Society Hill council’s new policy: Miss a meeting, miss your check
By Bobby Bryant, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Society Hill Town Council has adopted a “no excuses” policy for council members who miss monthly meetings.
At its Dec. 10 session, council unanimously gave final approval to a plan that will deny absent council members the $100 they would have received for attending the meeting.
“This is what other towns across the state have done,” Mayor Tommy Bradshaw said. “It’s pretty cut-and-dried.”
Council was prompted to make the move after residents complained that too many members seemed to be missing too many meetings, in some cases leaving the five-member council with just barely enough for a quorum.
Members took a first vote on the plan at last month’s meeting. Council members are paid $1,200 a year to serve on the council that governs the town of 560 people, while the mayor makes $3,600 a year.
According to the minutes from last month’s council session, council members Deborah Harrell and Tammy Gandy asked whether the attendance plan would apply if a member was out sick or out for some other legitimate reason.
Bradshaw said this type of “no exceptions or excuses” policy was being used in other S.C. towns.
In other business during last week’s session, Bradshaw said that Diamond Communications LLC is planning to install a cellphone-transmission tower in Society Hill to improve residents’ reception.
