Roll call

Mayor Elise Partin; Mayor Pro- Tem Skip Jenkins; Councilmen Kenneth Jumper, Rick Myers, Steve Isom; City Manager John Sharpe, and Assistant City Manager Tammy Barkley were all in attendance.

The meeting was called to order by Partin at 6:00 p.m. and began with an Open Hearing offering the opportunity for Public Testimony regarding the FY2009/2010 Budget for the City of Cayce. Hearing none, the hearing was closed and the regular council meeting began with an invocation led by Jumper and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Presentations

Partin, on behalf of Council, began with the presentation of the Community Service Awards. Awards were given to the following: Frank Dickerson for volunteering for five years with the Zoning Board of Appeals, Larry Mitchell for his work on the Planning Commission, Julie Isom for being a member of the events committee for the past eight years, Cindy Peterson for her work on the events committee for the past eight years, Milton Fletcher for his work on the planning commission, John Heard for his work on the Cayce Tax Committee of the past seven years, and Brenda Kigler for serving on the housing authority for the past four years.

Larry McNair, a developer in Greenville, gave a presentation pertaining to the potential development of 1,400 acres of Richland County property located in the Cayce city limits. In his drawing McNair designates 706 acres as green space, plans for around 650 lots of mixed density residential housing, and anticipates the use of around 82 acres for commercial areas nearest the corners by the interstate. Steve McNair, Larry McNair's brother, would be brought in to handle the commercial development due to his range of experience and expertise.

Public comment

Chairman of the Cayce Planning Commission Daytona Jarman spoke to council wanting to make sure that Larry Mitchell and Milton Fletcher, recipients of the Community Service Award, knew the extent of gratitude for their faithful service to the City of Cayce.

Joe Long, a Cayce resident with a history of graphic design and marketing experience, addressed council regarding the proposed Charrette Plan. He spoke of his dislike for the proposed logo tagline of "Cayce Well Rounded" and remarked that the entire plan seemed "thrown together and dated." In addition, Long told council he felt that ten logos for different parts of the city fails to unify the City of Cayce, which is what he thinks should be one of the goals of the plan.

Another Cayce resident, Angela Hall said she thought the Charrette plan was a good plan but that going forward is not in the best interest of the city and that not all residents had the time or opportunity to appreciate it.

On a different note, Earl Smith said the Charrette Plan was "quite well executed and presented a positive and attainable plan for the City of Cayce."

Ordinances

The council continued discussion of the Lexington County voters registration's request to change the City of Cayce elections from even to odd years. Dean Crepes, director and spokesman for Lexington County Voters Registration, told council it is too much to deal with two elections in one year and residents often get confused about having to handle multiple ballots. The new proposal has a chance of bringing out less people with less precincts being open.

Myers said it seemed as if they were doing this for the benefit of the Lexington County Department rather than the benefit of the voters. The council learned that if Cayce doesn't agree to change the election year then it would be the only municipality in Lexington County still having elections on even years.

Jumper said, "Right now we would be better off to leave it where it's at," and with that, Myers made a motion to postpone any decision and to incorporate a public hearing or two, aiming to give a decision back by July 1, 2010. Isom seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously.

The approval of an ordinance to amend the zoning map for the Brickworks Project was passed. The FY2009/2010 Budget to provide revenue for the City of Cayce for FY09/10 was passed.

The Council reviewed and discussed FEMA's community rating system. Jenkins made a motion to go ahead and make an application for this system. This motion was seconded by Isom.

The council then moved discussed the final presentation of the Charrette Plan. This is the master plan written by residents and business leaders of the City of Cayce. David Hilburn, a developer of the Concord Park area, held a three day Charrette workshop designed as a great opportunity for the public to get involved. Adopting the final presentation does not commit Council to everything in the plan but rather gives them an outline and the tools for a roadmap they can follow and tweak or build on. Jumper made a motion to move forward to the next step of the Charrette Plan to see what the City can afford. Jenkins seconded the motion and the council then began discussion. Isom asked Partin if there was any idea of cost to which she responded that without every part of the plan in hand, they don't yet know any estimates. Myers asked whether this would then move the plan to the Comprehensive Plan Ad Hoc Committee, and then the City could let them decide how it can be implemented. After more discussion, Partin called for a vote on the motion, and it passed 3- 2 with Partin, Jenkins, and Jumpter voting in the affirmative, and Myers and Isom voting in the negative. Committee matters

City Manager Sharpe said financial reports are half way completed and will be finished by week's end. They will be available on the website for those interested.

The contract for the wastewater treatment plant has been approved by all parties. They are working through the final tweaking phase of the contract at the moment. The City was given a $35 million state revolving fund loan for the sewer plant project. This is the largest loan given to a city for a project to date. The cost for the new Wastewater Treatment Plant is estimated to be around $85 million. Bids are due back in on July 13th.

Partin added before adjournment that the Charrette final plan is available both online and in the City of Cayce office for all those interested.

A 7:50 p.m. Myers made a motion to adjourn.