. We had a total of twenty-four bench warrants and three arrest warrants paid. If you add up all the citations paid on those warrants it would’ve been a total of twenty-six citations paid and the oldest warrant paid was dated back in 2003.
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you.
At this time I’ll have the committee reports. Carly Strickland, emergency preparedness.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: Well, as we all know, started on the first of this month was hurricane season and we’ve got until November 30, go through it.
On the fourth and fifth of this month there’s going to be a statewide exercise drill, emergency preparedness office and all your municipalities in the county and county government and law enforcement is gone be participated and it’s gone be conducted under the code name of Hurricane Vince. It’s just gone be exercise and practice only.
That’s all I — Chief Haase is gone fill in the rest of the details on it and go in to more detail than I know what’s going on with and as it stands now, there’s no tropical formation expected for the next forty-eight hours but I’m gone turn it back over to the chief to let him go in to more detail about it.
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: Just like Mr. Carl said, if we normally have something major coming in a hurricane, whatever, we will go to the emergency preparedness office and man our booths there. We’ll have everybody from Edisto Beach, Walterboro city, the sheriff’s office, Walterboro city police department. All the agencies involved are gone be working out of their offices on June 4. Once everything’s done with, then we’re gone meet on June 5.
I’m unable to be a part of the June 4 exercise. Officer Fernandiz (phon.) is gone take my space that day but I will be at the meeting on June 5.
Hurricane Vince faxes have already started coming in to my office since 7:30 this morning. I just received another one at 5:30 and it’s gone play just like a real hurricane and we’re gone be typing back and forward and going at it for the next June 4, which is Wednesday but hopefully it’ll be a quiet season.
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you.
Charlie’s out for public works. Do you have anything as far as lights or . . .
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: I checked around and the period that all the lights were working in town.
As to the citizens, if you do see a light out on your street or you’re passing by just, just give me a courtesy call. Like Terri says, our voice mail is set up; you can leave me a voice mail and I’ll run out there and check it for you but appears that all of them are working at this time.
Thank you.
MAYOR WHITE: Rick Eustler.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I had the opportunity to go to the municipal association’s technology event in Columbia. It was great to learn all the things I don’t know. I just love that but some of the things I did learn there we’ve already looked to put in to practice with the budget, specifically with regards to emergency preparedness.
There’s some systems that allow all the — all the town’s electronic records to be archived nightly and in the case of an emergency we can be up and running in twenty-four hours and that kind of stuff is just good to know those services are out there so it was great. I look forward to the next, the next time I can go.
With regards to issues here at town hall, I talked to Dale Coble (phon.) again. We’re still a few weeks out on getting the new server in here.
I did a little work on Chief Haase’s computer, which is left over from the, the previous chief and that it needs to be replaced so I’ve ordered the replacement on that and should be in this week. Once I get it in I’ll work with Chief Haase to get everything and I’ll be donating my time for that.
I’ve asked Dale to come in and do the, the heavy lifting on the network side of things because I really want them to be the administrative go-to person on that, where the town always has somebody that knows the system that’ll be here in our foreseeable future.
That’s about it. Website’s moving forward. We’re getting data up more regularly now and we’re getting the procedures in place and what’s the best way to actually get the data posted.
That’s about it.
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Oh, I had one other question, one other thing, sorry. I was gonna recommend that we take — Once I’ve replaced Paul’s computer, it’s actually a decent machine. I was gone rebuild it and I was thinking we should put that in to Terri’s place for the time being and swap her old box out because then I think everybody will be running Windows XP Pro, which at least we can enable some internal security that way because I think she’s running Home and there’s really nothing you can do from a security perspective that way but that’ll, I believe, put all the computers on one operating system connecting with the server properly so I’d recommend that anyway.
MAYOR WHITE: Sounds good.
Okay.
And I have Peggy Thomas’ report.
Our revitalization committee will not meet again until August when we make our final plans for The Taste of Cottageville on October 11, 2008; however, the committee is still asking for public participation in helping plan community events to be held at the old Cottageville school.
Historical and preservation committee. The application for the current — for the current Cottageville school to be placed on the National Historic and Preservation Register and it’s in the process of because completed. We are pleased and excited since this will be the first for Cottageville, to have a building registered with the National Historic and Preservation Society.
Okay. Let’s see.
We’ll move on to unfinished business. Ditch concerns. I met with Ken Smoak (phon.). I received a letter back from him. I’ll be contacting the landowners this month informally to present them with this info. Then I’ll — Then I’ll present the information formally if it’s not met with a favorable response.
Also, I was able to get the test data for the test wells in Cottageville and that report went to Frank Brockington, our town engineer, and he is — He’s setting up a — He’s taking that information to somebody that interprets the sampling data and that will be — I’ll have a meeting with that on the, the end of June so by the July meeting I’ll be able to give you some information as far as what they determine on the ground water sampling.
Moving on to new business. First reading on Ordinance 2008 Town of Cottageville budget for the 2008-2009 year. I’ll go ahead and read the first page.
All court fines and assessments will be duly recorded and deposited in the town court checking account by the administrative town clerk or the mayor. Each month the fine revenue will be transferred to the town’s checking account by the town clerk and the mayor or the mayor — or in the mayor’s absence, by the town clerk and mayor pro tem.
All general fund revenue shall be duly reported and deposited in the town’s checking account by the town clerk.
All disbursements from the town’s checking account shall be done by the mayor and the town clerk or in the mayor’s absence by the mayor pro tem or the town clerk or in the clerk’s absence by the mayor and the mayor pro tem.
Transfer from one budget item to another not in excess of $5,000.000 may be authorized by the mayor. Transfers in excess of $5,000.00 may be approved by the town council.
Mayor has authorization in the amount of up to $5,000.00 for purchasing for the town. Over $5,000.00 needs authorization from council. This can be done on the town’s credit card or general fund.
This ordinance is in effect July 1, 2008, and expires June 30, 2009. All ordinance or parts of this ordinance inconsistent with this ordinance is hereby repealed.
This budget requires two readings.
At this time I’ll entertain a motion on the approval of the first reading of the —
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Can I ask a question?
MAYOR WHITE: Sure.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: In paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4. It says transfers in excess of $5,000.00 may be approved by the town council. Is that — Should that rather be a must be approved?
MAYOR WHITE: May. Shall, or shall be.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I know — I know the — what you’re trying to infer there but rather than to make it ambiguous, make it absolute.
MAYOR WHITE: Yeah, that sounds good. We change that to shall be. That is, transfer from one budget item to another in excess of $5,000.00 may be authorized by the mayor. Transfers in excess of $5,000.00 shall be approved by town council. That’s fine.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Make it consistent with the next paragraph.
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
At this time, if there’s no other questions, I’ll entertain a motion for approval of the reading of the first . . .
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I make a motion.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
First reading on Ordinance 2008 dash 3, amending sections 13 dash 207 and 208 and what this is, is the reason we went to this ordinance is we had a conflict with the employees manual.
Let’s see.
Whereas Council has determined in the interest of the town or confirm and clarify the town’s intent for employment at will of employees as expressed in section 2, 2 point 808 – at-will employment – Whereas the council further has determined that it’s in the interest of the town to confirm and clarify the authority of the mayor under state law, now, therefore, be it ordained by town council, the Town of Cottageville, South Carolina that section 13 dash 207 – suspensions, hearings – of the Town of Cottageville be amended by adding the word subject to prior approval of the mayor at the beginning of the first sentence of subsection A and deleting and repealing the second sentence of subsection A and all subsections B and C.
Section 13 point 208 – Same, chief of police – of the town code is hereby amended and deleting of words and council.
This ordinance show take effect upon final reading.
Okay.
At this time I’ll entertain a motion for the — for approval of the town ordinance and amending sections 13 point 207 and 208 of the town code.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I make a motion we approve all of 2008 dash 3.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Okay.
And one thing that I did not add and I meant to add at the beginning of the meeting was the resolution for the purchase of two new police cars and that is resolution 2008 dash 4. This resolution actually — Or the purchase actually falls under the new budget but we have had an opportunity to purchase two new police cars and the — and it falls right at the end of the budget year but, anyway, Resolution 2008 dash 4, that whereas, the Town of Cottageville through its duly elected officials with consent and approval of the town’s council has entered in to a contract with Enterprise Bank or South Carolina Bank and Trust for a loan for the lowest interest rate and the mayor has authorization to sign for the Town of Cottageville for completing this said resolution. Now therefore be it resolved by the town council of the Town of Cottageville that the aforesaid contract for new funds not to exceed $40,000.00 for two new police cars.
Okay.
And at this time I’ll entertain a motion for that.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: I make a motion we approve Resolution 2008 dash 4.
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Ayes have it.
Okay.
Before we go on to the citizens agenda I do want to go over the financials for the month of May. I didn’t do it at the end of the mayor’s report. Revenues were up 76,609. Total expenditures for the month was 73,000 and the net income was $3,534.00. The assessment for the months — for the month was, was 32,441. We did pay one assessment this month, the total of almost $28,000.00.
And that completes everything I have.
Mr. Charles.
MR. DUPREE: Yeah.
MAYOR WHITE: Oh, Mr. Dupree, I’m sorry.
MR. DUPREE: Yeah.
We got some people coming to clean 248 and Durant Avenue and 106, dropping trash and limbs and stuff on the side of the road between me and Jack Benton’s house. Who’s doing it, I do not know. It’s a big pile of limbs down right-hand side going toward Jacksonboro Road.
MAYOR WHITE: I’ll tell you what, if you can get us any information as far as if you see who it is. I’ll, I’ll go down there and I’ll take a look at it and see what we’ve got but as far as — Please keep your eyes open; you see somebody back there let us know because I mean it’s the same, same situation we have over here on Depot and Adams. There’s the — You know, we paid to have the streets cleaned up and it wasn’t — I don’t think it was twenty-four hours and we had trash back over there again so, you know, anything that any of y’all can provide us as far as with the trash, please let us know and Paul can keep an eye on that area.
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: Yeah.
Mr. Dupree, here’s my card and you can call me on my cell if you happen to see a car over there.
MR. DUPREE: All right.
CHIEF OF POLICE HAASE: Until we get that hotline going for you.
MR. DUPREE: It, it look like somebody cut some top fruit trees or some trees, whole trailer-load that’s piled up on, on right-hand side going toward Jacksonboro Road between me and Jack.
MAYOR WHITE: One last thing, I do want to ask if anybody is interested in going to that CTC meeting, please, please go ahead and sign that sheet. If there’s any changes I’ll definitely give you a phone call and let you know.
And other than that, that is all I have. Does anybody else have anything for the good of town?
(No response.)
MAYOR WHITE: Hearing none, I’ll make a motion we adjourn.
COUNCIL MEMBER STRICKLAND: I make a motion we adjourn.
COUNCIL MEMBER EUSTLER: Second.
MAYOR WHITE: All in favor?
(All council members indicated yes.)
MAYOR WHITE: Thank you very much for coming.
– Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. –
I, the undersigned Donna Hartley, Official Court Reporter and Notary Public, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true, accurate and complete transcript of record of all the proceedings had at the Town Council Meeting for The Town of Cottageville, South Carolina at Cottageville Town Hall on Monday, February 4, 2008.
I further certify that I am neither of counsel nor kin to any person attending this meeting nor am I interested in any manner of its outcome.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-first day of June, 2008
Notary Public for South Carolina
My Commission Expires April 23, 2017