Roll call

Chairman Joe McEachern, Vice Chair Val Hutchinson, Joyce Dickerson, Norman Jackson, Damon Jeter, Paul Livingston, Bill Malinowski, and Greg Pearce were present. Mike Montgomery, Bernice Scott, and Kit Smith were absent.

Presentation

A presentation on Geometrics Alternative Surfacing gave the council a possible solution to dirt roads. Traditional paving costs about $800 thousand per mile. The alternative will surface the same road for $320,000 per mile.

Administrator's report

Milton Pope introduced Sgt. Samuel Jackson to the council. Jackson is a supervisor at Glynn Detention Center and South Carolina's latest Correctional Supervisor of the Year. Jackson thanked Assistant Director Kathy Harrell, his biggest supporter, and thanked the council. He said the award was a big honor for him.

Margaret McCauley gave the council the final report from the Monticello Road retail study. One of every three dollars is being retained in the study community, which McCauley says is a good ration. She suggested the plan for the area concentrate on residential improvement rather than building new business.

Public hearing

Several people were on hand to speak in favor of the proposed ordinance to ban smoking in all public places. Among the speakers were Sharon Helps from the American Lung Association, Lauren Vincent and Gina Lane from the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative, Ian Hamilton reading a statement from Senator Darren Jackson, and two doctors offering free support for people wanting to quit and thanks to the council for considering the proposal.

The most compelling statements came from non- professional sources. Elsie Slade, a native of England confined to a walker and tethered to an oxygen container, told how she had never smoked in her life but worked in smoke filled offices all her life. She retired before she realized how it affected her.

Also on hand was Chr is Conner's mother, Sherry, and brother Derek. Chris was a local musician who died earlier this year from cancer complications and spent his last days fighting for smoke free workplaces for musicians and bar employees. These three people brought an intensely personal side to the proposal.

Agenda

Two ordinances to control sexually oriented businesses were once again deferred. This time until the legal staff is confident they have something that won't get the county's pants sued off (which could be against the law under the new ordinance).

When the second reading vote came up on the smoking ordinance, Bill Malinowski gave a rambling rebuttal on second hand smoke and its affects. He said there were countless studies refuting the harmful effects of second hand smoke, and the studies the scientists use are suspect.

Malinowski also brought up all the other harmful, carcinogen filled materials in our daily lives, like talcum powder and boot wax. After he was brought back to Earth by Chairman Joe McEachern, he said he only wanted to make clear the decision they were making was important, and he was worried about government control in daily lives. He also said he had been contacted by some bar owners who were afraid they would lose money if a smoking ban were instituted.

No one else on council agreed with him, and the ordinance passed second reading. After executive session the meeting was adjourned.