Roll call

Deborah Livingston Columbia City Council met behind closed doors around 8 am for an executive session to discuss the search for a city manager. They met with James Mercer, president of Mercer Group. A little after 9 am, council convened on the third floor of City Hall for its regular meeting. All council members were present: Kirkman Finlay III, Tameika Isaac Devine, E.W. Cromartie, Mayor Bob Coble, Sam Davis, Daniel Rickenmann, and Belinda Gergel.

Homeownership month

Deborah Livingston and Megan Odom of Community Development alerted city council by proclaiming Homeownership Month. One of the beneficiaries of their home loan program, Kareem Evans, came forward to thank Community Development and city council. Through Community Development and the City of Columbia, home loans have been processed with HUD money. Originally, the HUD money could have been used as grants, but the Community Development office chose to lend out the money, growing a pool of funds in the process. Evans, who lives with his daughter at 512 S. Bull St. in Rosewood Hills, put in a plug for his employer, Stivers Lincoln Mercury.

Kareem Evans Senior Center

Mary Kessler was introduced as the new executive director of the Capital Senior Center. Daisy Block, Tai Chi devotee and neighborhood leader, shared with council how much she appreciates the Capital Senior Center.

Budget

Council unanimously adopted the proposed budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. Patting themselves on the back, council and staff declared four main features about the new budget: (1) budget is in balance; (2) no tax or rate increases; (3) limited impact on basic services; (4) focus on improving efficiencies by consolidating or eliminating duplicated services. The General Fund Budget comes to $106,303,068, an increase of $1.4 million (4.4%) over fiscal year 2008/2009. In addition, the Water & Sewer Fund Budget is $104,021,212, an increase of $2.7 million (2.7%) over fiscal year 2008/2009. The Storm Water Operating Fund Budget is $6,080,392, an increase of $280,392 (4.8%) over fiscal year 2008/2009. The Parking Fund Budget is $7,785,250, an increase of $687,700 (10%) over fiscal year 2008/2009. The Hospitality Budget is $10,192,742, and the Accommodations Tax Budget is $1,360,000. The city's combined budgets total $235,742,664.

Mary Kessler Energy

The city's Climate Protection Action Committee (CPAC) is chaired by former council member Anne Sinclair. CPAC is well described in a brochure from the State Budget and Control Board called "The Energy Connection," which is published by the South Carolina Energy Office. On last year's cover was high praise for Palmetto Clean Energy (PaCE), a round- up of the state's regulated energy picture. All three shareholder- owned utility monopolies are represented on the PaCE board: SCANA contributes the chair, while Progress has the vice- presidency, and Duke holds down secretary/treasurer. The more energy they can sell, the happier these firms are.

Meanwhile, the city thinks these firms are interested in energy reduction and energy savings. Through Congressman Clyburn's Washington office, the city hopes to score funds to achieve energy savings. Clyburn's daughter Mignon served on the S.C. Public Service Commission, the regulatory agency that has overseen Columbia's residential rates rise to 43 percent more than Spartanburg's or Greenville's.

Daisy Block City council talked for about 20 minutes on the matter of energy savings, and not one council member mentioned the sole source of Columbia's energy, SCE&G, and the cost of that energy. The city has cooperated with SCE&G before when the bus system ran off half its ridership between 1982 and 1992 while SCE&G was under a transit contract reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. SCE&G declined federal subsidies to buy new buses until 2002 when the city let them out of their transit contract and at the same time extended the monopoly energy franchise another 30 years. So the city is going to reduce energy consumption and energy cost while extending the SCE&G energy monopoly franchise.

Reduction in force

Council member Cromartie lamented the loss of valued employees while the city reconsiders needs and costs under a budget crunch. Cromartie's decisions and votes behind almost every profligate project — schemes that sucked the life out of the city, deals such as the Edens & Avant convention center hotel (still adding up) and the city- run development of the CCI property (sold for $6 mil., less than half what the city put into it) — can be blamed for the lack of resources to retain city employees. But as city employees have to go, Cromartie has to jump on his fellow council members for abrogating an implied permanent employment program.

Next meeting

Council has scheduled another meeting for Wednesday morning at 9, June 24, on the third floor of City Hall.