Roll call

Chair Paul Livingston, Vice Chair Damon Jeter, Joyce Dickerson, Val Hutchinson, Norman Jackson, Gwendolyn Kennedy, Jim Manning, Greg Pearce, Kit Smith, and Kelvin Washington were present. Bill Malinowski was present via the magic of telecommunications.

Presentation

Members of City Year, an organization dedicated to helping teenagers develop good life habits, told about their recent projects: a literary tutoring group in some of the area middle schools and a leadership group designed to develop those qualities necessary for successful leadership. City Year is made up of volunteers ages 17- 24 from all over the country and has been active in the Midlands for 15 years.

Administrator's report

Milton Pope said Richland County employees have increased their United Way contribution by 35% over last year. They have increased their service to the community by feeding the homeless, raising funds through a talent show, and donating to the local food banks to the tune of $20,000 Regular agenda

The bus initiative reared its ugly head once again, and the political gamesmanship hasn't diminished. Staffer Joe Cronin gave a concise report of where Richland County, Columbia, and the CMRTA stand now and what the ad hoc committee recommends.

If nothing is done, the authority will start to run out of funding in October. Service will diminish until it dies away sometimes in 2011. Over eight million dollars is needed to provide minimum, temporary service from October 2009 until June 2011.

The committee made proposals specific to each entity involved. Richland County would collect a road use fee of $10 for private and $15 for commercial vehicles and continue to collect this fee until June 2011. To offset this tax increase, the county would reduce Hospitality Tax fees from 2 to 1 percent in county controlled establishments that serve prepared food. According to Cronin's numbers, an average family of four would save about $43 annually in HT fees, which would offset the ten dollars per vehicle in road use fees.

Columbia would pay a second million to the fund each year as its contribution. CMRTA would increase fees from $1 to $1.25 and ten ride tickets from $10 to $12. In addition, the service would refrain from buying new vehicles. All these proposals would add up to the $8.1 million needed to provide minimum bus service to the Columbia area until summer 2011, when something else will have to be done.

Norman Jackson, who was instrumental in the last bus proposal's defeat, proclaimed he was in favor of bus service for Richland County. Then, he said he was also against this proposal. Jackson feels city residents who use the service more than county residents should pay at least 75% of the funding.

Rookie council members Jim Manning and Gwendolyn Kennedy agreed with Jackson about making Columbia pay a larger percentage of CMRTA funding.

Even with the dissention, the proposal passed, along with one about seeking alternate paving methods for unpaved county roads. This issue will be the next political battleground.

Just before executive session, Wayne Kirby used citizen's input to ask the council to make a special exception to the smoking ordinance because he is losing business in his bingo parlor to Lexington County, which allows the spread of second hand smoke in certain businesses.