Cathy Alexander Roll call

City council convened for its work session at 8:30 am Wednesday morning. The meeting was on the seventh floor of Washington Square, the city’s new administration annex on the southwest corner of Washington Street and Main Street. All council members were present: Tameika Isaac Devine, Hamilton Osborne, E. W. Cromartie, Mayor Bob Coble, Anne Sinclair, Sam Davis, and Daniel Rickenmann.

Property swap

Dana Turner , assistant city manager for commerce and development, asked for city council approval for a property transfer between the Columbia Housing Authority and the Columbia Development Corporation. HUD had already approved. The arrangement involved three small parcels along Pulaski Street between Richland Street and Taylor Street.

1136 Washington Street New City Hall Annex

Hospitality funds

Libby Gober , city ombudsman, reviewed the hospitality tax funding process. Council reminded itself how relieved and pleased it was to see such distribution of funds accomplished by committee at considerable distance from council.

Barbara McCall

Grants

Council discussed a proposal from USC to help handle the city’s grants administration. The idea was to pay USC to supply its grants writers to coordinate with city department heads for grants applications. The costs included $23,250 for proposal development and $15,0000 for proposal review and submission. In addition there would be hourly billables of $75. Sinclair suggested city council not vote on the proposal. Sinclair, a career grants applicant, thought the USC proposal a little pricey and poorly defined. Council preferred to put USC on a performance pay basis, a contingency fee structure to incite success. Council asked city staff to work it out with USC and bring it back for a vote.

Bernice Scott

Ordinances – second reading

#2004–103, authorizing city manager to execute an easement to SCE&G for an electric line to serve the Canal Embankment Project. Osborne objected to the overhead lines citing a strong preference for buried, unseen lines. Council agreed but voted for this easement to expedite the electrification of the lights along the canal.

Susan Brill

Ordinances – first reading

#2004–094, establishing the lobbying registration requirement. Coble pushed for this, but other members of council wondered why the state ethics laws couldn’t do the job. Cromartie’s fear was getting invited to a function of 500 and finding out later he had violated the rules. Sinclair suggested that a lobbyist register issue specific. Council was prepared to defer till amendments appeared in writing, but Coble asked for a vote. Council concurred with the instructions for a rewrite before the second reading. Osborne voted against it.

Joan Brady #2004–104, annexing 3517 Broad River Road.

#2004–105, annexing Janice Drive.

#2004–106, annexing 735 Deerwood Street.

#2004–108, approval to grant an easement to the SC Department of Transportation along a portion of city property for the North Main Street streetscape project.

Resolution

#R–2004–072, authorizing city manager to execute an employer resolution on tax deferred payroll deductions for installment service purchase.

Paul Livingston

Other matters

Council authorized a public auction on Saturday, December 11, at 8 am, as requested by the Columbia Police Department Property and Evidence Unit. Council agreed with Sinclair’s request to donate the cell phones to Sistercare.

Regular session

Council adjourned at 10:05 am for a few minutes before meeting in regular session.

Joseph McEachern

Financial overview

Cathy Alexander , finance director, reviewed the city’s financial status in five categories: (1) general fund, (2) Hospitality tax, (3) capital projects, (4) admission tax, and (5) miscellaneous information. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, Columbia had $81,838,698 in total revenues. For the same time period, Columbia had $84,789,501 in total expenditures. At $23,805,679, the police department had the biggest budget.

Federal legislative update

Anthony Mizzell Barbara McCall crunched the federal numbers for council, warning that the fiscal year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations Act reduced all non–Defense, non–Homeland Security appropriations about 1%. In other words, there’s less money this year than last year. On a more optimistic note, she thought the capital improvements on Harden Street, Assembly Street, and North Main Street should continue to find federal support. Her criticism to council was the lack of priorities. She said Columbia was asking for too much money for too many projects. Six or fewer projects, she suggested, could be a workable number.

Greg Pearce

In absentia

Due to carpet stripping and other capital improvements at The Columbia Star’s headquarters on Queen, the following coverage is a listing of the scheduled appearances before council.

Commerce and development

Dana Turner , assistant city manager for commerce and development, reported on four issues under her direction: (1) development corporation reforms, (2) East Central City Consortium update, (3) request for proposals policy revisions, and (4) feasibility study for intermodal transportation center for downtown Columbia.

Kit Smith

Development services

Steve Gantt , assistant city manager for development services, discussed five topics in his domain: (1) Department of Development Services overview, (2) Irmo land sale, (3) convention center hotel, (4) Quality of Life Taskforce progress report, and (5) annexations and real estate matters.

Thelma Tillis

Public services

Allison Baker , assistant manager for public services, had seven short topics to discuss: (1) storm events, (2) forestry and beautification, (3) solid waste, (4) traffic engineering, (5) street division, (6) Three Rivers Greenway, and (7) Drew Wellness Center.

Administrative services

Gladys Brown , assistant city manager for administrative services, reviewed her Comprehensive Classification and Compensation Study. She also discussed the Livability Court.

James Tuten

Next meeting

City council meets for a work session Wednesday, December 15, at 9 am. A regular session follows at 10. Both meetings are on the third floor of City Hall, corner of Laurel and Main.

Mike Cox’s

County Notebook Richland County Council meeting • December 7 • 6 pm Roll Call

Members present were Bernice Scott, Susan Brill, Doris Corley, Paul Livingston, Joseph McEachern, Anthony Mizzell, Greg Pearce, Kit Smith, Thelma Tillis, and James Tuten.

Doris Corley

Getting Started

Chairwoman Bernice Scott called the meeting to order at 6 pm. James Tuten asked those in attendance to recite the Lord’s Prayer, then introduced Matt Bourne, an Eagle Scout, who led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Presentations

Karen Brosius, director of the Columbia Museum of Art, gave a presentation on the immediate future of the museum. Brosius said her intention is to make the museum the primary cultural destination for the Midlands. She also announced an upcoming exhibit and reception featuring Jonathan Green.

Susan Brill read a proclamation announcing the previously mentioned Matt Bourne had completed necessary qualifications and was now an Eagle Scout. Bourne lives in Blythewood.

A third presentation, this one by the East Central Neighborhood Consortium, completed the list for the night. ECNC is a group of neighborhoods in the downtown area which has banded together to improve quality of life in the central area. A representative from Fannie Mae spoke, as did someone from F A Johnson Consulting firm. Both groups are partnering with ECNC to accomplish this far reaching project.

Regular Business

The agenda was adopted with minor changes, and previous minutes were approved without comment. No one signed to speak during citizen’s input. No public hearing items were on the agenda so public hearings were closed.

Amelia Lindler mentioned a couple of executive session items, and Joe McEachern added one to the list. The county administrator introduced Michael Criss, who gave the monthly report on the Land Development Code. Criss said fewer than ten people had called the county with concerns about the new code, and four of those asked for copies of the document.

The clerk of council reminded the council members of an upcoming seminar. All consent items were approved, as was the first reading of an ordinance authorizing $3 million in obligation bonds be used to purchase new vehicles and property for the Sheriff’s department.

Greenways

The administrative and finance committee recommended three items for approval. An item supporting JEDA bonds was deferred at the committee’s recommendation. Two of the three items were passed without a whimper. The last item, which would authorize a committee to study a proposed greenway for recreation opened up a can of worms.

The A&F committee recommended Susan Brill be made chairwoman of a group to look into such a greenway and authorized $35,000 be taken from the Hospitality Tax funds to provide the recreational areas.

Thelma Tillis asked where maintenance funds would come from after the initial amount. She was told that in Spartanburg private companies, like insurance companies, provide funding. Anthony Mizzell was more concerned with where the initial $35,000 would come from. Cary McSwain gave his usual clear and precise answer as to the amount of money available.

Joe McEachern said there needed to be a process for handling hospitality tax funds distribution. Pearce, trying to help Mizzell get an answer, simplified the question to McSwain. He finally determined there were funds available for this project. Pearce also agreed with McEachern about the need for a process to dole out the money.

Kit Smith explained how the hospitality tax funds were allocated and why McSwain had been unable to provide a more definitive answer. Some in the crowd had a different explanation why McSwain was unable to give a straight answer. Mizzell said he understood the numbers, but as an example, the zoo could use some of the hospitality tax money. Tillis wanted to know about some of the groups who had asked for funding but had been turned down.

Mizzell made a substitute motion to approve the committee recommendation and begin planning but withhold the $35,000. Smith made a second substitute motion to approve and supply the funding with Farmer’s Market money since there is plenty of it, and it will be several years before any is needed.

After more discussion, Mizzell withdrew his motion so Pearce could make an identical one. There must be some kind of quota system at work here. Pearce’s motion was approved.

Rules and Appointments

McEachern notified the council of a vacancy on the Richland Memorial Hospital board. He asked for, and was given, permission to advertise the vacancy. No applicants were received for a spot on the Appearance Commission, so McEachern is to advertise this vacancy. Two openings on LRADAC were filed by Chris Brownlee and Wendell Price. Three Richland Memorial Hospital board positions were filled by Wendi J. Nance, Candy Y. Waites, and Harry Cushman Ward.

Executive Session

The council convened to executive session to discuss several grievances, the new fire codes, and who knows what else. After 55 minutes they came back. Mizzell gave a vague recommendation to let the administrator do something about the fire code. The council accepted the administrator’s recommendations for the grievances, and the council “took as information” everything else discussed.

During motion period, an unusual thing happened. Scott introduced a motion approving a land donation by two members of the Mungo family to be used as a conservation easement. Most council members began nodding their heads involuntarily like they do every time Mungo is mentioned in council meetings. (It’s the same thing a man does after he’s been married for 15 years.)

Before a vote could be counted, Smith asked why the council was involved in a matter that didn’t concern them. Scott tried to explain it was more a gesture to approve of what Mungo was doing. Smith kept asking why. She saw no reason for the council to be involved in a matter that didn’t concern them. Evidently she’s never heard of free publicity.

Finally, Scott asked Lindler, who is subbing quite ably for county attorney Larry Smith, if she saw any reason why the council shouldn’t approve the motion. Lindler replied she was a bit concerned with the concept. After Scott reminded Lindler she should have voiced her concern before the meeting, a decision was made to discuss the item at the next council meeting and give the attorney’s office an opportunity to make sure there are no problems with it. After this was resolved, the meeting was adjourned.