* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. AND GRACIOUS [00:00:01] NATURE, AMEN. [I. INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. NATION, ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR OUR SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE FOUGHT AND DIED FOR OUR FREEDOM AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO SERVE AROUND THE WORLD PROTECTING OUR WAY OF LIFE. THANK YOU. I NOW CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. [II. CALL TO ORDER] THIS IS A CITY OF HARDY, REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF PUBLIC HEARING 2 0 5 MAIN STREET, HARDY, SOUTH CAROLINA, APRIL 17TH, 2025 AT 5:00 PM UM, FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO, UH, APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA. [III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA] MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO TONIGHT'S AGENDA? MOTION TO APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. NEXT WE HAVE PUBLIC COMM COMMENTS. HAS ANYONE SIGNED [V. PUBLIC COMMENTS (3 MINUTE TIME LIMIT)] UP? UH, MS. CINDY? NO, SIR. NO SIR. OKAY. UM, NEXT WE HAVE PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS. [VI. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS] INTRODUCTION OF PATROL OFFICER ANTHONY SOTO. [A. INTRODUCTION OF PATROL OFFICER ANTHONY SOTO] WELCOME. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL AND STAFF. I WANNA TAKE A MINUTE TO INTRODUCE SOME OF THE NEW ADDITIONS TO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, TO MY LEFT HERE IS ANTHONY SOTO. HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BLUFFTON. HE'S FLUENT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. UM, HE CURRENTLY SERVES IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA NATIONAL GUARD, AND HE'S PURSUING HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE CURRENTLY. AND, UH, HE ACTUALLY GRADUATED LAST FEBRUARY FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY. SO HE'S WITH US NOW ON PATROL. HE'S GOING THROUGH HIS FIELD TRAINING RIGHT NOW. UM, I'VE ACTUALLY GOT ANOTHER NEW ADDITION TO MY RIGHT. IT'S, UH, BRANDON DYKSTRA. [B. INTRODUCTION OF PATROL OFFICER BRANDON DYKSTRA] HE HAILS FROM NEW JERSEY. UM, HE, SEE HE ALSO SERVED SIX YEARS IN THE NATIONAL GUARD. UM, HE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA TO PURSUE HIS DREAM OF BEING A POLICE OFFICER. LUCKILY ENOUGH, HE CHOSE US. UM, AND HE GRADUATED THIS LAST MARCH FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY. SO WE'RE BOTH EXCITED FOR THEM TO BE WITH US. AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE BOTH IN THE FIELD TRAINING, UM, DOING THEIR FIELD TRAINING NOW ON PATROL. GREAT. WELCOME. UH, PLEASE. ONE AT A TIME. WOULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY? SO, LIKE YOU SAID, MY NAME'S ANTHONY SOTO. BORN AND RAISED IN BLUFFTON. UH, CURRENTLY LOOKING TO BUY A HOME IN HARDY V AND JUST EXPLORING THE OPPORTUNITIES THE CIS THE CITY HAS GIVEN ME AS A PATROL OFFICER. I SEE THE EXPONENTIAL AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL THAT'S IN THE AREA. AND HONESTLY, THE STAFF, EVERYBODY, CITY COUNCIL, ALL OF THE HARDY POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONAL. PROBABLY THE BEST DECISION TO EVER PURSUE A CAREER HERE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE A, A FAMILY SIR? ARE YOU MARRIED OR YES, SIR. I CURRENTLY JUST LIVE WITH MY MOM. JUST MY MOM AND MY SISTER. OKAY. GIVE 'EM OUR BEST COUNSEL. ANYBODY HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS FOR OFFICER SOTO? YOU SIR. WELCOME, WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING HARDY BILL. OFFICER DYKSTRA. WHERE AT? IN NEW JERSEY? UH, I COME FROM SUSSEX, NEW JERSEY ALL THE WAY UP NORTH. AND WHAT TOWN IN SUS? UH, WANTAGE. WANTAGE WA YES, SIR. DID YOU EVER HEAR IN SPARTA THE, UH, CRUISER CLUB LAKE AND COUNTRY CLUB? IS THAT LAKE MOHAWK? LAKE MOHAWK, YES, SIR. YEAH. LIVE VERY CLOSE TO THERE. I I USED TO OWN THAT MANY YEARS AGO, SO, UM, NOT ONE OF THE WISER DECISIONS I'VE EVER MADE. SO, WELCOME TO SOUTH CAROLINA. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF ONCE AGAIN. MY NAME'S BRANDON DEXTRA, UH, 29 YEARS OLD. UM, JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE. REALLY EXCITED TO WORK FOR CITY OF HARDY V. UM, I TOOK A CHANCE AND, AND MOVED 29 YEARS, OR 28 YEARS AT THE TIME OF MEMORIES AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO, TO WORK FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO, TO BE HERE AND, UH, THANKFUL THAT EVERYONE HERE'S, YOU KNOW, TAKEN A CHANCE ON ME AND, UH, ESPECIALLY BEING FRESH INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO I'M EXCITED TO, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE CITY A, A, A BETTER AND SAFER PLACE. PROTECT THE PEOPLE. AND I'M EXCITED TO GROW, UH, WITH THE CITY. 'CAUSE I KNOW WE ARE ANTICIPATING MUCH GROWTH HERE IN, IN THE COMING YEARS. SO JUST EXCITED TO BE A PART [00:05:01] OF THAT. AND, UH, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU. THANK FOR JULIE HARVILLE. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING WELCOME. WISH YOU A LOT OF, MANY HAPPY YEARS OF SUCCESS, UH, WITH THE HARDY V PD. IT IS, UH, I'M A LITTLE BIASED, BUT I THINK IT'S THE BEST POLICE DEPARTMENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA, SO NOW IT JUST GOT BETTER. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. WE ARE BROKE. OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE NOMINATIONS FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE HAVE TWO, UM, [C. NOMINATIONS FOR PLANNING COMMISSION] NOMINEES, UH, DONALD KENZIE AND LANDON PEPE. UM, BRAD. OH, I'M LOOKING IN THE AUDIENCE. WHO'S GOING TO INTRODUCE THEM? SURE. I'LL JUST KIND OF TEE IT UP HERE. MAYOR. UM, SO THE CITY, UM, A NUMBER OF MONTHS AGO BEGAN ADVERTISING FOR A VACANCY THAT WE HAD ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION. UM, WE RECEIVED APPLICATIONS FROM BOTH MR. KENZIE AND MR. PEPE STAFF HAS INTERVIEWED BOTH OF THEM, HAS FOUND BOTH OF THEM TO BE WELL QUALIFIED AND A GOOD FIT, AND IS PLEASED TO RECOMMEND THEIR NOMINATION FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION. BRANDON, ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA ADD TO THAT YOU GUYS NEED DOWNTOWN WITH HIS CAMERA FIRST? GOOD. OKAY. UM, DO EITHER ONE OF YOU, UH, WANT TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL? YOU ARE WELCOME TO GO, UH, ALPHABETICALLY, , I, I KNEW THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT GOING [1. DONALD KENSEY] ON, SO AN ALPHABETICAL TRIP THAT ALPHABETICALLY ALWAYS WORKS. GOOD THING I LEARNED MY, UH, ALPHABET. UH, MY NAME'S DON KENZIE. UH, I GO BY DON, NOT DONALD, BUT MY MOTHER USED TO CALL ME DON. UM, I HAIL FROM SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY, THE MAYOR, THE MAYOR'S OLD STOMPING GROUND, MY OLD STOMPING GROUND I HAD, UM, I LIVED THERE FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND GOT OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR, SO I CAME DOWN HERE. I, UH, STILL HAVE A BUSINESS IN NEW JERSEY. UH, LIMOUSINE SERVICE. UH, IT'S STILL TURNING, MAKING MONEY. I'VE GOT PEOPLE UP THERE RUNNING IT, SO NO SENSE WALKING AWAY FROM IT. AND, UM, I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE. HAPPY TO BE IN HARDY V AND HAPPY TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU. I'M NOT GONNA SAY WELCOME 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T VOTE ON YOU YET. COUNCIL LANDED , I BELIEVE [2. LANDON PAPAY] EVERYONE HERE KNOWS ME. UM, I'M A NATIVE TO SOUTH CAROLINA. I HEAR I'M IN THE MINORITY IN THAT. I BELIEVE YOU'RE NOT FROM NEW JERSEY, SO. NO. OKAY. GET 'EM OUTTA HERE. , UH, UM, UH, ORIGINALLY FROM THE, UH, THE CHARLESTON AREA. SO I'VE BEEN DOWN HERE SINCE 2017. ABSOLUTELY LOVE, UH, OUR TOWN THAT WE HAVE HERE. LOVE THAT. THE GROWTH THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING. AND I THINK IT'S, UH, I'VE WANTED TO GET INVOLVED, OBVIOUSLY RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THE CITY HOW I CAN BE MORE INVOLVED AND, AND THIS SPOT CAME OPEN. SO, UM, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO, UM, GAIN SOME KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT'S BEING PLANNED, WHAT THE, UM, WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR HARDY V AS I, UM, PURSUE MY, UM, UH, I GUESS MY, AS I GROW WITH THE CITY AND WHAT I CAN, UH, DO FOR THE CITY. SO, UM, GOT A LOCAL BUSINESS HERE, JUST LOOKING TO HELP, UH, LEND HOWEVER I CAN, UM, WITH, UH, WITH MY WIFE AND THREE KIDS. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, COUNSEL, ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR EITHER CANDIDATE? STEVE, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE CANDIDATES? UM, I WOULD JUST WOULD ASK, UH, YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PAST WITH PLANNING. WE'LL GO ALPHABET ORDER AGAIN. I'VE, I'VE BEEN ON THE OTHER SIDE AS A BUSINESS OWNER, SO, OKAY. FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE? YES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. SIMILAR, UH, WORKED FOR PEPSICO FOR 17 YEARS, RAN THAT BUSINESS AS A GENERAL MANAGER. AND THEN I CURRENTLY OWN, OWN, OWN THREE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES NOW. SO JUST RUNNING THEM, UNDERSTANDING HOW TO FORECAST AND HOW TO PLAN ACCORDINGLY TO GROW AND NOT OVERGROW YOUR FOOTPRINT. SO, THANK YOU MR. WHITE. ANY QUESTIONS? NO, JUST WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE ON OUR PLANNING, AND I KNOW YOU'LL MAKE A REAL CONTRIBUTION. THANK YOU. WELCOME. AFTER THE VOTE HERE, THOUGH. I'M JUST KIDDING. JUST KIDDING. I'M A FORTUNE. TELL . OKAY. UM, I'D LIKE A MOTION. WE CAN, IT'S UP TO THE COUNCIL. IF YOU WANT TO, UH, IN YOUR MOTION, UH, NOMINATE THEM BOTH OR, UM, OR DO 'EM SINGULARLY. I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOUR CHOICE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ONE OR [00:10:01] BOTH OF THE CANDIDATES TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION? I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE DONALD KENZIE AND LANDON PEPE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. YOU ARE UNANIMOUSLY SELECTED. CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO, TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF HARDEE FILL. THANK YOU FOR THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING YOUR SERVICE. WAIT, ABSOLUTELY , YOU'RE, YOU'RE OFFICIAL NOW, AND TALK ABOUT TIMING. ORLANDO, YOU ARE, YOU REALLY KNOW YOUR TIMING. UM, THERE'S A MAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO PLAN. HE CAME IN RIGHT AT THE RIGHT TIME. OH WOW. OKAY, GREAT. UH, NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY MR. ORLANDO [D. PRESENTATION BY OLANDOR LEWIS, CHAIR OF SOLOCO CHILD CARE] LEWIS, CHAIR OF THE SO LOCO CHILDCARE SUBCOMMITTEE. AND WHAT, UH, WE DID IT WITH THE AGENDA, UH, RATHER THAN HAVE, UH, THERE'S SEVERAL SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS HERE, RATHER THAN THEM HAVE THEM WAIT AND VOTE ON IT LATER. WE WILL GO RIGHT INTO A VOTE ON THIS RESOLUTION, UM, THAT MR. LEWIS IS GOING TO PRESENT TO US NOW. ALRIGHT. I'D LIKE TO SAY GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON TO THE BODY AS WELL. SO, AGAIN, MY NAME IS ORLANDO LEWIS. I AM, UM, CURRENTLY THE HEAD START, EARLY HEAD START DIRECTOR FOR BUFORD JASPER, UOC. I ALSO SERVE AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HEAD START ASSOCIATION. AND BY WAY OF YOUR LOVELY MAYOR, I'M NOW THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SO LOCO EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE ALONG ON OUR TEAM AS WELL. SO TODAY WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE TRI SHARE MODEL. UM, NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW MUCH YOU, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT IT, BUT TODAY YOU'RE GONNA HEAR A GOOD BIT ABOUT IT AND HOPEFULLY YOU COULD BE EDUCATED ENOUGH TO MAKE AN, AN INFORMED DECISION. SO I HAVE TO BEGIN FIRST TALKING ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. UM, 90% OF A CHILD'S BRAIN DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE AGE FIVE, WHICH IS HUGE. OFTENTIMES WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT. AND OFTENTIMES, I ALWAYS, UM, WHEN DURING A PRESENTATION, WHEN YOU LOOK AT A ICEBERG, YOU SEE A MASSIVE PIECE OF ICE ON TOP OF THE WATER. BUT THERE'S THREE TIMES AS MUCH ICE UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF THAT ICEBERG THAT YOU CAN SEE. AND OFTEN WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT AN ADULT ADULTS' PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE IS GENERALLY FORMULATED DURING THEIR EARLY FORMATIVE YEARS. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHILD'S BRAIN DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, HOW THAT CHILD VIEWS THEIR SOCIETY, THEIR, THEIR ENVIRONMENT, HOW THEY ENGAGE ADULTS AND ENGAGE, UM, PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES AND THOSE TYPE THINGS, ALL OF THAT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. BUT WHAT'S EVEN MORE INTERESTING IS WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE FACT THAT 90% OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE AGE FIVE, YET ONLY 5% ABOVE PUBLIC FUNDS ARE DEDICATED TO THAT POPULATION, WHICH IS ACTUALLY MIND BLOWING. BUT TODAY WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THE TRI SHARE MODEL. UM, THIS IS A MODEL THAT HAS BEEN, UM, EXECUTED, UM, IN NUMEROUS STATES, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER. BUT FIRST OF ALL, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT IS TRI SHARE. IF YOU LOOK TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER, USC, UM, UH, A IMAGE OF A PIE THAT'S BROKEN UP INTO THREE PIECES. AND THIS TRI SHARE MODEL REPRESENTS A PRIVATE, PRIVATE, AND PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEE, THE EMPLOYER, AND ALSO THE STATE OR THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY. UM, IT GIVES PARENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CHOICE IN TERMS OF WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE THE CHILD TO BE PLACED, UM, IN A LOCAL FACILITY. AND THEN ALSO IT GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EITHER LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES OR A STATE ENTITY, UM, IN, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, POSSIBLY DSS FOR THE STATE TO ADMINISTER, UM, THIS COST SHARE MODEL THROUGHOUT, UM, THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES. BUT WHY, WHY, WHY TRI SHARE? WHY, WHY IS THIS MODEL, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT TODAY? WELL, NUMBER ONE, UH, IT BRIDGES THE GAP FOR PARENTS WHO ARE IN LOW INCOME OR MIDDLE INCOME, UM, PHASES IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. OFTENTIMES YOU'LL HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, HEAD START. WE ARE INCOME ELIGIBLE PROGRAM. SO WE SERVE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINE. SO YOU HAVE FAMILIES WHO CAN MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS OF, OF OUR PROGRAM, BUT THEY MAY, SOME FAMILIES MAY NOT QUALIFY BASED ON THEM BEING JUST A DOLLAR OVER. SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE FAMILIES WHO CAN'T AFFORD, WHO CAN'T PARTICIPATE IN HEADSTART, WHICH IS FREE, BUT THEY CAN'T AFFORD LOCAL CHILDCARE? SO THAT CREATES A, A, A VERY CHALLENGING SITUATION. UH, ONE OTHER REASON THAT WE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE BELIEVING THAT THIS WILL BE A POSITIVE MODEL, IS EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE. UM, JUST RECENTLY, UH, MY FAMILY HAD TO GO TO, UM, [00:15:01] UH, A DENTIST OFFICE TWO TIMES BACK TO BACK, AND THE DENTIST APPOINTMENTS WERE ALL SCHEDULED, BUT MY FAMILY HAD TO BE TURNED AWAY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PERSONNEL TO MEET THE FAMILY'S NEEDS. SO, SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THAT IMPACTS, UM, BUSINESSES AND THOSE TYPE THINGS, YOU KNOW, CAUSE OF CHILDCARE, YOU KNOW, IS, IS HIGHLY IMPACTFUL. ALSO, IT GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, HAVE ANOTHER OPTION WHERE WE CAN CREATE MORE AFFORDABILITY AS IT RELATES TO CHILDCARE. AND ONE THING I DON'T THINK PEOPLE OFTENTIMES THINK ABOUT IS THIS WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO POSSIBLY ENHANCE CHILDCARE QUALITY. BECAUSE IF THERE'S A TRI SHARE IN TERMS OF THE EMPLOYEES PAYING A CERTAIN PORTION, THE EMPLOYER IS PAYING A CERTAIN PORTION, AND ALSO, UM, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES OR THE STATE PAYING A CERTAIN PORTION, MAYBE WE CAN RESTRUCTURE WHAT THE COST OF CHILDCARE LOOKS LIKE AND ACTUALLY LOOK AT PROVIDING MORE QUALITY. BECAUSE SOME CHILDCARE PROVIDERS MAY BE, UH, PROVIDING THE SERVICES AT BARE MINIMUM COST AND THE QUALITY COULD BE LOW. SO THIS GIVES, THIS GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LOOK AT OR ADDRESS, UM, QUALITY. ALSO ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE CHILDCARE CRISIS. UM, WE ALL IDENTIFIED THE FACT, UM, BEGINNING AS EARLY AS LAST YEAR THAT WE WERE A CHILDCARE CRISIS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. NOW, WHAT'S EVEN MORE INTERESTING IS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HAVE, HAVE, UH, READ THE LOCAL NEWS, UM, WELL NOT LOCAL NEWS, BUT THE US TODAY ON APRIL 11TH, WHERE, UM, THE, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF HEAD START BEING CUT FROM THE 2026, UM, FEDERAL BUDGET. NOW, IF THAT HAPPENS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 9,000 CHILDREN IN THE STATE OF STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA WHO WON'T HAVE CHILDCARE, WHICH WOULD FURTHER IMPACT THIS PARTICULAR CHILDCARE CRISIS THAT WE ARE, UM, WE'RE EMBARKING UPON RIGHT NOW. AND THEN ALSO FINAL POINT, KINDERGARTEN, KINDERGARTEN READINESS SCORES. WE KNOW IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, KRA IS VERY LOW. RECENTLY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ED HAS RELEASED THE DATA AND THE DATA DOES NOT LOOK GOOD FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. SO IF WE CAN ENGAGE OUR CHILDREN EARLY, ENGAGE OUR PARENTS EARLY, WE CAN POSSIBLY ENHANCE WHAT THE KRA SCORES LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE. ALRIGHT, SO THE TRI SHARE MODEL, UM, IT HAS BEEN, UM, IMPLEMENTED IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN AND ALSO IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AS WELL. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT MICHIGAN, THEY INITIALLY STARTED WITH THREE COUNTIES IN 2021, AND THEY WERE UP TO 59 COUNTIES OF THE, OF THE A THREE COUNTIES IN THEIR PARTICULAR STATE. UM, NOBLE COUNTY, INDIANA TIED TO DO THE INVESTMENT LOCALLY, SO THEIR COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, UH, INCOME TAX REVENUE FOR THE COUNTYWIDE PILOT. SO THEY, THEY DECIDED TO DO IT THEMSELVES AT, ON THE COUNTY LEVEL. UM, KENTUCKY, UM, HOUSE BILL 4 99, EMPLOYED CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE, PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT OF $15 BILLION STATEWIDE. UM, NEW YORK, UH, FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET INCLUDES 4.8 MILLION OF THE STATE'S EMPLOYEES SPONSORED CHILDCARE PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL OPERATE IN THREE REGIONS. AND THEN FINALLY, NORTH CAROLINA FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET INCLUDES $900,000 A YEAR FOR A PILOT IN THREE COUNTIES. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UM, CONVINCE OUR STATE PARTNERS TO DO THE SAME HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE, IN THE, IN THE LOW COUNTRY. SO HOW DO, HOW DO WE, WE WE MOVE THIS FORWARD. NOW, IN THOSE, UM, STATES THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED THIS PARTICULAR PRO UM, PROGRAM, THERE'S A 33% COST SHARE WITH EMPLOYEES, A 33% COST SHARE WITH EMPLOYEE YOURS AND A 33 COST SHARE, UM, WITH EITHER THE STATE OR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES. NOW, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO, WE DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT PARTICULAR MODEL, BUT, BUT THAT'S, UM, THE GENERAL MODEL THAT'S BEING USED IN ALL THOSE OTHER STATES. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS? ONCE AGAIN, IT'S GONNA LINK BACK TO OUR, TO OUR WHYS, UM, AFFORDABILITY FOR FAMILIES. UM, CONSISTENT, TIMELY PAYMENTS FOR PROVIDERS. THAT'S ANOTHER THING THEY DON'T, WE DON'T OFTENTIMES THINK ABOUT IS WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDCARE ENTITIES WHO, WHO BANK ON, UM, PARTICIPANTS PAYING THEIR BILLS ROUTINELY AND REGULARLY. IF THEY DON'T, IT'S GONNA IMPACT HOW THEY, HOW THEY PROVIDE SERVICES AND WHETHER THEIR DOORS CAN STAY OPEN AND THOSE TYPE THINGS. SO THIS WOULD DEFINITELY BE A, A POSITIVE IMPACT TO LOCAL CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. ALSO, WORK LIFE BALANCE FOR EMPLOYEES. AND CRU CRU, INCREASED RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION FOR EMPLOYERS. SO IF EMPLOYERS ARE ABLE TO OFFER THIS AS AN OPTION, UM, FOR EMPLOYEES, MAYBE THEY CAN, UM, FIND AND IDENTIFY MORE QUALIFIED PERSONNEL. UM, THOUGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS. UM, YOU ALL HAVE THE, THE RESOLUTION BEFORE YOU. SO, UM, OUR FIRST, UM, ACTION STEP OR REQUEST WOULD BE TO SUPPORT THIS TRI SHARE MODEL IN THIS, IN THIS PARTICULAR MUNICIPALITY. AND HOPE WE CAN DUPLICATE THE, THE SAME PROCESS THROUGHOUT, UH, OTHER MEMBERS OF SO LOCO. UM, TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE CAN POSSIBLY ADMINISTER THIS, UM, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, IF NOT AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND THEN ALSO, UM, TAKE A LOOK AT, LET'S DO, UH, DO A SURVEY AND LET'S IDENTIFY, UH, SOME DATA POINTS WHERE WE CAN SEE WHAT THE PARTICIPATION WILL LOOK LIKE WITH EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES AS WELL. UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS ORLANDO LEWIS, YOU HAVE OUR TEAM, UM, JODY LEVITT, JOHN SCORE, TOM HINES AND DAN WOOD. SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION FOR TODAY. AND I'D LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR OF QUESTION, SHOULD [00:20:01] THERE BE ANY. GREAT, THANK YOU. UM, I WILL OPEN IT UP TO, UM, THE COUNCIL, BUT BEFORE I DO, I'M GONNA PUT MY SO LOKO CHAIR HAT ON , AND, UM, JUST SAY THAT, UM, THE INTENT HERE IS TO GET THE ENTIRE SO LOCO, UH, MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTAL GROUP, WHICH IS TWO COUNTIES AND SIX SEVEN MUNICIPALITIES. IF WE CAN ALL AGREE ON A RESOLUTION, THEN WE WOULD SEND IT TO OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES TO, UH, PUT THIS FORWARD IN, UM, [RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CHILDCARE AND EARLY LEARNING] THE STATE BUDGET. SO IT WOULDN'T COME OUT OF LOCAL MONEY PER SE, IT WOULD BE STATE MONEY AS IT IS IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. SO THIS IS JUST STEP ONE IN A PROCESS OF JOINING THE REGION TOGETHER. THE NEXT STEP, IF WE CAN GET ALL OF US TOGETHER, THEN WE WOULD REACH OUT TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES TO JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT. AND WE COULD COLLECTIVELY SEND ONE GREAT BIG RESOLUTION TO THE STATE IN ORDER TO, UM, GET THE STATE TO FUND THIS. RIGHT? SPEAK. NOW, KEEP IN MIND WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS YEAR'S STATE BUDGET. OKAY? THE, THAT, THAT HORSE IS OUT OF THE BARN. SO WE, WE HAVE TIME, BUT, UM, IF WE DO ADOPT IT TONIGHT, WE WOULD BE THE FIRST OF THE ENTIRE SO LOCO BOARD AND WE WOULD BE THE LEADER IN GETTING THIS MOVED FORWARD. YES. OKAY. NOW I'M GONNA TAKE MY SO LOCO HAT OFF. ALL RIGHTY, MAYOR, BACK TO MAYOR. OPENING UP TO QUESTIONS BY MR. MESMAN. THIS IS FANTASTIC. THIS ISN'T JUST A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE, THIS IS A QUALITY OF FUTURE ISSUE. YES. SO MUCH WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FUTURE AS IT'S GONNA GO. JUST A COUPLE OF, NOT REALLY CONCERNS, BUT JUST AS LONG AS THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING AND IT CAN BE HEARD BY A LOT OF PEOPLE. JUST A FEW THINGS. AT THE S LOKO MEETING, I WAS PRESENT WHEN, UH, SHANNON ERICKSON SPOKE ABOUT CHILDCARE, THE COST OF CHILDCARE, HOW THAT, HOW THAT AFFECTS THE FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE. AND IT'S, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF ECONOMICS, HOW THAT, UH, ALL GOES. MM-HMM . SO I GUESS DO, ARE THERE ENOUGH FACILITIES TO IMPLEMENT? I MEAN, DO WE HAVE TO RAMP UP MORE FACILITIES TO PROVIDE THIS CHILDCARE? TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THERE ARE PLENTY OF FACILITIES WHERE WE STRUGGLE AT IS EMPLOYEES, UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN HIGHER EDUCATION OR STRUGGLING TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GO INTO THE FIELD OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ANY MONEY THERE. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REALLY, UH, WORK HARD TO, UM, BOOST SALARIES IN THAT FIELD, UM, MAKE IT A PROFESSIONAL, UM, CAREER PATH. UM, SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH RIGHT NOW. OKAY. IS WE HAVE FACILITIES, BUT IDENTIFYING QUALITY PERSONNEL. 'CAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY OF CHILDREN, YOU WANT THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSONNEL IN THOSE CLASSROOMS WHEN THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSONS ENGAGED IN THOSE CHILDREN. AND THINK ABOUT THIS, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, 90% OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE AGE FIVE, BY THE AGE FIVE, WHO THEY ENGAGE AT THAT TIMEFRAME DETERMINES, YOU KNOW, HELP THEM DETERMINE THEIR PERCEPTION ON LIFE IN THE SOCIETY. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE FIND THE MOST, THE MOST QUALIFIED PERSONNEL. SO THAT, THAT'S THE BIGGEST STRUGGLE RIGHT NOW. OKAY. QUESTION NUMBER TWO IS, WHAT, HOW DO YOU PROPOSE, OR WHAT DO YOU THINK TO, UM, APPROACH THE EMPLOYERS? WE'RE GOING TO SEE A MASSIVE INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT HARDY, ALL OF JASPER COUNTY WITH WHAT IS GOING ON. THEY'RE GOING TO NEED, UH, PERSONNEL. AND OUR WORKFORCE IS VERY DIVERSE. UH, MEN, WOMEN. WHAT, HOW DOES THE OTHER STATE MICHIGAN KNOWS, HOW DID THEY CONVINCE EMPLOYERS TO BUY INTO THIS PROGRAM? WELL, THEY, THEY BEGAN BY PILOTING FIRST. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THEY DID INITIALLY WAS THEY PROVIDE, THEY JUST, THEY DID A SURVEY AND THEY WANTED TO IDENTIFY HOW MANY, UH, BUSINESSES WOULD BE IN INTERESTED. AND THEN OF THOSE BUSINESSES, HOW MANY OR WHAT PERCENT OF THEIR PERSONNEL WILL ALSO BE INTERESTED AS WELL. SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO REALLY COLLECT SOME DATA TO SEE WHERE THE INTEREST LIES AND BEGIN THERE, AND THEN KIND OF WORK OUT THE KINKS, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR STATE OR FOR OUR REGION. MM-HMM . OKAY. ONE, BECAUSE AN, AN EXCELLENT IDEA FOR THAT IS IF THE MUNICIPALITIES THAT SUPPORT THIS BUY INTO THAT PROGRAM WITHIN THEIR OWN HOUSE, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, LEAD BY EXAMPLE, LEAD BY EXAMPLE, UM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT I THINK THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM AND I, I REALLY WANNA SEE IT SUCCEED. YES. I WOULD LIKE SEE THE LOW COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, BE THE, THE, THE PIONEERS OF THIS PARTICULAR, UH, PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. [00:25:01] OKAY. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. MR. WHITE, ANY QUESTIONS? JUST A COMMENT. I, UH, SPENT A COUPLE YEARS, UH, AS AN OFFICER AT KINDERCARE, THEN IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA. AND I THINK YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON SOMETHING THAT'S VERY KEY COMPENSATION AND QUALITY STAFF. YES. AND THAT'S A CHALLENGE. AND SO I THINK, UH, THE FACT THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT IS KEY. AND, UM, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND IT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT MAY FOLD OVER IF IT'S DONE WELL AND LOTS OF PROBLEMS IF IT'S NOT DONE WELL. EXACTLY. SO, THANK YOU FOR, UH, DIVISION. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT'S MY TURN. I'M PUTTING THE OTHER HAT ON NOW. AGAIN. YES, SIR. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IN, UH, DISCUSSION WITH, SO LOKO OVER THE NUMBER OF MONTHS THAT, SO LOKO HAS TAKEN UP CHILDCARE AS AN ISSUE. UM, ONE WAY THIS COULD BE SOLD TO EMPLOYERS IS THAT AN EMPLOYER WHO HAS THIS HAS A COMPETITIVE EDGE OVER SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T. RIGHT. BECAUSE WHAT IT DOES, IT INCREASES BY SHARING THE COST, TAKING LESS OFF THE FAMILY, IT INCREASES THE AFFORDABILITY. 'CAUSE LIKE MR. LEWIS SAID, THERE'S, THERE'S PLACES BUT PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD 'EM. BUT THIS WOULD INCREASE THE AFFORDABILITY. AND SO ANY EMPLOYER, WE COULD SAY, HEY, YOU'RE GONNA COMPETE WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE FOR YOUR, YOUR EMPLOYEES. THIS'LL GIVE YOU A COMPETITIVE EDGE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE THAT'S, THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE, THE CHILDCARE, UM, AT, AT YOUR PLACE VERSUS SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE THIS PROGRAM IN PLACE. SO, UM, I'M GONNA TAKE THAT HAT OFF AND COME BACK TO BEING MAYOR, AND I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT. UM, OBVIOUSLY, UM, I ASK COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THIS. SO I I'M STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF IT. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S JUST ONE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX THAT IS GONNA HELP A VERY COMPLEX PROBLEM. YES. THIS ISN'T GONNA SOLVE EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM. UM, BUT IT, IT WILL GIVE US A TOOL, A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND IF SO, LOCO CAN PUSH THIS FORWARD, THEN THE SUBCOMMITTEE CAN THEN WORK ON OTHER ASPECTS OF, OF THE, THE CHILDCARE PROBLEM. MM-HMM . YES, SIR. SO, UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. AND AT THIS TIME I WOULD LIKE, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA GO TO A VOTE ON THIS. WE'RE NOT GONNA PUT IT BACK IN THE REGULAR AGENDA. I'LL OPEN THIS UP TO THE PUBLIC. DOES ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL OR THE SUBCOMMITTEE? YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK. UP. UP. OH, THIS ONE. I THOUGHT YOU IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE WATER. . MS. ROSS HAS RAISED HER HAND. I HAVE. I HAVE. AND I, I HAVE TO SPEAK OUT BECAUSE I SPENT MANY YEARS. PLEASE. UH, YOU KNOW, THE DRILL. PETER ROSS, FIVE 19 MYSTIC POINT DRIVE. AND THE REASON I'M STANDING UP BEFORE YOU TONIGHT IS ON THIS MEN'S BEHALF BECAUSE I SPENT MANY YEARS AS AN EMPLOYER MYSELF AND MANY YEARS WORKING WITH FAMILIES WHO EITHER COULDN'T AFFORD CHILDCARE OR DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER. AND I CAN TELL YOU ONE SMALL PORTION OF WHAT WE SAW IN SOME OF THE COMPANIES I WORKED FOR, INCLUDING ONE BIG ONE CALLED XEROX, UM, IS PRODUCTIVITY ON THE PART OF THE WORKFORCE BECAUSE THEY FEEL SAFER. THEY HAVE SO MUCH TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN. THEY'RE NOT TAKING EXTRA DAYS OFF JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY TO CARE FOR THE CHILD. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. MS. ROSS AS ALWAYS, MR. MAYOR, IF I MAY SAY SOMETHING WITH THIS. YES, PLEASE. YOU SAID IT BEFORE. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP AND EVERY JOURNEY STARTS WITH THE FIRST STEP. AND I VERY PROUD THAT WE ARE STARTING WITH THIS THIS EVENING. I THINK WE ARE GONNA SET THE TONE, HOPE FOR THE OTHERS TO FOLLOW. THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT. 'CAUSE I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. UM, OKAY. ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THIS RESOLUTION. MAKE A MOTION. WE APPROVE RESOLUTION 2025 [00:30:02] DASH ZERO FOUR DASH 17 E. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BY COUNSEL OF THE PUBLIC? SEEING NONE? I'LL CALL FOR A VOICE VOTE ON THIS. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. UM, OKAY. ONE DOWN SEVEN TO GO. UH, WHAT I WOULD, I, I WILL OFFER TO THE COUNCIL NOT FOR DISCUSSION OR VOTE AT THIS TIME, BUT JUST WANT YOU TO CONSIDER ONE THING. I AGREE WITH YOU, STEVE, YOU'RE THAT WE HAVE HARDY V CAN BE A LEADER IN, IN SHOWING THE, THE REGION THAT WE'RE IN FAVOR OF THIS. I'M GONNA ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ONE STEP FURTHER. WE SPONSOR BEING A TEST CASE. AND THE REASON I PUT THAT FORWARD, WHILE THE COUNCIL CONSIDERS THAT I WOULD LIKE THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO STRUCTURE HOW WE WOULD DO A TEST. OKAY? UH, OBVIOUSLY WE COULD, WE COULD, IT COULD BE FUNDED BY THE SO LOCO GROUP. IT COULD BE FUNDED BY A COUNTY COULD, IF YOU COULD PUT TOGETHER WHAT A TEST WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND THEN OUR COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS AT SOME OTHER TIME WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO BE A TEST CASE. AND IF WE DON'T WANNA BE A TEST CASE AT SOME POINT, I'LL ASK. SO LOCO IF THEY WANNA DO IT, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE REASON I SAID WE HAVE A YEAR, THE STATE'S NOT GOING TO, THEY'RE GONNA PASS A BUDGET WITHOUT THIS IN THERE. SO WE HAVE A YEAR. IF WE CAN PUT A TEST OUT THERE BEFORE NEXT BUDGET SEASON UP IN COLUMBIA, WE WILL HAVE A STRONGER CASE. NOT ONLY HOPEFULLY A LOT OF RESOLUTIONS TOGETHER, BUT A STRONGER CASE TO SAY, SAY TO THE STATE, HERE'S A WORKABLE MODEL. ALL WE NEED IS YOUR MONEY. OKAY, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE REST OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR YOUR SERVICE IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE, OKAY, WE HAVE, UM, PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL [VII. PRESENTATION & APPROVAL OF MINUTES] OF MINUTES. THAT'S APRIL 3RD, 2025. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE MINUTES OF APRIL 3RD? MAKE A MOTION. WE APPROVE THE MINUTES AS RECORD FOR APRIL 3RD. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THIS IS THE FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL SOUTH CAROLINA TO AMEND THE ZONING FOR PARCEL, UH, [A. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA TO AMEND THE ZONING FOR A PARCEL 029-45-11-014 CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY +/- 0.24 ACRES FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (SFR2-T3) DISTRICT TO DOWNTOWN MIXED USE (DMU-T5) DISTRICT AND AMEND THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE (2025-03-06A)] OH 14 CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY 0.24 ACRES FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT DISTRICT TO DOWNTOWN MIXED USE. UM, UH, MR. GRUBER, DO YOU THIS, UH, APPLICANT, UM, HAS VERBALLY INDICATED THEIR INTENT TO WITHDRAW AS OF THIS AGENDA? UH, WE DO NOT HAVE A WRITTEN CONFIRMATION OF THAT RE WITHDRAWAL. UH, MR. GRUBER, PLEASE GUIDE US ON, ON WHAT ACTION THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO TAKE AT THIS TIME. YES, SIR. AT, AT THE TIME THAT WE PUBLISHED [A. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO CONSIDER A ZONING MAP AMENDMENT FROM MULTI- FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (MFR) DISTRICT TO LIMITED INDUSTRIAL USE (LI) FOR PARCEL 029-00-04-011 LOCATED AT DEERFIELD RD (+/- 19.43 ACRES) (2025-04-17A)] THIS, UH, OVER A WEEK AGO, WE HAD NOT RECEIVED THE WRITTEN REQUEST. WE HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED THE WRITTEN REQUEST CONFIRMING THE APPLICANT'S DESIRE TO WITHDRAW THEIR APPLICATION. UH, BASED UPON AN UNDERSTANDING THAT STAFF IS IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING A TEXT AMENDMENT FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION THAT WILL LOOK AT THE ISSUES OF SHARED PARKING BETWEEN THE T FIVE AND T THREE TRANSECT ZONING DISTRICTS, AND THEN A REEVALUATION OF THE ALLOWED DENSITIES WITHIN THE T THREE ZONE. AND SO AS WE'RE WORKING ON PREPARING THAT, THE APPLICANT BELIEVES THAT THE PRODUCT OR OUTCOME OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS WILL LIKELY ALLOW THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, MORE OF A BRI BUY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT RATHER THAN THE NEED FOR A REZONING OF THEIR PROPERTY. OKAY. UM, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE IN A POSTPONE, CORRECT? BECAUSE THE APPLICANT HAS WRITTEN THEIR AND REQUESTED WITHDRAWAL, THERE'S NOTHING TO TAKE ACTION UPON. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO WE'LL MOVE OVER TO NEW BUSINESS. THIS IS FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO CONSIDER A ZONING MAP FOR MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO LIMITED INDUSTRIAL USE. UH, FOR PARCEL OH 11, LOCATED AT DEERFIELD ROAD, IT'S, UH, 19.43 ACRES. UH, THIS IS 2025 DASH OH FOUR DASH 17 A UH, I WILL SAY, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MR. GROOVER, I TEXTED THE, UH, [00:35:01] OWNER MR. TONY'S SEMINAR AND WENT WITH, UM, MR. MANN'S, UH, DECIBEL LEADER AND, UH, AT SIX IN THE MORNING. AND, UM, MR. SEMINAR IS NOT HERE BECAUSE HIS SON HAD A BASEBALL GAME, AND I TOLD HIM HE WOULD BE SHOT IF HE SHOWED UP HERE INSTEAD OF THE, THE BASEBALL GAME. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY HE IS NOT HERE TODAY, BUT HE IS REPRESENTED. RIGHT. SO, UM, HAVING SAID THAT, MR. GRUBER, TAKE HER AWAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THIS ITEM INITIALLY CAME BEFORE THE CITY'S PLANNING COMMISSION AND RECEIVED A RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL. UH, SUBSEQUENT TO THAT MEETING, THE CITY FACILITATED A WORKSHOP WHERE WE REALLY KIND OF DELVED INTO THE LOCATION OF THIS PROPERTY, HOW IT WOULD BE ACCESSED, THE, UM, USE OF THE PROPERTY ITSELF AND THE IMPACTS TO THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. UM, AND BASED UPON THAT, I KNOW STAFF HAS BEEN LOOKING AT, UM, KIND OF WHAT THE SITE PLAN SHOULD ULTIMATELY LOOK LIKE IF THIS DOES PROCEED FORWARD. UH, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE ARE PREPARED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FIRST READING. UM, AND AS YOU INDICATED, YOU EVEN HAD A SITE VISIT WHERE YOU WERE ABLE TO GAIN SOME ADDITIONAL INSIGHT INTO THE OPERATIONS OF THIS PARTICULAR BUSINESS. UH, BUT HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO BRIANNA FOR ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT SHE MAY HAVE. AND MY GUESS IS SHE'LL PROBABLY TURN IT OVER TO THE APPLICANT FOR ANY COMMENTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE. IT SNOWED. TAKE HER AWAY. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL THE ENTIRE PRESENTATION BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOU, WE, WE CERTAINLY WENT THROUGH THAT AND YOU ARE AWARE OF WHERE THE PROPERTY IS AND, UM, ALL THE DETAILS. I DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION TO OFFER TO YOU ABOUT THE SETBACKS AND THE BUFFERS REQUIREMENT. UM, WE DID TALK A LOT ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE HAS 19 ACRES TO, TO WORK WITH. HE'S GOT A LOT OF LAND TO WORK WITH, AND THERE'S SOME WETLANDS AND SOME NATURAL BUFFERS THAT WILL BE BUILT IN. BUT THE, UM, SETBACKS IN LIMITED INDUSTRIAL THAT ARE REQUIRED, IT'S A 50 FRONT, 50 FOOT FRONT SETBACK. UM, SIDE SETBACKS ARE 30 FEET PLUS A WA WELL-MAINTAINED WALL OR FENCE, OR, AND THAT COULD BE IN, IN THE INTERPRETATION, IT COULD BE THAT LIVING FENCE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. AND THE REAR BUFFER IS, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, THE REAR SETBACK IS 35 FEET AS FAR AS THE BUFFERS TO RESIDENTIAL, WHICH THEY WILL HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE, UM, A 15 FOOT DEEP BUFFER WITH EACH 100 FOOT SECTION CONTAINING AT LEAST 15 TREES, EIGHT OR EIGHT TREES AND 24 SHRUBS, OR A SIX FOOT FENCE AND 20 SHRUBS OR TREES. SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A, WE CAN MAKE A MIXTURE. STAFF REVIEW COMMITTEE, UM, DOES VET THIS VERY FULLY AT THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RIGHT SHRUBS AND THE RIGHT DEVICES ARE USED TO, TO BUFFER THAT, UM, AREA. SO I HOPE THAT HELPS GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORT LEVEL THAT THE MZDA ALREADY HAS THAT BUILT IN THERE. SO, UM, COULD YOU PUT THAT MAP UP WE HAD AT THE WORKSHOP WHERE IT SHOWED, UM, YES, I CAN GET THEM TO, IT SHOWED THE, OKAY. THAT ONE MM-HMM . I THINK THAT'LL, THAT'LL DO UN UNLESS YEAH, AND IF COUNSEL HAS ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT REQUIRE, OH, THAT'S EVEN BETTER. OKAY. DOES THE APPLICANT HAVE ANY FURTHER, ANYTHING FURTHER TO ADD? UH, WE DON'T JUST, UH, APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT AND GIVING US THE TIME TO GO THROUGH AND KIND OF SEE OUR OPERATION FROM THE, FROM THE STARTUP. UH, NAME'S TOM TRETHAWAY WITH OUTDOOR SERVICES COMPANY. THANK YOU, BRENER. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. UM, MR. WHITE, YOU WANNA START THE QUESTIONING THIS TIME? I THOUGHT THE LAST PRESENTATION, I MEAN, I, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I, MR. MESMAN, MY ONLY, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS HAVE THE ADJOINING PROPERTY OWNERS HAD NOTICE OF THIS AND NO RESPONSE? NO RESPONSE. OKAY. THEN WE'VE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE WITH THAT, THEN I THINK IT'S A GOOD FIT FOR THAT AREA. UM, AND I THINK THE SETBACKS AND EVERYTHING WILL BE VERY WORKABLE. THAT'S IT, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, AS I STATED EARLIER, I DID GO OUT THERE, UH, IT WASN'T A TOTAL SURPRISE VISIT, BUT I DID TEXT HIM SUNDAY NIGHT, UM, AND TOLD HIM I WAS SHOWING [00:40:01] UP THE, THE NEXT MORNING, AND HE WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO MEET ME THERE. THE, I I, WE DID SOME MEASUREMENTS WITH STEVE'S, UH, DECIBEL READER. UM, WE, WE USED AN IDLING TRUCK AND THERE WASN'T, LIKE, MORE THAN, THERE WASN'T ANY TRUCKS MOVING AT SIX. I DID PASS ONE GOING INTO THE DEVELOPMENT ABOUT FIVE OR SIX, A BIG LONG ONE. UM, DIDN'T SEEM LIKE A BIG AMOUNT. SO WE TURNED ON A, A, A TRUCK AND READ IT UP CLOSE, WHICH WAS 70 STEVIE, YOU PROBABLY KNOW, 50 FEET AWAY. IT WAS ONLY 60. SO IT REALLY WASN'T A LOT OF NOISE. AND HAD WE NOT TURNED ON A TRUCK, THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE MOVING AT THAT TIME. AND HE SAID THAT MOST OF THE VEHICLES WILL GO BETWEEN SIX 30 AND SEVEN 30. THEY DON'T, IT'S NOT LIKE A CARAVAN OF 50 TRUCKS MOVING OUT AT ONE TIME. SO FROM A NOISE PERSPECTIVE, MY LITTLE SITE VISIT, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE NOISE. WHAT MY, MY ONLY REMAINING CONCERN IS, UM, ON DEERFIELD VILLAGE. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A BIG WETLANDS THERE. UM, WHAT I AM CONCERNED IS BE LOOKING AT WHAT'S THERE. THERE'S A LOT OF BIG VEHICLES, DUMP TRUCKS, CEMENT TRUCKS, A LOT OF BIG STUFF. AND THERE'S ALSO SOME STORAGE, WHICH THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. BUT IF I'M THOSE PEOPLE, I DON'T WANT TO BE LOOKING AT A BIG TRUCK ALL DAY. RIGHT? SO MY CONCERN IS MAKING SURE THAT ON ALL SIDES, WHERE THERE'S EX PARTICULARLY EXISTING HOMES THAT WE HAVE NOT JUST A BUFFER, BUT A, SOME SORT OF NATURAL SCREENING SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE BOUGHT A HOUSE THERE OR RENT AN APARTMENT THERE, ALL OF A SUDDEN DON'T HAVE SOME, SOMETHING UGLY TO LOOK AT. I THINK THAT, THAT THIS COVERS IT, ESPECIALLY WITH THAT OVERSTORY AND UNDERSTORY DEVELOPMENT AND THE DENSITY THAT IT NEEDS TO BE WITHIN THAT, THAT BUFFER. UM, I KNOW THEY WILL HAVE A LOT MORE SPACE THERE TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE OF THE WETLANDS AND THE SRC, UM, KATIE AND, AND I HAVE DEALT WITH, LOOKED AT IT, THE BUFFERS AND THE REQUIREMENTS. AND SRC LOOKS AT IT BASED ON THE USE THAT'S NEXT TO YOU, NOT THE ZONING. SO WHILE THERE'S INDUSTRIAL ZONING, IF THERE'S A HOUSE THERE, IF THERE'S RESIDENTIAL USE, THAT'S WHAT WE BUILD OUR BUFFERS OFF OF. SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU THAT, THAT COMFORT AS WELL TOO. OKAY. SO, UM, WE ARE, WE'RE MAKE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE THE KEY FACTORS AS WE GO THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. UM, THE NEXT QUESTION IS NOT FROM ME, BUT MRS. GUZMAN, UH, SHE'S NOT HERE TONIGHT. SHE, HER, UM, HER, HER PET DOG IS, UH, AS SHE PHRASED IT, GOING TO JESUS RIGHT ABOUT RIGHT NOW. SO, UM, SHE'S NOT HERE, BUT I KNOW FENCING WAS A CONCERN OF HERS AND SHE BROUGHT IT UP AT THE WORKSHOP AND I DID, UH, DISCUSS THIS WITH TONY ON MONDAY MORNING. BUT, UH, COULD YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT YOUR PLAN IS FOR MAKING THE PSYCH SECURE, NOT JUST FROM THEFT, BUT FROM PERHAPS, UH, MISCHIEVOUS, UH, YEAH. TEENAGERS. YEAH. SO, UH, WHERE THE, UH, VEHICLES WOULD BE THAT THEY WOULD WANNA CLIMB ON AND, AND GET INTO THAT WOULD BE SECURED THROUGH FENCING. UM, NOT THAT THE WHOLE PROPERTY WILL BE FENCED, BUT WHERE THE TRUCKS ARE GONNA BE. ANY EQUIPMENT, UH, ALL OF THAT WILL BE FENCED. SO CHAIN LINK OR WOOD FENCE OR OTHER. SO, UH, SOMETHING TO DETER THE VIEW DIRECTLY TO IT, AND THEN THE CURIOSITY TO GO CLIMB ON IT. AND WHAT TONY HAD SAID TO ME, AND I'M SAYING THIS FOR COUNSEL, UM, AND WE KNOW FROM OUR OWN POLICE CHIEF THAT MANY OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITES, THE, THE CRIME IS THEFT OF CONSTRUCTION, UH, MATERIALS. YES. UH, SO THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME PROTECTIONS BEFORE TO, UH, AVERT SOME OF THAT, CORRECT? YES. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU A PRESENTATION FOR YOU, BUT, UH, SINCE I TALKED TO TONY AND I TOLD HIM NOT TO COME . SO ANYWAY, UH, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. OKAY. UM, NOW I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC. ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC LIKE TO, [00:45:01] UH, WEIGH IN ON THIS. OKAY. SEEING NONE, THIS IS FIRST READING THE FIRST OF, UH, TWO READINGS AND VOTES. UH, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO ORDINANCE 2025 DASH OH FOUR DASH 17 A? I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE 2025 DASH ZERO FOUR DASH 17 A. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BY COUNSEL OR THE PUBLIC? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OKAY. UH, NEXT READING IS IN TWO WEEKS. UM, NEXT IS THE FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CITY OF HARVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE TO MODIFY [B. FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE MUNICIPAL CODE TO MODIFY APPROVED HOURS OF] APPROVED HOURS OF CONSTRUCTION RELATED ACTIVITIES. THIS IS 2025 DASH OH FOUR DASH 17 B. MR. GRUBER, PLEASE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, BASED UPON COMMENTS THAT WERE RECEIVED FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AT OUR LAST WORKSHOP, WE ADDED A DISCUSSION ITEM ON THE CITY'S EXISTING, UM, REGULATIONS WITH REGARDS TO CONSTRUCTION RELATED ACTIVITIES, PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT THE PERMITTED HOURS OF OPERATION. BASED UPON A DISCUSSION WITH COUNCIL AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WAS RECEIVED, STAFF HAS PREPARED AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD AMEND OUR EXISTING REGULATIONS, UM, TO ALLOW FOR CONSTRUCTION RELATED ACTIVITIES DURING THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ACTIVITIES WOULD BE PERMITTED DURING THE HOURS OF 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM ON SATURDAYS IT WOULD BE PERMITTED FROM 8:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AND ON SUNDAYS IT WOULD BE PERMITTED FROM 12:00 PM TO SEVEN, UH, 12:00 PM TO 5:00 PM OR SEVEN I CAN'T. YES. 5:12 PM TO 5:00 PM AND SO, UH, WHAT IS BEFORE YOU TODAY IS FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD AMEND OUR CODE TO MODIFY THOSE HOURS OF PERMITTED ACTIVITIES. OKAY. UH, MR. UZMAN, YOU WANNA LEAD OFF THE QUESTIONING? YES. I THINK IT'S A GOOD STEP THAT, THAT WE HAVE LIVING IN A VERY ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION ZONE. I HEAR A LOT OF THIS FROM TIME TO TIME. UM, THE ENFORCEMENT IS GOING TO ALWAYS BE THE, THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TACKLE. AND PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS CONFUSING, I GUESS TO SOME IS THE BEGINNING OF THIS, UM, IN ANY BLOCK, WHICH MORE THAN HALF OF THE BUILDINGS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STREET ARE USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES, WHAT IS A BLOCK? IS IT THOUSAND FEET, 2000 FEET? YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT, I GUESS I'M LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER SO I CAN ANSWER TO THE, TO THE PEOPLE WHEN THEY COME TO ME WITH IT. SURE. UH, AND IF WE NEED TO, WE CAN FURTHER CLARIFY THAT THAT PARTICULAR LANGUAGE IS ACTUALLY EXISTING LANGUAGE WITHIN THE CURRENT ORDINANCE MM-HMM . AND SO FROM AN ENFORCEMENT STANDPOINT, TYPICALLY WITHOUT A FURTHER DEFINITION WITHIN THE CODE, WE WOULD APPLY WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A REASONABLE STANDARD. SO IN THIS INSTANCE, IF WE WERE DEFINING WHAT IS A BLOCK, IT WOULD BE WHAT MOST FOLKS WOULD COMMONLY UNDERSTAND AS A BLOCK, WHICH IS A SERIES OF HOMES THAT ARE CONJOINED OR CONNECTED IN SOME WAY. WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T APPLY ANY KIND OF MINIMUM NUMBER TO IT. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE MORE THAN TWO, BUT, UM, IT WOULD BE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF MULTIPLE RESIDENCES WITHIN ONE PARTICULAR AREA. OKAY. I'M JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE PUBLIC WHEN, WHEN THE QUESTION COMES UP. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. UH, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MR. WHITE, UH, MR. GRUBER, WOULD YOU PLEASE, UM, TELL THE COUNCIL IN THE, UH, THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT YOU LOOKED INTO, BLUFFTON MM-HMM . UM, HILTON HAD AND CHARLESTON, WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL US WHAT THEIR, UM, CODE IS? YES, SIR. SO WE DID A SURVEY OF OTHER SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS WITHIN THIS REGION. UH, WE LOOKED AT BLUFFTON, HILTON HEAD, BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND CHARLESTON. AND ULTIMATELY THE REGULATIONS KIND OF RAN THE GAMUT FROM, UM, BEING MUCH LESS REGULATED, UM, TO BEING SIGNIFICANTLY REGULATED. AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, WITH WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, OUR REGULATIONS WOULD ALIGN VERY CLOSELY WITH THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON. UH, THE CITY OF CHARLESTON ACTUALLY GOES A LITTLE BIT FARTHER THAN WHAT WE'RE, UH, PROPOSING IN THAT THEY PRO THEY PROHIBIT ANY CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES ON SUNDAY AS, AS A BLANKET PROHIBITION. UM, AND SO WITH WHERE WE'RE AT NOW, AT LEAST FROM A STAFF PERSPECTIVE, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE RECOMMENDING THIS IN THAT IT, IT APPEARS TO BE A BALANCE BETWEEN THE NEEDS OF BOTH BUSINESS AND THE PUBLIC. AND IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR OTHER KINDS OF ACTIVITIES THAT WE KNOW ARE GONNA GENERATE SIGNIFICANT, UH, NOISE. AND SO HOPEFULLY WE'RE [00:50:01] NOT CREATING A SLIPPERY SLOPE WHERE WE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES BEING REGULATED FIRST, AND THEN IT BECOMES LANDSCAPING ACTIVITIES AND IT BECOMES ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD GENERATE NOISE. AND SO, UM, FROM OUR STANDPOINT, THIS IS A GOOD, UH, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD POSITION THAT IT ALLOWS US TO REDUCE THE CURRENT OPERATING HOURS WITHOUT FULLY RESTRICTING THEM IN ANY KIND OF, UH, PARTICULAR WAY. THANK YOU, MR. WHITE. UM, I THINK THE FEEDBACK WE HAD IN THE DISCUSSIONS THIS, UH, IS WELL REFLECTED IN TERMS OF BALANCE AND, UH, TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION OUR, UH, FEEDBACK. AND I THINK IT'S A WORKABLE MODEL FOR EVERYONE, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING. IT'S NOT A HARDSHIP FOR ANYONE, AND IT'S NOT IGNORING THE, UH, THE REALITIES THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT. SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD COMPROMISE AND A GOOD RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU, MR. WHITE. UM, AS I REPORTED AT THE WORKSHOP, I CALLED, UH, TWO, UH, LAND PLANNERS AND INVESTORS, UH, MR. COGAN FROM PRESERVE COMMUNITIES, AND MR. STEFAN HOYER FROM, UM, HOYER INVESTMENTS, UH, WHO IS FINANCING THE THE MORGAN TRACK. UM, I DID NOT RECEIVE ANY OBJECTION TO BANNING SUNDAY. UM, IN FACT, THEY SAID OUR, OUR PEOPLE DON'T DO IT. UH, AS I SAID AT THE WORKSHOP, THERE WERE SOME IDEAS FLOATED LIKE GRANDFATHERING PEOPLE, UM, THAT ALREADY HAVE A PERMIT. UH, THERE COULD BE THERE. ANOTHER COMMENT WAS, WELL, UM, SOME OF THE SUBS DO INSIDE WORK, SO IT'S NOT THAT OUTSIDE NOISE. UM, I TOOK IT ONE STEP FURTHER THIS PAST WEEK, AND I CALLED TWO BUILDERS, DR HORTON, WHO HAS A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THE, IN THE CITY. AND, UM, FARINO, I SPOKE TO MR. SMITH, UH, THE PRESIDENT OF FARINO HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY. UM, BOTH OF 'EM REITERATED THE SAME THING, THAT THEIR GUYS DON'T WORK ON SUNDAY ANYWAY. UM, SO TO THEM IT WAS NO LOSS. UM, I, IF, IF WE BANNED IT AGAIN, THEY DID RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT THE SUBS, UH, MIGHT COME IN AND DO INSIDE WORK, PAINTING, PUTTING DRYWALL UP, ET CETERA. UM, I REALLY CAME INTO TONIGHT, I COULD GO EITHER WAY, BUT I'M GONNA GO BACK TO SOMETHING THAT STEVE SAID THAT REALLY STRUCK ME. AND I APPLIED IT TO THIS AND STEVE SAID, WE, WE HAVE A CHANCE IN CHILDCARE TO BE THE LEADERS. I WOULD NOT OBJECT AND I'LL GO WITH WHATEVER THE COUNCIL WANTS, BUT I WOULDN'T OBJECT TO BEN AND SUNDAY. NOBODY, THE BUILDERS, THE, THE LAND INVESTORS. NOBODY SEEMS TO HAVE A BIG ISSUE WITH IT. AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW MS. ROSS IS GOING TO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH IT. UH, BUT, UM, HEY, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO BE A LEADER AND ON THIS ISSUE TOO. BAND SUNDAY, NO HARM, NO FOUL. AND, AND WE GET A CHANCE TO BE OUT FRONT. BUT A AGAIN, I CAN ALSO SEE THE 12 TO FIVE ARGUMENT AS WELL. SO I, I'LL GO EITHER WAY. UM, UH, I'LL GO WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL. UM, HAVING SAID THAT, THAT'S MY COMMENTS. UM, I'LL NOW OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC. AND MS. ROSS, COME ON. YOU KNOW THE DRILL, YOU HAVE TO GET UP HERE. I KNOW YOUR LEG HURTS, BUT YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME ONE ON THIS ROSS MISTY POINT DRIVE BY 19. AND I WANNA THANK YOU. UM, I DID SUBMIT FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE SITTING HERE, I DID SUBMIT A LETTER OF CONCERNS TO COUNCIL. UM, AND MY APPROACH WAS IN, IN MY THINKING MORE FOR THE STRATEGIC THAN THE SHORT TERM, KNOWING HOW MUCH CONSTRUCTION IS GONNA BE COMING DOWN THE PIKE. AND WERE THERE LESSONS LEARNED THAT WE COULD, WE COULD PICK UP ON THAT WOULD IMPROVE OVER WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. MY, MY TWO MAJOR AREAS OF CONCERN ARE THE DISTANCE OF THE CONSTRUCTION FROM THE FACILITIES NEXT TO IT, SOME OF WHICH WE CAN'T [00:55:01] CHANGE, SOME OF WHICH WE CAN CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. AND THE OTHER WAS THE ABILITY TO, UH, REGULATE WHEN NECESSARY DECIBEL LEVELS OR, OR VIOLATIONS OF DECIBEL LEVELS. OTHER THAN THAT, UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S YOU'RE WISE ENOUGH TO DETERMINE WHETHER, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SHORTER TERM IS A, A BETTER APPROACH OR WHETHER THE SUNDAYS IS A BETTER APPROACH. YOU KNOW, THAT I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF GIVING THE RESIDENTS A GOOD 24 HOURS WITHOUT CONSTRUCTION NOISE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, I HAVE A QUESTION SINCE YOU BROUGHT IT UP AND IT'S IN YOUR NOTE. UM, WE CAN PUT YOUR COMMENT, YOUR NOTE IN THE PUBLIC RECORD, UM, OR IF YOU WANT IT READ, WE CAN DO THAT. UH, BUT, UM, MR. GRUBER, CAN WE, UM, UM, PUT DECIBEL LEVELS, IN OTHER WORDS, IF, IF WE ALLOW CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION IS HAMMER AND NAILS WELL, IS THERE ARE, ARE WE REQUIRED TO GO OUT AND, AND MEASURE THE DECIBELS? HOW DO YOU DO THAT? SO CAN YOU DO THAT? YOU, YOU CAN HAVE BOTH OBJECTIVE STANDARDS, WHICH ARE TYPICALLY A WEIGHTED OCTAVE BAND STANDARDS THAT ARE MEASURED BY A NOISE OR DECIBEL READER. OR YOU CAN HAVE SUBJECTIVE STANDARDS, WHICH COULD BE JUST THE UNREASONABLE CREATION OF OFFENSIVE NOISE. IN THIS INSTANCE, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY LOOKING AT THE VOLUME, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ACTIVITY ITSELF AND PREVENTING THAT. RIGHT? SO I WOULD TELL YOU, COMING FROM HILTON HEAD, WHO HAS A SUBJECTIVE, A WEIGHTED OCTAVE BAND, DURING THE SIX YEARS THAT I WAS THERE, WE WOULD MEASURE MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF NOISE COMPLAINTS THAT WOULD BE RECEIVED, ZERO CITATIONS WERE ISSUED. BECAUSE MOST OF THE TIME YOU'RE MEASURING FROM WHERE IT'S BEING RECEIVED, NOT WHERE IT'S BEING GENERATED. AND THE DISTANCE, AS YOU INDICATED, YOU KNOW, THAT 50 FEET CREATES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN, IN TERMS OF THE DECIBEL LEVEL. SO I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT WE LOOK AT DOSING DECIBELS BECAUSE WHAT IT IS THEN WE NOW HAVE TO EQUIP ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH THOSE METERS. THEY HAVE TO BE TRAINED, THEY HAVE TO BE CALIBRATED. AND IF YOU GO OUT THERE, IT'S NOT LIKELY TO GENERATE THE RESULT THAT MOST PEOPLE WHO CALL TO COMPLAINT ARE LOOKING FOR. SO FROM THAT STANDARD, FROM AN ENFORCEMENT STANDARD, I BELIEVE WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS BETTER. AND AGAIN, IF THE COUNCIL'S INCLINED TO PROHIBIT IT ON SUNDAY, CERTAINLY NO ISSUES THERE. BUT I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND GOING IN THE DIRECTION OF TRYING TO MEASURE IT WITH A DECIBEL VOLUME AND THEN USING THAT AS THE BASIS FOR SOME KIND OF ENFORCEMENT, JUST BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO SET THE RESULTS THAT PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY GONNA LOOK FOR. YEAH. IT SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A, UH, A CONFLICT IF YOU SAY YOU'RE ALLOWED TO, UH, CONSTRUCT, BUT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO CONSTRUCT OVER CERTAIN, I MEAN, HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, UM, YOU CAN CONSTRUCT ON SUNDAY, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE NOISE THAT, I MEAN, THAT'S MM-HMM . IT SEEMS LIKE WE'D HAVE TO DO ONE. THERE ARE SOME, THERE ARE SOME GREAT ISSUES. I'D BE THE FIRST TO, TO SAY THAT WHEN I LOOK AT IT FROM A RESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE, I LOOK AT A LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE. WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED THAT ARE LESS THAN 200 FEET FROM ANOTHER PROPERTY, A SINGLE, A SINGLE PROPERTY. AND WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED. THEY'RE GOING TO BE NEXT TO BIG COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION PROPERTIES. WE HAVE SOME THAT HAVEN'T BEEN APPROVED YET WHERE YOU COULD, YOU COULD BUILD OUT IN THE LONG TERM FOR THE POPULATION PARTICULARLY WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE. I I JUST WANTED TO RAISE THE, THE ISSUE THAT THERE, THERE WOULD BE AN INSTANCE AT SOME POINT WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU DIDN'T PLAN ON HAPPENING, AND YOU HAVE, UM, IN THE CURRENT CODE, YOU HAVE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION EXCEPTIONS. I, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT AS, AS WE GO ALONG, AND I'M NOT ANTICIPATING 800,000, YOU KNOW, COMPLAINTS ABOUT NOISE, BUT I THINK, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO SOME, JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT SOME OF THE CONDITIONS ARE SET, SOME OF THE PROJECTS NOW MM-HMM . WELL, YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT, AND THAT'S WHY I, I WANTED TO BRING UP, I HAD NO OBJECTION TO BANNING SUNDAY. YEAH. GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND TALKING ABOUT US BEING A LEADER, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MULTIPLE HOUSES BEING BUILT, AND WE NEXT TO THOSE HOUSES, WE HAVE COMMERCIAL ZONING RIGHT NEXT TO IT. SO MAYBE NOT RIGHT NOW, BUT FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, WE MAY HAVE, UH, A DR. HORTON COMMUNITY ALL BUILT OUT, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE BUILDING A PUBLIX NEXT DOOR. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST SENIOR CITIZENS THERE. WE'RE TALKING [01:00:01] ABOUT FAMILIES, BABIES, RIGHT. HOME ALL DAY. UM, SO THAT'S ANOTHER REASON I, WHEN I READ YOUR NOTE, I STARTED THINKING, YOU KNOW, UM, AND THAT'S WHY I, I CALLED THE BUILDERS AND, AND THAT'S WHY I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO BANNING SUNDAY. BUT AGAIN, I'LL GO WITH WHAT THE, WHAT THE COUNCIL DEEMS IS, IS THE WISEST. AND I, I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, IF I, YES, I PLAYED DEVIL'S ADVOCATE HERE JUST A LITTLE BIT. YOU TALKED WITH THE VERY LARGE DEVELOPERS BUILDING MULTIPLE HOUSES. I DON'T WANNA EXCLUDE THE SMALL PICKUP TRUCK CONTRACTOR WHO'S LICENSED IN OUR CITY, WHO MAY BE BUILDING A DECK FOR SOMEBODY ON A SUNDAY. UM, HE'S USING THE HOMEOWNER AS LABOR TO HAUL THE LUMBER AND THINGS LIKE THIS. A COMPLETE BAN ON SUNDAY, I THINK COULD PUT, UH, IT, IT WOULD BE, UH, UH, AN IMPOSITION ON SOME OF THESE, UH, THESE FOLKS. I, I'M, I'M HAPPY WITH THE 12 TO FIVE. I THINK THAT, THAT, THAT ALLOWS SOME FLEXIBILITY, UM, WITHIN THIS, IF IT GETS TO BE A PROBLEM, IT CAN BE REVISITED IN THE FUTURE AND CHANGED. I THINK THAT'S A, A VERY GOOD POINT. AND ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WHY THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I'M CONFLICTED AND, AND SO I I THINK YOU RAISED A GOOD POINT, MR. MESMAN. I, I AGREE TOO, STEVE. THE 12 TO FIVE SUNDAY IS A GOOD POINT, AND IF IT DOESN'T WORK, WE CAN REVISIT IT. YOU MODIFY. YES. OKAY. I'M THINKING OF THE, AS AS YOU SAID, THE SMALL GUY WITH THE PICKUP TRUCK THAT'S DOING A DECK ON A SUNDAY, AND, AND THAT'S, THAT COULD BARELY, UH, BE HARMFUL ECONOMICALLY FOR SOME OF THESE SMALLER CONTRACTORS. IN MY VIEW. CHIEF, GET READY WITH THE HANDCUFFS. 'CAUSE IF HE CAUSES ANY TROUBLE, OKAY. PUT HIM ON NOW. CHIEF. YEAH. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. YES, SIR. WOULD YOU PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD? MY NAME IS STEVE TALBOT. I LIVE AT TWO AT, UH, 3 85 FULL SWEET PEAS IN THE, UH, LATITUDE LAKES SUBDIVISION. UM, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR WILLIAMS. COUNCIL MEMBERS. MR. GRUBER, I RISE IN OPPOSITION TO THIS CHANGE. UM, I THINK THAT THE SEVEN TO SEVEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, THAT'S FINE. I MEAN, I, I, I KNOW I DON'T LIKE IT, BUT I KNOW THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. SATURDAY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE 12 TO FIVE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A TOTAL BAN ON SUNDAY. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT THE SMALL CONTRACTOR THAT'S DOING A DECK. I GOTTA TELL YOU, LIVING ON THE LAKES, WHEN THEY BRING IN A, A BIG EXCAVATOR TO DIG THE DOCKS ON A SUNDAY, IT'S NOT QUIET. MM-HMM . AND I, I, I'M, I, I DON'T THINK ASKING FOR SUNDAY TO BE A QUIET DAY, A DAY OF REST. AND I THINK WE SHOULD, UH, HONOR THE SABBATH IS A DAY OF REST. SO I OPPOSE ANY, ANY WORK ON SUNDAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. THAT'S WHY THIS JOB'S NOT SO EASY, CHRIS. EVERYBODY MADE REALLY GOOD POINTS. AND, UH, SO, UM, THAT'S, UH, HAVING HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC, ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC LIKE TO WEIGH IN ON THIS ISSUE, SEEING NONE. UM, I'D LIKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THIS IS WHERE ARE WE? 2025 DASH FOUR DASH 17 B. THIS IS FIRST READING. KEEP IN MIND THAT, UH, WE WILL HAVE A SECOND READING AND ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING AND, UH, UH, VOTE. ANOTHER VOTE. SO, HAVING SAID THAT, DO I HAVE A MOTION? MR. MAYER, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, WE WILL HAVE A, A PUBLIC HEARING PRIOR TO A SECOND READING. YES. BUT THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH HERE TONIGHT, I BELIEVE WE DESERVE SOME MORE PUBLIC INPUT ON THIS. UM, I, I DON'T FAVOR TABLING IT AT THIS TIME, BUT I WOULD BEFORE WE'RE SECOND READING, I'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME MORE PUBLIC INPUT, PLEASE. WELL, ONE THING WE COULD DO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MISSING THE NEXT MEETING, RIGHT? YES, I AM, SIR. RATHER THAN TABLE THIS, WE COULD, UM, MOVE IT WITH SECOND READING. WILL YOU BE BACK FOR THE YES, I WILL BE THE NEXT MEETING AFTER THAT. YES. CAN WE DO THAT? UM, MADAM ATTORNEY? YES. [01:05:01] MAYOR, YOU CAN, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A MINIMUM OF SEVEN DAYS BETWEEN, SO YOU CAN REQUEST FOR SECOND READING TO COME. AND DOES THAT HAVE TO BE DONE IN THE MOTION? OH, YOU CAN JUST INSTRUCT THE MANAGER TO PUT THAT ON AN UPCOMING AGENDA. OKAY. UM, SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S A, A REASONABLE SUGGESTION AND THAT WAY GIVES AN EXTRA TWO WEEKS FOR THE PUBLIC TO SEND US NOTES AND OR, OR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, AND WE CAN HOPEFULLY MAKE US WISER. SO, UM, HAVING THAT CLARIFICATION, DO WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE HIM AND MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THIS ORDINANCE? MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE 2025 DASH ZERO FOUR DASH 17 B FOR APPROVAL WITH, UH, SECOND READING. UH, FOR THE SECOND MEETING. IT WOULD BE MAY 13TH. MAY 13TH. YES, SIR. UM, OKAY. SO WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BY COUNCIL OR THE PUBLIC? SEEING NONE, I'LL CALL FOR CALL FOR A VOICE VOTE ON THIS. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY. UH, SECOND READING WILL BE, UH, THAT, THAT SECOND MEETING IN MAY. WE HAVE CHANGED FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY. AND THAT'S THE 13TH, NOT THE 14TH, OR IS THAT THE 14TH? THE 14TH FOURTH. WEDNESDAY IS THE 14TH. UM, OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE A RESOLUTION IN THE CITY OF HARDY, SOUTH CAROLINA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE [C. RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL] ALL DOCUMENTS, AWARDING THE CONTRACT FOR FINANCIAL AUDIT SERVICES OF MARLYN JENKINS OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, BEGINNING WITH THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2025. THIS IS RESOLUTION 2025 DASH OH FOUR DASH 17 C. THIS IS A RESOLUTION REQUIRING ONLY ONE PUBLIC HEARING AND ONE VOTE THIS EVENING. MR. BOYLE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UM, SLIDE. I HAVE FOUR SLIDES. I'LL RUN THROUGH 'EM QUICKLY. UH, I BELIEVE THIS TO BE PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. WE PUT OUT AN RFP IN JANUARY. WE PUT TOGETHER A COMMITTEE OF MR. DAVIS, UM, MS. CHESTER, OUR ACCOUNTING MANAGER, ME, AND THEN WE HAD A RETIRED, UH, CITY RESIDENT WHO'S GOT A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN FINANCIAL AUDITING AND SO FORTH. AS A FOURTH MEMBER, UH, WE WENT THROUGH A PROCESS. WE MADE SURE WE CAST A WIDE NET, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE. WE POSTED IT ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. WE PUT IT WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA GFOA. AND THEN JUST TO BE SURE, UH, WE WENT, I WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF PAGES OF, UH, PEOPLE WHO WERE DOING ALL GOVERNMENTAL AUDITS AND, UH, SENT IT TO 17 FIRMS IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE WERE ALREADY DOING. TO ASSURE THAT WE CAST THAT WIDE NOTE, WE RECEIVED FOUR RESPONSES. THE COMMITTEE REVIEWED THOSE FOUR RESPONSES INDEPENDENTLY. UM, EVEN THOUGH THREE OF US ARE IN THE SAME BUILDING, WE NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT UNTIL WE SAT IN THE ROOM. UH, WHEN WE DID THAT, IT WAS CLEAR THAT ALL FOUR PEOPLE HAD, UM, RECOMMENDED THE SAME FIRM. THAT FIRM WAS MALDON JENKINS. THAT'S THE CURRENT AUDITOR WE HAVE. WE HAD A, UH, UM, WE HAD A FOUR YEAR CONTRACT THAT EXPIRED AT THE END OF THE 24 AUDIT. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO ENGAGE OUR AUDITORS FOR FISCAL YEARS 25 THROUGH 28. UM, AND THEN A NUMBER OF THE REASONS WE HAVE FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION IS, UM, HONESTLY, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUDIT IN OUR REGION, BALDIN JENKINS IS THE FIRM TO HAVE. UM, THEY HAVE A DEPTH AND BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE, AS YOU'VE HEARD US SAY BEFORE. THEY ALSO OFFER OUR FINANCE STAFF FREE TRAINING. THEY HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT ALL DAY CLASSES THAT THEY'LL DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UH, THAT'S, WE FIGURE THAT SAVES THE CITY WITH TRAVEL AND, AND ALL THAT, ABOUT $5,000. BUT THE MAIN THING IS THEY GIVE US A GOOD, EFFICIENT AUDIT AND, UM, ON TIME. AND, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REASONABLE. THEY'RE EASY TO WORK WITH. THEY DON'T CUT US ANY BREAKS, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE EFFICIENT AND THEY'RE PROFESSIONAL. AND, UM, THAT WORKS. SAYING ALL THAT, AGAIN, ALL FOUR INDEPENDENT, ALL FOUR REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY PICK THAT FIRM. AND, UM, UH, WE RECOMMEND TO THE CITY MANAGER, AND WE BRING TONIGHT TO YOU TONIGHT RECOMMENDING THAT WE DO A FOUR YEAR CONTRACT WITH WALDEN. JENKINS. THANK YOU, MR. BOYLE. UM, LET'S START QUESTIONING WITH MR. WHITE THIS TIME. JUDGE, I'VE HAD A, AN OPPORTUNITY JUST TO GET A QUICK OVERVIEW WITH YOU, AND WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB, AND THAT'S AN AREA THAT, UH, [01:10:01] SECOND BEST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH. WE NEED SOMEONE THAT REALLY KNOWS IT, THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH US. SO I, UH, I SUPPORT YOUR COMMENTS. YES, WE AGREE. THANK YOU MR. MESMAN. I MAYOR MR. WHITE'S, UH, COMMENTS. I THINK, I THINK THIS IS A DIRECTION WE NEED TO PROCEED WITH. I HAVE A, A COUPLE QUESTIONS. UM, MY NOTES OUT HERE. UM, I HAVE HEARD OVER THE COURSE OF TIME AND, UH, THAT AUDITORS SHOULD BE CHANGED EVERY FIVE YEARS. AND, UM, THE BASIS FOR THAT IS YOU DON'T WANT TO GET TOO CHUMMY WITH, WITH THE AUDITOR BECAUSE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN, THAT'S, I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S HAPPENING. I'M JUST SAYING THAT WAS THE RATIONALE FOR THAT. UM, WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, CHANGING AUDITORS AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME? UH, WELL, ANECDOTALLY, I CAN TELL YOU, I HAVE A, UH, A REALLY GOOD PERSONAL FRIEND WHO'S MANAGING PARTNER AT HANCOCK ASK YOU OVER IN SAVANNAH. AND WHEN WE DID THIS EXERCISE FOUR YEARS AGO, FOUR AND A HALF YEARS AGO NOW, HE SAID, JOHN, WE DON'T DO GOVERNMENTAL AUDITS BECAUSE GOVERNMENTS HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK YOU HAVE TO GO EVERY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AND CHANGED THE AUDITORS. AND HE SAID, MY FIRM IS WORKING ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WHERE WE CAN REALLY HELP YOU ALONG THE WAY. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S AN ANECDOTE. THE THING I WILL SAY IS BACK, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS IT, 10, 15 YEARS AGO, MAYBE MORE THAN THAT, WITH ENRON AND EVERYTHING, THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY THE THINKING. PERSONALLY, I DON'T THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NECESSARY BECAUSE AS A CPA, I'D BE TERRIFIED TO, TO KNOW THAT SOMEBODY WAS DOING THAT. UM, FRANKLY, MR. GRUBER AND I DISAGREE ON THIS MM-HMM . BUT WHAT WE HAVE SAID AS WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS, IS MALDEN JENKINS HAS THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE AND THE SIZE. THEY HAVE EIGHT OFFICES IN SIX OR SEVEN STATES HERE IN THE SOUTHEAST. AND WHEN, AND I MENTIONED THAT THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION TO OUR CURRENT AUDITOR, HE SAID, JOHN, IF, IF MALDEN JENKINS IS YOUR SELECTION, AND THAT'S AN ISSUE, WHAT WHAT WE WOULD DO IS WE WOULD OFFER YOU THAT HE AND HIS TEAM, THE CONCURRING REVIEW PARTNER, EVERYBODY WOULD STEP ASIDE, STILL THE SAME FIRM. THEY BRING IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT, A WHOLE DIFFERENT TEAM. WE DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE FIRMS TO GET A WHOLE DIFFERENT TEAM, A WHOLE SET OF EYES. SO IF THERE IS ANY CONCERNS AT ALL AS A BEST PRACTICES OF, OH, YOU KNOW, THE AUDITORS AND, AND OUR STAFF ARE TOO CHUMMY, WE'RE GETTING PAST THAT BECAUSE TREY WOULD ENTIRELY STEP AWAY. NOW, HE WOULD STILL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THEIR WORK PAPERS AND ALL LIKE THAT, WHICH IS A, A HUGE EFFICIENCY BOOST FOR ANY KIND OF CHANGE. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY OPEN TO. AND IF THAT'S, UM, UH, COUNCIL'S, WELL, THAT, THAT'S ACTUALLY, UM, NOT EVEN, WE'RE NOT EVEN BRINGING THAT TO COUNCIL BECAUSE, UH, WITH TALKING TO MR. GRUBER, WE'VE ALREADY DECIDED THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING. SO SAME FIRM, DIFFERENT, UH, WHOLE DIFFERENT TEAM. SO LET ME GO BACK TO THE QUESTION. OKAY. I TOOK A LONG WAY TO GET THERE AND I STOP. WELL, THEY, THEY DIDN'T ANSWER IT. SO I'M GONNA ASK IT AGAIN. YES, SIR. NUMBER ONE, IS THERE A STATE STATUTE THAT REQUIRES US TO CHANGE? THERE IS NOT THERE. I'M SORRY. I DON'T THINK SO. I HAVEN'T FOUND IT. NO. OKAY. SORRY, PINA, THAT WAS NUMBER TWO. WHAT ARE, ARE THERE, IS THERE A BEST PRACTICES MANUAL FOR, LET ME GIVE A SHOT AT THIS REAL QUICK. JOHN. BEST PRACTICES WILL TYPICALLY COME FROM VARIOUS REGULATORY AGENCIES, UH, GFOA AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WHERE IT IS SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MUST DO THIS. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT IT'S A FAIRLY COMMON PRACTICE THAT AFTER A FOUR OR FIVE YEAR PERIOD, THEY WILL BRING IN NEW TEAM MEMBERS. NOW, IN THIS INSTANCE, IT, I DON'T BELIEVE IT HAS TO BE A NEW FIRM, BUT, AND AS JOHN INDICATED, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IF THEY CAN BRING IN A NEW TEAM WITH A FRESH SET OF EYES, TO ME THAT'S ACCOMPLISHING BOTH. WE'RE GETTING WHAT WE KNOW TO BE A QUALITY PRODUCT FROM A GOOD FIRM, BUT WE'RE ALSO GETTING BEST PRACTICES BY HAVING A NEW TEAM COME IN AND LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS. AND SO FOR US, IT SATISFIES BOTH. IT'S THE, IT'S THAT PROVERBIAL WIN-WIN, MARY MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, NEXT, M AND J IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE OUT OF THE FOUR? CORRECT. OKAY. UM, NOW, TYPICALLY, AND THE COUNSEL IN CASES LIKE THIS IS GIVEN A COMPARISON OF EACH OF THE CATEGORIES [01:15:01] AND LIKE, 'CAUSE YOU MAKE CERTAIN, UM, STATEMENTS THERE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR TRAVEL AND TRAINING, ET CETERA. TYPICALLY, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THIS PANEL OF FOUR, THOSE, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE PRESENTED WHEN COUNCIL'S ASKED TO APPROVE THAT, THAT DOES, THAT DOES TWO THINGS. NUMBER ONE, IT GIVES THE COUNCIL INFORMATION ON WHICH TO BASE OUR DECISION. MM-HMM . BUT NUMBER TWO, IN THE CASE OF THIS, WHERE YOU'RE ASKING US TO PROVE, APPROVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE OUT OF THE FOUR, IT HELPS THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND MM-HMM . WHY WE ARE PICKING THE FOUR OTHER THAN YOU'RE JUST MAKING GENERAL STATEMENTS, BUT IT DOESN'T SHOW, WELL, WHAT DO WE SAVE THE GUY, THE FIRST ONE THAT'S $26,000, WHAT DO WE SAVE FROM HIM FOR NO TRAVEL? WE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT CHART THAT SHOWS THE THINGS THAT YOU MADE YOUR DETERMINATION. AND I'VE SEEN, YOU'VE GIVEN THAT TO US IN THE PAST, BUT I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT WHEN, UH, THE PUBLIC SEES US CHOOSING THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONE THAT WE GIVE THE COUNCIL ALL THE DATA MM-HMM . THAT YOU HAD WHEN YOU MADE THAT DECISION, SIR, THE TRAVEL WAS RELATED TO, THEY OFFER FREE TRAINING FOR US TO ATTEND QUALITY TRAINING. LIKE THAT, THAT'S, I THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I REFERENCED WITH THE TRACK. RIGHT. BUT THAT'S NOT THE IMPORTANT PART. THE, THE, THE ISSUE THAT'S THAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, I WAS JUST USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE. MM-HMM . THE POINT IS WE SHOULD HAVE A CHART THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST OF, OKAY, CATEGORY ONE WAS TRAVEL, CATEGORY TWO WAS THIS. YEAH. AND WE SHOULD HAVE THAT. WHAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS ESSENTIALLY THE SCORING SHEET. THE SCORING SHEET. YEAH. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND WE CAN CERTAINLY PROVIDE THOSE TO YOU. AND I WOULD, I WOULD, UM, ALIGN WITH YOUR COMMENTS. IF THE DOLLAR VALUES WERE CLOSER AND ALL OTHER THINGS ARE EQUAL, THEN YES, WE'RE ALWAYS GOING TO GO WITH THE LOW BIDDER. GIVEN THAT ALL OTHER THINGS ARE EQUAL. IN THIS INSTANCE, WHY WE DO BOTH ASK FOR BIDS AND AN INTERVIEW PROCESS IS THE INTANGIBLES THAT COME OUT THROUGH THAT INTERVIEW PROCESS CAN INFLUENCE WHICH WAY WE RECOMMEND. AND IN THIS INSTANCE, BECAUSE ALL FOUR OF THE REVIEWING PARTIES RECOMMENDED THE SAME FIRM, THAT IS WHY WE'RE MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE HIGHEST BIDDER, THAT WE THINK THEY'RE THE MOST QUALIFIED AND WOULD DELIVER THE BEST SERVICE TO US. AGAIN, IF THERE WAS ANY QUESTION ABOUT THAT, WE'RE GONNA ERR ON THE SIDE OF SAVING TAXPAYER DOLLARS. BUT BECAUSE OF THOSE INTANGIBLES AND BECAUSE OF WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT REVIEW PROCESS, THAT'S WHY I FEEL COMFORTABLE MAKING THE RECOMMENDATION, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE. AND I'M NOT SAYING WE WOULDN'T TAKE IT ALL, AND THIS IS FOR ANY TIME, NOT JUST THIS CASE AS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST. THAT SCORING SHEET I THINK IS IMPORTANT, BUT I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE NOT TAKING THE LOWEST YES, SIR. AND I, I DON'T CHALLENGE YOUR DECISION OR YOUR RECOMMENDATION, BUT, UM, AGAIN, IT'S JUST A POINT OF, UM, FOR FUTURE ON HOW WE SHOULD, TRANSPARENCY MM-HMM . YEAH. GOOD WORD. YOU GOT A LOT OF GOOD STUFF TONIGHT THERE. YEAH, I'M FINISHED. GO AHEAD. I THINK HARRY RAISES SOME EXCELLENT POINTS WITH THE ULTIMATE POINT TO ME IN AUDITS IS THE RESULTS AND WHAT WE SEE OVER THE NUMBER OF YEARS THEY'VE DONE IT. AND GETTING IT RIGHT IS VERY CRITICAL BECAUSE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN. SO I PUT A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON WHAT HARRY'S SAYING, BUT I ALSO PUT EMPHASIS ON THE REPEATED EXCELLENCE THAT WE'VE SEEN. AND WE'VE HAD NO ISSUES WITH THIS. AND I THINK A BIGGER ISSUE WITH THE PUBLIC WOULD BE IF THEY FELT WE WERE USING PRACTICES THAT WERE SHAKY OR NOT WELL FOUND THAT. SO THERE'S A GOOD BALANCE HERE. AND I THINK, UH, I THINK THEY REPRESENT BOTH, IN MY OPINION. CERTAINLY. THANK YOU, MR. WHITE. UM, I'LL NOW OPEN THIS UP TO THE PUBLIC. WOULD THE ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT REGARDING THIS? OKAY. SEEING NONE. I'D LIKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES. THIS IS A RESOLUTION ONE VOTE, AND IT IS 2025 DASH OH FOUR DASH 17 C. MAKE A MOTION. WE APPROVE 2025 DASH ZERO FOUR DASH 17 C. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BY COUNCIL OR THE PUBLIC? THE ONLY COMMENT THAT I HAVE IS NEXT TIME THESE THINGS COME UP, JOHN, PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH THE SCORING SHEETS LOUD AND CLEAR, SIR? YES. WE'LL, WE'LL DO THAT FOR ANY CONTRACT AWARD THAT COMES BEFORE YOU. WE'LL MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE THAT AS A PRACTICE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR [01:20:01] QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, I'LL CALL FOR A VOICE VOTE ON THIS. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? OKAY. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE ONE MORE ITEM RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH JASPER COUNTY REGARDING NICKEL PLATE MULTI-COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK. THIS IS 20 25 0 4 DASH 17 D. MR. GRUBER, PLEASE? YES, SIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO I AM VERY PLEASED TO REPORT THAT I BELIEVE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY HAVE REACHED A RESOLUTION IN ALL ASPECTS WITH REGARDS TO THIS LITIGATION. UNFORTUNATELY, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE FINAL [D. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH JASPER COUNTY REGARDING NICKLEPLATE MULTI COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK (2025-04-17D)] TERMS TO BRING BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, AND SO I'M GONNA ASK THAT YOU TABLE THIS ITEM OVER TO, AND IF WE WANT, WE CAN TABLE IT OVER TO THE, UH, THE SECOND MEETING IN MAY. UM, BUT ESSENTIALLY THE DOLLAR VALUES THAT ARE INVOLVED, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE THE MOST ACCURATE AT THE TIME THAT YOU APPROVE THEM, RATHER THAN HAVING TO COME BACK OR CHANGE SOMETHING AFTERWARDS. AND SO, UM, THE COUNTY'S KIND OF DOING A TRIPLE CHECK OF THEIR NUMBERS AND THEY HAVE NOT COMPLETED THAT YET. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WAITING ON. BUT ONCE WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION, WE ARE READY TO BRING THIS FORWARD FOR YOUR APPROVAL. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU. AND LET'S, UH, RATHER BE AND GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS AND THEN TABLE, LET'S SEE WHAT THE APPETITE OF THE COUNCIL IS. SO I'M GONNA FIRST, BEFORE ANY DISCUSSION, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES OR TABLE RESOLUTION? 2025 DASH FOUR DASH 17 D. I'LL MAKE, UH, A MOTION THAT WE TABLE IT TO. UM, THAT'S MAY 14TH. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. WE HAVE A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BY COUNSEL? NO, SIR. SEEING NONE, I'LL CALL FOR A VOICE VOTE ON THIS. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OKAY. UM, THAT WILL COME BACK UP ON THE 14TH, MR. GRUBER, ANY COMMENTS THIS EVENING? NO, SIR, MA'AM. OKAY. LET'S GO TO, UM, MR. WHITE. ANY COMMENTS? NO COMMENTS, MR. MESMAN? NO COMMENTS THIS EVENING, SIR. WOW. YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE 'EM ALL TO ME? YES, SIR. OH, GEEZ. WELL, I HAVE A COUPLE, UH, WHAT A SURPRISE. RIGHT. UM, OKAY. FIRST OF ALL, ON THE FOURTH, UH, MR. WHITE AND I WENT TO THE YMCA PRESENTATION, UM, UH, OVER IN OLD FIELD. AND, UM, THE, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MOVING STRAIGHT AHEAD AND, UM, THEY GAVE A PRESENTATION AND SHOWED WHAT THE NEW BUILDING WOULD BE. UM, AND, UH, WHO WAS THERE? BUT MR. HOST, I THINK YOU'VE SEEN HIS FACE AROUND. SO I GUESS HE'S, UH, VERY INTERESTED IN OUR NEW YMCA AS WELL. UM, THE, UH, ON THE EIGHTH, UH, MR. GRUBER, UH, GAVE, UH, THE PINE ARBOR RESIDENCE, UM, A NICE PRESENTATION. UM, HE IS WENT RIGHT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM TO GET RID OF THE BA BATTLE SCARS. UM, DID A VERY NICE JOB, MR. GRUBER. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, UM, THE, UH, YOUTH COUNCIL, UM, THE, WE WENT TO, UM, A SPANISH, UM, OFFICE [XI. COUNCIL ISSUES AND CONCERNS] IN BLUFFTON. AND OUR YOUTH COUNCIL IN SPANISH, UH, GAVE A LITTLE, UM, PROMO FOR THE EVENT THAT THEY DID, UH, LAST THURSDAY, WHICH WAS TO MEET THE HARDY BILL POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE TWO YOUNG LADIES, UH, WHO WENT WITH ME, UH, WHO ARE HISPANIC, AND, AND THEY, EVERYTHING WAS IN SPANISH. SO, UH, WHEN THEY ASKED ME A QUESTION, I, I HOPE THEY TRANSLATED ME RIGHT. UH, BUT, UM, THEY DID, THEY WERE MAGNIFICENT. TWO YOUNG LADIES THAT ARE SENIORS THAT ORIGINALLY HIGH. THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB. UM, ON THE 10TH, WE WENT TO, UH, THE B-J-W-S-A BREAKFAST. THAT WAS THE FIRST OF, UH, WHAT WILL MIGHT BE A REGULAR SERIES. AND THAT, UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON A GOOD EVENT THAT THEY DID. UM, I SENT A NOTE TO THE, UH, COUNCIL [01:25:01] AND, UM, THE HOUSE IN QUESTION ON PINE ARBOR ROAD, WHICH IS A RECOVERY HOME. UM, YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THAT, I WON'T REITERATE THAT. BUT ON THE 10TH IN THE GUEST DRAWER OF BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, I TOOK CAKE AND COOKIES AND DELIVERED THEM TO THAT HOME. UM, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, MR. GRUBER, WITH THE OPERATORS OF THAT HOME, WILL, UH, BE HOLDING ON THE 29TH. YES, SIR. FROM FIVE 30 TO SEVENTH AT THE, UM, LIBRARY. I HOPE THE COUNCIL CAN MAKE IT. THEY'RE, IT'S NOT GONNA, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BRING THE RESIDENTS OF THAT HOME BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL SOMEWHAT FRAGILE, BUT THEY ARE GONNA BRING IN SOME, UM, GRADUATES FROM THE PROGRAM. UH, WE'RE GONNA INVITE ALL THE PINE HARBOR PEOPLE, HAVE 'EM MEET THEM, UN MAKE THEM, UH, KNOW ABOUT THE, UM, RULES OF THE HOUSE, WHAT'S BEING ACCOMPLISHED. AND, UM, I DID VISIT THE HOUSE WHEN I DELIVERED THE CAKE, AND IT, IT'S REALLY WELL DONE. SO, UH, TRY TO MAKE IT ON THE 29TH IF YOU CAN. UM, THE YOUTH COUNCIL, AGAIN, DID LAST THURSDAY, THE MEET THE HARDY POLICE DEPARTMENT EVENT, THANK YOU TO, UM, CANDY FUENTES OF LASQUETI, WHO DID A GREAT JOB MAKING GREAT TACOS. AND HE BROUGHT HIS HIS THING OVER. AND THANK YOU. AND THANKS TO, UH, JUSTIN PATEL AND, UH, UH, RICK PATEL FOR SUPPLYING THE WATER FOR THAT EVENT. AND I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF OUR YOUTH COUNCIL FOR COMING UP WITH THAT IDEA AND MAKING IT HAPPEN. UH, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE, WENT TO THE EASTER EGG HUNT ON SATURDAY, AND THAT SANTA EASTER EGG HUNT REALLY DOESN'T DO THAT JUSTICE. , THEY HAD A PETTING ZOO. THEY HAD BOUNCY HOUSES, THEY HAD TRAIN RIDES. I MEAN, THIS WAS A FESTIVAL AND, AND 1000 EGGS. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THESE KIDS. IT, UH, IT WAS CONGRATULATIONS TO PARKS AND REC. THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB. IT WAS THE HO LAND RUSH. YEAH, . IT WAS, IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS TERRIFIC. IT WAS GREAT, GREAT EVENT. HAD A LOT OF KIDS, UH, A LOT OF FUN. UM, MONDAY NIGHT JOSH AND I WENT, AND JENNIFER, UH, JENNIFER COMBS, WE WENT TO THE MARINE RESCUE SQUADRON MEETING. UM, THEY'RE OVER AT MILLSTONE LANDING, AND WE JUST WANTED TO HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT THEIR PLANS ARE, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE, THEY WANT US TO SIGN A LONG TERM LEASE. SO THIS WAS A FACT FINDING, UH, INFORMATION. THEY'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME. AND I, I THINK, UH, PERHAPS A PRESENTATION TO COUNSEL, YOU KNOW, BRIEF, YOU KNOW, SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE. THERE'S NOTHING DISCUSSED, NO DETAILS. JUST, UM, MAKING THEM FEEL THAT THEY ARE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO OUST THEM. UM, IN, IN, YOU KNOW, FROM THAT BUILDING TO WHICH THEY USE. IT IS A CITY OWNED BUILDING NOW. UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE, UM, ORGANIZERS OF FA FIRST T AND I WAS REALLY HUMBLED BY THE AWARD THAT I WAS GIVEN TUESDAY NIGHT. UM, AND I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL AND STAFF FOR COMING TO, UM, SUPPORT ME WHEN I GOT THAT. THAT WAS REALLY NICE. UM, AND YESTERDAY JOSH AND I WITH WENT TO THE MONTHLY, UM, MEETING WITH, UH, MAYOR MALICE AND COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIR JOHN KEMP AND THE ADMINISTRATORS. THE LUNCH THIS MONTH WAS AT, UM, HARVILLE IN LAS QUATO. AND MR. CANDY FUENTES ONCE AGAIN, OUTDID HIMSELF. AND I DON'T HAVE TO EAT FOR THREE MORE DAYS. I ATE SO MUCH AT THAT DAY. HE WONDERFUL. SO, UM, MY MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC IS, UH, IF YOU WANT THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN THE LOW COUNTRY, GO TO LAS QUEDA. RIGHT ON MU WADE HARDY BOULEVARD. AND STEVE, YOU'VE BEEN THERE. RIGHT, EXACTLY. AND HE, HE SERVES ONE HECK OF A MEAL. YEAH, I CAN, I CAN SEE YOU'VE BEEN THERE A FEW TIMES, . ANY RATE. UM, AND THAT'S THE END OF MY REPORT. UM, AND I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER TO SAY, UH, AND I ONLY WOULD ASK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN ONE THING, MR. MAYOR. SURE. ON MONDAY, YOU MIGHT MENTION OUR JOINT MEETING WITH, UH, BLUFFTON TOWN COUNCIL. EXCELLENT. [01:30:01] EXCELLENT. THAT'S, UH, GREAT MONDAY IN A WHOLE NEW INITIATIVE. UM, THE CITY OF HARDY BILL AND THE TOWN OF BLUFFTON WILL HOLD A JOINT COUNCIL MEETING AT FIVE O'CLOCK AT THE PALMETTO ELECTRIC COMMUNITY ROOM. AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO, UM, JUST TALK, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT IN COMMON. WE HAVE COMMON BORDERS. WE HAVE BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, OVER 110 SQUARE MILES OF, OF TERRITORY. I THINK WE'RE THE FOURTH AND FIFTH LARGEST GEOGRAPHICAL MUNICIPALITIES IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TON'S FACED A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACED TODAY. UH, 'CAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN THERE. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE THE START OF A REGULAR DIALOGUE. WE'VE ALWAYS ASKED THEM WHEN WE HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE TONIGHT, WHAT THEY DO. UM, AND, UH, IT'S JUST ALL ABOUT LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER. HOW CAN WE HELP EACH OTHER? HOW CAN WE FACE THE COMMON CHALLENGES, UM, AS WE GO AHEAD, UH, INTO THE FUTURE. 'CAUSE I REALLY THINK BY 2040, THE TWO MUNICIPALITIES WILL HAVE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE. SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG REGION IN ITSELF. SO, UM, THE MORE WE TALK, I THINK THE, THE SMARTER WE'LL ALL BE. SO THANK YOU MR. MESMAN FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT. OKAY. JUST PLEASE TAKE THE LIGHT RATING THAT MS. OLIVER HAS COUNSEL, UM, WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE TONIGHT. THAT'S DOWN THERE. YEAH. DO A BACKPACKING AREA. NO, IT'S, IT'S LIGHT READING. I, I JUST HAD BACK SURGERY. DOES, DO YOU HAVE A WHEELBARROW? I CAN TAKE THIS OUTTA HERE. SAME WILL CARRY IT FOR YOU? YEAH. OKAY. . ALL RIGHT. UM, A MOTION. WE HAVE [XII. ADJOURNMENT] A MOTION. WE HAVE A SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. UH, ALL IN FAVOR. SAY HI. AYE. SAY AYE. AYE. AND SAY GOODNIGHT. GOODNIGHT. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.