Society Hill: New Years, no arrears!
Pictured left to right: Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd swears in Society Hill Council Members Deborah Harrell and Michelle Steen to another term of office. Both women were unopposed in their bid for reelection in November of 2015.
Photo by Jana E. Pye
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Mayor Tommy Bradshaw welcomed community members to the first Society Hill Town Council meeting for 2016 with good news: not only is the tiny town finally out of arrears with paying mandatory assessments to the State of South Carolina, they actually have money in the bank – $40,000.
“We need to open a bottle of champagne,” quipped Mayor Tommy Bradshaw.
“Well, maybe sparkling grape juice.” added Denise Douglas, who was re-elected as Mayor Pro-tem for the next term 2016 – 2017.
Financial Report:
The long beleaguered town is finally out of the garnishment rule it had been under for years, and has caught up with monthly assessments owed to the State of South Carolina. A refund check for the percentage of funds garnished was released to Society Hill in the amount of $32,535.19 from the SC Office of State Treasurer.
“So, we seem to be doing good for the year,” said Bradshaw. “I hope it won’t be too much longer until we get at least the preliminary financial audit for the town. If you see the good news on our spreadsheet, it’s showing that the only monthly assessment due is for the month of December. We are all caught up.”
Department/Committee Reports:
The Depot project has been held up due to the contractor working on the grounds having additional demands on him for repair to roads and bridges with the heavy rains in the fall and winter, and needed repairs on equipment.
Police Chief Matt Hill addressed council, and told them that he had contacted the S.C. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) about Church Street eroding due to heavy rains.
The road needed to be closed, and the only signs available were wooden orange signs used for Catfish Festival parking; the signs were damaged overnight by vehicles driving through them.
“More than likely they had damage to their car, but they never reported it. They left.” said Hill.
He requested that the town purchase two “Road Closed” signs equipped with blinking lights and approximately 10 orange traffic cones to use when roads must be closed, and for use during the Catfish Festival.
Council voted unanimously to purchase the requested signs and cones.
Mayor Bradshaw mentioned that he had noticed brown “RV Camp Site” signs on US 52 in Darlington near Lake Darpo, and requested Hill to look into getting those for the River Landing site.
Swearing in of Council Members Deborah Harrell and Michelle Steen:
Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd, a native of Society Hill, was present to swear in council members Deborah Harrell and Michelle Steen to another term on town council.
Both women were unopposed for their reelection bid, so no elections were held in November of 2015.
Election of Mayor Pro Tempore for next term of two years 2016 and 2017:
Council member Michelle Steen nominated Denise Douglas for another term of Mayor Pro Tem. There was no second to the nomination, and no other council member was nominated.
Douglas won unanimously without opposition.
New business:
Brenda Nettles, Town Clerk, was invited by Mayor Bradshaw to discuss the need for two new computers and Quick Books software to replace the 2004 version the town now uses.
“Computer prices have been checked, and they run around $1500 – to under $2000 two computers and one updated version of QuickBooks.”
Council voted unanimously to approve the request.
Requests/Comments Reports:
Mayor Bradshaw announced that council member Deborah Harrell was appointed to serve on the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce.
Harrell addressed council and the attendees of the town hall meeting with a request for more people to attend the meetings; she had recently been asked by a citizen “what does the town council do for Society Hill” – and she feels that others may feel the same way.
Council member Carolyn Oliver shared the winners of the recent Christmas Decoration contest:
“Best Use of Lights” winner was Nolan Keith.
“Southern Elegance” winner was Chuck and Vickie Miller.
“Best Overall” winner was Allen and Judy Byrd.
“Most Original” winner was Richard, Rhonda and Kadi Gainey.
“Honorable Mention” winner was Juanita Johnson.
The competition will be held again in December, and has been renamed the “Light It Up” contest. “We hope that it will encourage more people to participate, and encourage more visitors to drive to Society Hill to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights that community members share each year,” said Oliver. “Most are not on Main Street, so we encourage people to drive around and take it all in!”
Denise Douglas requested that S.C. Rep. Patricia Henegan be contacted again about assisting with P.A.R.D. grants for the town.
Citizen’s Comments:
Charlene McDonnough, Branch Manager of Society Hill Library, addressed council and attendees to share information about the upcoming fundraiser, “Murder Mystery Theater and Spaghetti Dinner” on Saturday February 27 at 6:00 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Society Hill Library, and will feature both baked and regular spaghetti for take out and dine in. There are 28 parts available for the play, and guests of the event are encouraged to purchase their tickets ahead of time to receive their script. Tickets are available at the library, of from members of the Friends group. For more information, contact the library at: 843-378-0026
Executive Session:
Town council met in executive session, and returned to vote on changing the town’s attorney from Sen. Gerald Malloy to Darlington attorney John Milling. The vote was unanimous.
The next regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 280 South Main Street, Society Hill.
