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Johnston Town Council March meeting discusses raises of employees

web posted March 13, 2007
JOHNSTON – The Johnston Town Council approved several agenda items at their March monthly meeting including the final approval of the Edgefield County Fire Contract and resolutions for April being named Fair Housing Month, the Johnston Clean-up Campaign for March, and observance of Sunshine Week – March 12 -16. The council also addressed town employee compensation and Capital items and programs for fiscal year 2007-2008.

Under the resolution for the March Johnston Clean-up Campaign, Saturday March 31 will be a day that town residents are asked to help reduce litter and to clean up their property in advance of the Peach Blossom Festival (April 7), the Masters Golf Tournament, and the upcoming filming by ETV in March and April. Orange litterbags will be provided by the town for those wanting to participate.

Under employee compensation Councilwoman Tyra Miller said she would like to have the raises stay at a 4% increase as has been done in the past and the council agreed. Administrator Gambrell said he would place the figures into the upcoming budget proposal.

Requests by Police Chief Chris Aston for two patrol cars was “not recommended” by Administrator Gambrell who said he knows the Chief needs the cars but the current budget restraints would only be supportive of one fully equipped car. Gambrell said the remodeling of the Police Department was needed and should be funded. The items were placed as part of the budget considerations that will appear next month during the budget debate.

The town council also approved filling the unexpired terms of Mitchell Herring and Tony Friar on the County Recreation Commission with Betty Jean Edwards and Tommy Holmes. The vote to confirm the replacements was unanimous.

The town council also approved granting a request from SC ETV for $1,000 to offset the filming of Edgefield County and towns during its Roadshow segment set to begin March 18. The filming will air as three different segments.

Administrator Gambrell asked the council about land the town owns on Long Cane Road and the interest of the council on either selling the property or the timber on the property. The council advised Mr. Gambrell to seek an appraisal of the land and the timber and report back to them at the next scheduled meeting.

At issue also was the Public Works Department picking up limbs at a home in Johnston when other residents had been refused the service. Councilman Tommy Burton took issue with Mayor Campbell when a resident he worked with was refused because the resident paid someone to cut the trees on the property back and that led to Mayor Campbell refusing to allow Public Works to remove the debris along with a second resident with the same complaint.

However, a third resident was complaining because Public Works has not removed all the debris left after doing the same thing. Mayor Campbell defended his position on the other two cases but claimed he did not know about the pick-up at the third resident’s home. Councilman Burton told Mayor Campbell that he was inconsistent in the application of policy, “I think you are wrong,” Mr. Burton said in regards to the Mayor’s handling of the situation. Mayor Campbell said he was unaware of the most recent pick-up.

Councilman Morris Holmes said he too felt that the policy needed to be reviewed because “disagreed with the policy when it was written and I disagree with it now. We need to look at it,” again. The matter was placed for discussion in the April meeting.

In other matters the Johnson Street Project was set to go out for bids Mr. Gambrell said and the town was still waiting on SCDOT to provide the needed permits to begin further work on the Highway 121 sidewalk project slated to begin later this year. The sewer project that has been ongoing in Johnston was “99% complete” Mr. Gambrell said and paving on the Sawyer Avenue drainage project will begin once the finishing measures have been completed.

With no other business the meeting was adjourned.
 


 
 
 

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