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  Edgefield County Council Chairman’s Update web posted March 11, 2013 COUNTY – Edgefield County Council Chairman Dean Campbell has issued his most recent "Chairman's Update" today concerning county issues, plans and progress. Council holds works session on Land Development ordinance At a called meeting at the end of February, the County Council took action to iron out the wrinkles in a land development ordinance we have been discussing since early November. (The County’s Planning Commission began discussions on it last summer, so the issue has been on the table for some time.) It may not sound like a glitzy topic, but I believe it will play an important role as our County develops. While we have discussed the details at various meetings, the Economic Development Committee, an advisory group for the County Council, as well as the Upper Savannah Council of Governments, reviewed the ordinance and gave us some specific changes, which we passed. Keep in mind the genesis of this ordinance goes back to the Edgefield County Strategic Plan, which was discussed at numerous stakeholder and public meetings more than a year ago, held specifically to gather input on what the County needs to focus on for the next few years. It’s an important ordinance that I believe should help protect property values, improve the way future development will look across every part of the County, and will have a positive impact on economic development. The Planning Commission will review our recommendations one more time at its meeting this month, and then it will be on the Council’s April agenda for final approval. You’ll find the ordinance on the County’s website, if you’d like to review the details and offer any input to us. New EMS billing company chosen At the County Council meeting on Tuesday, the County selected a new automated billing and collections company for Emergency Medical Services provided by Edgefield County EMS. That company is called EMS/MC. They will be responsible for filing claims with private insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and private citizens. They will receive payment from the County as a direct result of collections. The County will reimburse EMS/MC at 6.5% of any collections that they receive for the County. State recreation money spending Also at the Council meeting on Tuesday, the County Council also discussed spending PARD funds, which are funds that come from the state for use only on recreation. Edgefield County had $16,717.44 total to spend in PARD money but $7,280 must be spent by May 2013 or we lose it. The Council decided to pay for the Sweetwater Community Center structural assessment and site assessment at $8,700, which we need to do to determine if the building can be renovated. We also agreed to spend about $1,300 to put cement floors in the dugouts at Bettis Park. Highway Overlay District passes Recommended by the Planning Commission, this ordinance, which passed Tuesday night, allows County Council to place a highway overlay district on any area approved by Council. The overlay provides regulations that are somewhat stricter than the zoning regulations currently in place as a benefit for citizens. This Plan places guidelines for signs, open space, parking, buffering, architecture, landscaping, etc. for all new construction and major expansion or developments other than single family residential that wish to locate within this district. The highway overlay applies to Murrah Road Extension, Five Notch Road from the Aiken County line to Murrah Road Extension, and Sweetwater Road from the intersection of Five Notch Road to the Aiken County line. Additional areas could be added in the future through three readings by County Council. County Council began discussing this issue in its September meeting, and this topic is also a part of the Edgefield County Strategic Plan. Just like the Land Development ordinance discussed earlier, this Highway Overlay has the potential to attract development into our County. It covers only a small area today, but when others see what good can come out of it, I think other parts of the County may want to do the same thing. Preparing for a rebid in our auditors contract To prepare us to rebid our contract for third-party auditors, County Council agreed on Tuesday night to purchase some financial software at a cost of about $1,000 per year so our Financial Director can be trained during this year's audit to produce the County's financial statements. Currently, it costs about $5,000 per year to produce the statements since the current auditors do it for us. By going in this direction, we will cause the bid prices for the audit to be more reasonable, while saving the County some money, when we rebid the contract for auditors in the next year. Resolution on solid waste disposal passes The County Council approved a Resolution emphasizing Edgefield County Council's opposition to the special interest-focused legislation pending in the South Carolina General Assembly on how solid waste is handled. Our Council agreed that this proposed law is an effort to circumvent home rule. Specifically, the South Carolina legislators are considering a solid waste bill that would greatly hinder operations within Edgefield County, as well as counties all over the state. Currently, about $900,000 is in the Edgefield County budget to pay for solid waste disposal for Edgefield County citizens. The funds come from taxpayers, who pay an $80 fee to the County. If this bill passes, the state will cause that amount to rise to a level unknown at this time. In addition, it creates a lot of risk in how solid waste is handled. It’s really a lose-lose proposition some in the State Legislature are pushing. Until next time, Dean Campbell © Copyright 2012 - 2013 All material is property of
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