Sep 22, 2025 City Council Meeting

AFTERNOON WITH THE

[00:00:01]

EVERYBODY, PLEASE RISE.

BOW YOUR HEAD.

[I. INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]

LIKE ASTRONOMERS WHO STUDY THE DISGUISE FOR INSIGHTS, LET US STUDY THE LANDSCAPE OF THOUGHT TO UNCOVER THE PATHS THAT LEAD US TO INFORMED DECISIONS.

THROUGH THIS INVOCATION OF WISDOM, LET US TAP ONTO THE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE THAT RESIDES WITHIN US, COMBINING THE LESSONS OF THE PAST WITH THE FORESIGHT THAT LIGHTS OUR WAY INTO THE FUTURE.

AMEN.

AMEN.

PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS WE PAUSE AND REFLECT ON THE MANY SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR MILITARY WHO PROTECT THE BLANKET OF FREEDOM WE SLEEP UNDER EVERY NIGHT AND WHO CONTINUE TO PROTECT OUR WAY OF LIFE.

THANK YOU.

YOU MAY BE SEATED.

PI LEDGE.

ALLEGIANCE.

THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES.

OF AMERICA.

OF AMERICA.

AND TWO, THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

ALRIGHT, HER, I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.

THIS IS A CITY

[II. CALL TO ORDER]

THIS THURSDAY, 18TH, SEPTEMBER, 2025 AT 5:00 PM THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS TO APPROVE TODAY'S AGENDA.

DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL, DISAPPROVAL, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE AGENDA? MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE AGENDA.

ANY DISCUSSIONS? I'LL SECOND.

OKAY.

ALL IN FAVOR?

[III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA]

ANY OPPOSED? AND THE AGENDA IS APPROVED.

MS. NORIEGA, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? NO.

MAYOR PRO TEM.

THANK YOU.

UH,

[V. PUBLIC COMMENTS (3 MINUTE TIME LIMIT)]

[VI. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS]

THANK YOU, CHIEF WITH HIM AND COUNCIL.

HOW'S EVERYONE TONIGHT? GOOD.

FANTASTIC.

AWESOME.

IT'S, UH, ONE OF THE SPECIAL TREATS WE GET TO BRING A BUNCH OF YOUNG, NEW GUYS FOR Y'ALL TO MEET AND, UH, THAT'LL BE PART OF OUR DEPARTMENT HOPEFULLY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

SO WE WILL, WE'LL START OFF WITH CALEB WILLIAMS. I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL REMEMBER CALEB.

HE USED TO WORK

[A. INTRODUCTIONS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT]

UM, HE DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO GO PLAY IN THE BIG CITY OF CHARLOTTE FOR A COUPLE YEARS AND HAS DECIDED NOW HE WANTS TO COME BACK TO THE, TO THE COAST AND HE'S BACK JOINING US AND WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE HIM.

HE DID LEAVE ON GOOD TERMS, SO IT WASN'T LIKE HE LEFT ON BAD TERMS, SO HE DID COME BACK.

NOT ALWAYS ON THE OTHER SIDE.

ON THE OTHER SIDE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

SO WE'LL LET CALEB TALK A LITTLE BIT.

OKAY.

AGAIN, MY NAME IS KAYLA WILLIAMS. UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO WORK HERE.

UM, MY WIFE AND I, WE

[a. CALEB WILLIAMS]

I'VE GOT SEVEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ORIGINALLY FROM WISCONSIN.

AND AGAIN, I'M JUST THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

WELCOME COUNSEL HACKER.

WELCOME.

I'M NOT NO SIR.

JAGUARS.

YOU'RE GOOD.

OKAY.

YOU'RE GOOD.

.

WELCOME BACK.

THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

CHIEF.

NEXT WILL BE, UH, MR. RAY JENNINGS, WHO IS A, UH, ONE OF OUR PARAMEDICS.

UH, HE'S RIDING THE AMBULANCES.

ARE YOU, ARE YOU ON TODAY OR IS, UH, MUELLER'S ON? MUELLER'S ON TODAY.

OKAY.

SORRY.

UM, BUT HE, UH, CAME TO US FROM, UH, CHATHAM EMS AND, UH, HE'S GOING THROUGH THE, UH, FIRE SCHOOL NOW WITH OUR, UH, OUR OTHER PROBIES THAT WE HAVE.

SO WE'LL LET HIM TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY.

GOOD EVENING.

[a. RAY JENNINGS]

I GO BY TREY.

UM, COMING OVER FROM SAVANNAH WHERE I WAS AN EMS CAPTAIN FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS.

AND, UH, BEEN IN EMS FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS NOW, UH, BETWEEN MILITARY MEDICINE AND, YOU KNOW, EMT OR PARAMEDIC.

REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.

REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE CITY OF HARDY BILL DOES.

UM, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO BE PART OF THIS AGENCY.

OKAY.

WELCOME.

YOU MENTIONED MILITARY MEDICINE.

ARE YOU, WERE YOU IN THE SERVICES? YES, I WAS A, UH, ARMY MEDIC FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS.

UM, I GOT OUT IN 2017.

OKAY, WELL WELCOME.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

THANKS.

NEXT IS, UH, MR. MARK MUELLER, WHO IS ON THE AMBULANCE TODAY.

AND THEY HAD A CALL, SO YOU HAD TO LEAVE KEEP

[b. MARK MUELLER]

I THOUGHT I SAW THE AMBULANCES LEAVE, BUT ANYWAY, HE ALSO CAME FROM CHATHAM MS SO ANOTHER EMS GUY THAT IS GOT A LOT OF EXPERIENCE THAT CAME

[00:05:01]

UM, I BELIEVE THE NEXT ONE IS MR. MICHAEL PHILLIPS.

UH, THIS IS ONE OF OUR NEW GUYS, SO NOT A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.

HE IS ACTUALLY, WE DID START, UH, LAST MONDAY.

IS THAT CORRECT, SIR? YES, SIR.

LAST MONDAY WITH OUR FIRST EVER IN-HOUSE PROBATIONARY SCHOOL.

SO THEY WILL GO THROUGH FIREFIGHTER ONE, FIREFIGHTER TWO, AND ALL THE OTHER NECESSARY CLASSES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.

SO WE'RE DOING IT.

IT IS A NEW HYBRID STYLE CLASS.

I BELIEVE WE'RE THE FIRST IN THE STATE TO TRY THIS.

SO THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF COMPUTER LEARNING AND THEN THEY'RE, BUT THEY'RE STILL HERE 40 HOURS A WEEK WORKING WITH THE CREWS AND LEARNING FROM THE CREWS, THE HANDS-ON STUFF.

SO THEY WILL HAVE TESTS.

THEY, UH, TESTED MY NERVES LAST WEEK.

THEY BOTH MISSED THEIR FIRST TEST, BUT THEN THEY, THEY BOUNCED BACK ON MONDAY AND PASSED IT WITH FLYING COLORS.

AWESOME.

SO THEY DID VERY WELL ON MONDAY, SO THAT'S A GOOD THING.

THEY HAD ME A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT THEY DID WELL.

MR. PHILLIPS, GO AHEAD.

AS CHIEF CAMP

[a. MICHAEL PHILLIPS]

I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRE SERVICE AT ALL, BUT I'M GRATEFUL TO, I'M GRATEFUL TO START MY JOURNEY HERE BECAUSE I LOVE SEEING THE GUYS, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR NEW, UH, FIRE ACADEMY SYSTEM.

UM, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE EVERYBODY WORK TOGETHER AND INTO KNOWING THAT WE'RE READY FOR GOING INTO THE FIELD.

AND IT'S REALLY GREAT SEEING EVERYBODY WORK TOGETHER AND CORRESPONDING IN THAT, UM, IN THAT PATH.

AND I'M ALSO GRATEFUL TO SEE ALL OF YOU GUYS.

IT'S GREAT TO SEE, UH, WHO'S PART OF THE CITY, WHO I'M ABLE TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE, AND I'M REALLY, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THIS EXPERIENCE.

DO YOU LIVE IN THE CITY? UM, I LIVE OVER IN BLUFFTON.

I'M ONLY 50 MINUTES AWAY.

OKAY.

SO I'M VERY LOCAL.

AWESOME.

I'M ORIGINALLY FROM NEW YORK.

MM-HMM .

UM, JUST THE MIDDLE KIND OF.

WE WON'T HOLD THAT AGAIN.

.

BUT, UM, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 10 YEARS, SO WE'RE WELCOME.

YOU'RE SUFFERING ENOUGH THEN? YEAH.

JUST ABOUT CHIEF.

CAN ANY OF THESE NEW GUYS PLAY? UM, SOFTBALL? YEAH, RIGHT.

I USED TO PLAY BASEBALL IN HIGH SCHOOL.

OH, OKAY.

.

THAT WAS FINE.

HEAR THAT SAM? HE'S BRINGING RINGERS.

TRYING TO SET ME UP.

THANK YOU CHIEF.

WELCOME.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU.

HOPE YOU ENJOY.

YES.

AND THE LAST IS MR. WILLIAM KELLER.

HE TOO IS ONE OF OUR NEW PROBATIONARY FIREMEN.

[b. WILLIAM KELLER]

UH, MY NAME IS WILLIAM KELLER, AS YOU SAID.

I HAIL FROM THE NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AREA, UH, FROM SCRANTON, PA.

UH, IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN THE TV SHOW THE OFFICE, YOU KNOW WHERE SCRANTON IS AT .

UM, I AM A, AS YOU SAID, I'M A PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTER, UH, FOR THE HARVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THE HYBRID RECRUIT RECRUIT SCHOOL PROCESS HAS BEEN WONDERFUL SO FAR.

IT'S BEEN QUITE THE CHALLENGE.

UH, HOWEVER, THAT'S WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT, IS TAKING ON CHALLENGES AND OVERCOMING THEM.

AND I WILL BE VERY HONORED, UH, TO SPEND MY CAREER WORKING FOR THE CITY OF HARDY V AND ACHIEVING, UH, SELF BETTERMENT AND EXPERIENCE ALONG THAT PATH.

I LIKE THAT TRAINING SOME OF THE BEST CAREER CHIEF AFTER YOUR JOB ALREADY.

.

THANK YOU.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU, SIR.

WELCOME ALL THEM TALK TO YOU MAN.

.

WELCOME.

WELCOME.

YEAH, WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU MAYOR PRO COUNCIL.

THANK YOU.

NEXT WE HAVE INTRODUCTIONS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS.

CRE.

YES, MA'AM.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR

[B. INTRODUCTIONS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT]

UM, JUST LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE TOO HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS AND SOME, SOME NEW ADDITIONS.

UM, THESE HEROES DON'T GET TO SLEEP ON DUTY.

UM, SO ON A, I WANNA START BY INTRODUCING FIRST TO MY LEFT, YOUR RIGHT.

UM, THIS IS JACOB NORRIS.

HE'S ORIGINALLY FROM CHICAGO.

OKAY.

HE, UH, OBTAINED HIS ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND GRADUATED HERE FROM USEB WITH HIS BACHELOR'S AND, UH, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.

HE'S GOT FIVE YEARS OF PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERIENCE IN A NON-SWORN, UM, POSITION.

AND HE ACTUALLY JUST GRADUATED FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA POLICE ACADEMY, SEPTEMBER 5TH.

MM-HMM .

CONGRATULATIONS.

CONGRATULATIONS.

SO HE IS CURRENTLY IN HIS FIELD TRAINING ON PATROL AT THE MOMENT.

TO MY RIGHT, WE HAVE RUSSELL SIMMONS.

[a. RUSSELL SIMMONS]

HE STARTED HIS LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER WITH THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, UM, LATER BECOMING A CERTIFIED CLASS ONE OFFICER IN SOUTH CAROLINA WITH THE PORT ROYAL POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 23.

UM, SO HE HAD HIS, HE JUST HAD HIS FIRST CHILD, AVERY, IN JANUARY.

CONGRATULATIONS.

AND, AND HE ALSO IS, IS ON PATROL IN HIS FIELD TRAINING AS WELL.

THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB FOR US.

AND I I, I'VE GOT NO DOUBT THAT THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING THAT, SO I'LL GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SPEAK.

THANK YOU.

I THINK I HEARD

[00:10:01]

YES.

.

HELLO, MY NAME IS JACOB NORRIS, LIKE, UH, LT CREOLE WAS SAYING.

UM, THANK YOU GUYS

[a. JACOB NORRIS]

UM, I KNOW I'M NOT ORIGINALLY FROM DOWN HERE, BUT, UH, I, I LOVE THE AREA AND, UH, I LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE GREAT PEOPLE OF HARDY V AND THE VISITORS WHO DO COME AND VISIT IT.

THANK YOU.

WELCOME.

THANKS VERY MUCH.

GOOD CUB FAN.

I AM A CUBS FAN.

THERE WE GO.

YEAH.

.

YEP.

HELLO, RUSSELL SIMMONS.

UM, I GREW UP KANSAS CITY, UH, ABOUT 20 MINUTES FROM THE STADIUM, SO I'M NOT A BAND WAGONER FOR THE CHIEFS .

UH, BUT I'M VERY GRATEFUL I HAD TO BE WORKING OVER HERE.

UM, LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE COME OVER FROM PORT ROYAL AND WE'VE HAD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY.

UM, AND FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, I, THIS IS A TREMENDOUS DEPARTMENT.

LOTS OF GROWTH HAPPENING.

UM, I'M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO, UH, ASSIST AS MUCH AS I CAN IN THAT GROWTH AND MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY, EVERYBODY A PART OF IT IS SAFE AS WELL.

UM, AND AS FAR AS SOFTBALL GOES, I, I DID GO SCHOLARSHIP FOR BASEBALL.

CHIEF.

YES.

.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK, THANK YOU.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU ABOARD.

THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT.

BEFORE YOU ALL SIT DOWN, I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING.

IT'S SO NICE TO SEE Y'ALL BRINGING YOUR FAMILIES TO YOU.

YES.

WE ARE A FAMILY.

WE WANNA WELCOME ALL OF YOUR FAMILY TO THE CITY OF HARDEE MILL FAMILY.

THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OKAY, NEXT WE HAVE THE INTRODUCTION OF PROCUREMENT ANALYSIS.

THAT'S A TYPO.

UM,

[C. INTRODUCTION OF PROCUREMENT ANALYSIS-BRANDON PARKER]

SO SAYING ANALYSIS, HE'LL BE DOING A LOT OF ANALYSIS.

SO, UM, WE NEED TO BE, BUT I WANNA, I JUST, I JUST WANNA TAKE A MINUTE AND INTRODUCE, UM, BRANDON PARKER.

THIS IS LITERALLY HIS 11TH DAY WITH NINTH DAY WITH US.

AND, UM, UH, HE'S GOT ABOUT TWO DECADES OF PROCUREMENT EXPERIENCE MOST RECENTLY WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

AND HE HAS HIT THE FLOOR RUNNING.

WE'VE HAD MEETINGS.

UH, HE, HE AND THE CITY MANAGER AND I HAD A MEETING AND WE'VE ALSO MET WITH SOME OF THE OTHER KEY DEPARTMENT HEADS ABOUT SOME PROJECTS WE HAVE GOING.

AND IT'S CLEAR, I THINK WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT GUY WHERE WE CAN REALLY, UM, WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO CAN REALLY HELP US TAKE OUR PROCUREMENT AND FUNCTION TO WHERE WE NEED IT TO BE AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW.

AND I'LL LET BRANDON SAY A FEW WORDS.

THANK YOU AGAIN.

I'M BRANDON PARKER.

I'VE COME FROM THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF MARYLAND, ABOUT 35 MINUTES FROM PHILLY.

I KNOW THE MAYOR'S FROM PHILLY, SO WE WOULD'VE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION.

GO EAGLE AS YOU WOULD HAVE.

AND HAD HE BEEN HERE? YES.

YES.

AND LIKE, LIKE JOHN SAID, I, I'M, THIS IS MY 11TH DAY IN THE HARDY BILL AREA.

I MOVED DOWN ON SUNDAY BEFORE I STARTED WORK ON MONDAY.

AND OUR HOUSE WILL BE, I'M IN BLUFFTON CURRENTLY, BUT OUR HOUSE IN MARGARITAVILLE WILL BE DONE ON OCTOBER 16TH.

OKAY.

SO I I, I APPRECIATE THE CONSTRUCTION IN FRONT.

THANK THAT.

THAT'S .

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

WELCOME.

THANK.

NEXT WE HAVE THE INTRODUCTION OF ASSISTANT PUBLIC RULES DIRECTOR.

MR. YEAH, GOOD EVENING.

I'M EXCITED TO INTRODUCE KEITH.

I'M GONNA LET HIM DO MOST OF THE TALKING, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE HIM HERE.

AND, UH, SAME AS BRANDON.

HE'S BEEN HERE FOR NINE DAYS, SO OH.

BUT HE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING IS DOING A GREAT JOB SO FAR.

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

[D. INTRODUCTION OF ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR-KEITH]

UM, HELLO EVERYONE.

I'M, I'M GLAD, THANKFUL.

UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, IT'S MY LIFE.

I'VE BEEN WANTING TO GET DOWN HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND, UH, I HAVE FAMILY IN CHARLESTON AND THIS IS LIKE, I FINALLY MADE IT HERE, HERE .

I FINALLY MADE IT DOWN TO THE LOW COUNTRY.

SO I'M KEITH HOKAS.

I'M ORIGINALLY FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK.

UM, ABOUT 20 MINUTES OUTSIDE OF SYRACUSE.

I WAS DEPUTY AND SUPERINTENDENT FOR PUBLIC WORKS UP THERE FOR MANY YEARS.

AND I'VE BEEN IN, UM, EVERY ASPECT OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

UH, SPECIALIZE IN PRETTY MUCH IN JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

UM, MOST RECENTLY, THE LAST TWO YEARS GETTING DOWN TO SOUTH CAROLINA.

I'VE LIVED IN GREENVILLE AND I WAS STORMWATER SUPERVISOR THERE.

UM, OH, SO PUBLIC WORKS IS MY FORTE.

AND, UM, I'M JUST VERY THANKFUL FOR BEING HERE.

I REALLY AM.

YOUR STORM WATER EXPERIENCE IS GOING TO COME IN COMING VERY HANDY.

YES, VERY HANDY.

RIGHT.

JOHN, WHAT BROUGHT, WHAT BROUGHT YOU DOWN HERE? UM, I'M GONNA SAY THE, THE TYPICALS WEATHER, TAXES LIFE.

MY DAUGHTER'S A, UH, STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.

SHE'S GONNA BE A DOCTOR IN TWO YEARS.

SHE GRADUATED FROM

[00:15:01]

OKAY.

UM, AND HER LIFE, I BELIEVE IS GONNA BE THE SOUTH TOO.

IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS.

MY FAMILY'S BEEN DOWN HERE, BUT LIFE NEVER ALLOWED ME TO GET HERE UNTIL A LITTLE BIT LATER.

BUT I'M VERY THANKFUL.

AND THIS IS, UH, I JUST LIKE IT DOWN HERE.

I'M, I'M DONE WITH THE SNOW AND .

I'M DONE WITH THE SNOW.

, WELCOME.

THANKS.

WELCOME.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU.

YEAH.

YEAH.

I FEEL REALLY, UH, WELCOME AND, UM, EVERYTHING THAT AT OUR DEPARTMENTS.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT CARLA, KEITH AND I HAVE ALREADY DRIVEN WHITE HARDY BOULEVARD AND TALKED ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN WORK ON IMPROVING THAT CORRIDOR.

SO WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD IDEAS.

AND I SAW THE CREWS OUT THERE THIS MORNING ALREADY GETTING ON TOP OF IT, SO.

AWESOME.

YEP.

APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME REALLY GOOD STUFF COMING ABOUT.

THANK YOU.

GET THE GROUND ROCK.

YEP.

THANK YOU.

JUST WHAT, 11 DAYS IN AND ALREADY .

THAT'S RIGHT.

OKAY.

UM, NEXT WE HAVE, UH, THE RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND PRESENTATION BY MRS. STACY MCCARTHY.

AND MRS. CAROLYN CASTLE.

IT GOOD EVENING, MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL,

[E. RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND-STACY MCAFEE AND CAROLYN]

UM, I'M HONORED TO BE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT ON THIS SIDE OF THE DAY, THAT'S FOR SURE.

UM, SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE ON THIS SIDE INSTEAD OF THAT SIGN FOR THAT.

UM, STACEY IS OUR NEW CHAIR OF THE RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND, AND I'M GONNA LET HER INTRODUCE HERSELF AND TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR THE PAST YEAR, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SLIP A LITTLE REMINDER IN THERE.

IT'S THE MAYOR'S BIRTHDAY THIS WEEKEND, SO YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU STACEY.

THANK YOU, CAROLYN.

WELL, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR PRO TEM COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER AND STAFF.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH YOU THIS EVENING.

UM, MY NAME IS STACY MCAFEE AND I WON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON MY BACKGROUND, BUT I WILL TELL YOU I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE AND HONOR OF SERVING AS THE CHAIR OF THE RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND.

I'M A RES RESIDENT OF RIVERTON POINT.

MY HUSBAND TERRY AND I MOVED HERE TWO YEARS AGO, AND WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY.

SO THIS EVENING I WANTED TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE WORK OF THE RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND.

SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD FROM US LAST YEAR, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE SOME NEW INFORMATION WITH YOU AND REFRESH YOU A BIT ON THE WORK THAT WE DO AND WHY.

SO, THE RIVERTON CHARITABLE FUND, OUR MISSION IS TO REACH OUT AND ALIGN THE RESIDENTS OF RIVERTON POINT TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF JASPER COUNTY.

OUR VISION IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE LOCAL NEEDS TO ADDRESS THOSE, AND TO ALIGN TOGETHER TO SUPPORT LOCAL CHALLENGES AND MAKE STRONGER OUTCOMES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

WE FOCUS IN THREE AREAS.

THE FIRST IS REDUCING FOOD INSECURITY.

THE SECOND IS STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY SUPPORT MECHANISMS AND STRUCTURES, AND FINALLY, IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.

WE ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION BY RAISING FUNDS, ENGAGING WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS, AND CREATING POSITIVE IMPACT WITHIN JASPER COUNTY.

AND WE HAVE A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE CITY OF HARDY, OUR NEIGHBORS.

I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

SO IN 2022, UH, A NUMBER OF FORWARD THINKING RESIDENTS OF RIVERTON POINT DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO ALIGN OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS TO DO WHAT WE COULD TO SUPPORT ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS IN JASPER COUNTY.

ONE OF THOSE FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS IS CAROLYN, SOMEONE YOU KNOW WELL.

SO SINCE THAT TIME WHEN WE FORMED IN 2022, I WANNA GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.

IN 2023, WE WERE ABLE TO AWARD OUR FIRST GRANTS TO TWO NONPROFITS.

WE AWARDED $4,500 IN THE AREAS WE JUST MENTIONED.

LAST YEAR.

WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED TO DO MORE AND WE OFFERED OUR FIRST ANNUAL GALA, AND WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE JUST ABOUT $24,000.

WE AWARDED $24,000 IN GRANTS TO SIX NONPROFITS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT GALA.

AND THIS YEAR WE SAID, WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? HOW CAN WE DO MORE? SO WE HAD OUR SECOND ANNUAL GALA, AND WE RAISED EVEN MORE THIS YEAR.

AND AS A RESULT OF THAT AND SOME FUNDRAISING THAT WE HAD DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE EIGHT GRANTS TO NONPROFITS FOR OVER $42,000.

WOW.

AS IMPORTANT AS THOSE GRANTS ARE, WE THINK THAT, UH, ROLLING

[00:20:01]

SO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE OFFER OUTREACH ACTIVITIES TO OUR RESIDENTS.

SOME EXAMPLES OF THAT INCLUDE OUR QUARTERLY KEEP JASPER BEAUTIFUL PROJECTS WHERE WE'RE DOING CLEANUP ON EAST ARGENT.

UH, WE DO FOOD DONATIONS TO THE SENIOR CENTER BASED UPON THE REQUESTS THAT THEY HAVE, SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVES, FOOD DRIVES, AND RECENTLY FOOD DISTRIBUTION WITH ONE OF OUR GRANTEES FROM THIS YEAR, THE LOW COUNTRY FOOD BANK.

SO I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY PROUD TO SAY IN TWO YEARS WE'VE, UH, INCREASED OUR GRANTS BY TENFOLD AND WE'RE CERTAINLY CONTINUING TO INCREASE OUR OUTREACH.

SO WE ARE NOT SATISFIED, AS YOU PROBABLY AREN'T.

WE WANT TO DO SO MUCH MORE, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO REALLY UNDERSTANDING BETTER THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, HELPING TO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS ALONGSIDE OF YOURSELVES AND OTHER NONPROFITS.

AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AND TO SHOW THAT WE ARE NEIGHBORS IN THIS WORK.

AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE GRANT RECIPIENTS FROM THIS YEAR, I THINK YOU'LL RECOGNIZE THE QUALITY OF THE NONPROFITS THAT WE'RE PARTNERING WITH.

I THINK YOU'LL ALSO UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS WITHIN THOSE THREE KEY AREAS.

WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY, WE'RE TRYING TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY SUPPORT STRUCTURES.

AND LASTLY, WE'RE WORKING TO IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.

SO OBVIOUSLY I WON'T READ THEM TO YOU, BUT THE CHILDREN'S CANCER PARTNERS, AGAPE PROGRAMS FOR EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE.

DEEP, WELL, LOW COUNTRY AUTISM, CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION, NEW DESTINY CENTER, AND THE LOW COUNTRY FOOD BANK.

IN THE INTEREST OF BEING RESPECTFUL OF YOUR TIME, AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS ON THE AGENDA THIS EVENING, I WON'T GO THROUGH THIS LIST.

I'M LEAVING YOU WITH THE POWERPOINT THAT DETAILS THE TYPES OF GRANTS THAT WERE AWARDED.

I WOULD JUST LIKE, IF TIME ALLOWS TO HIGHLIGHT THREE IN PARTICULAR THAT I THINK GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE NATURE OF OUR WORK.

SO IN THE AREA OF EDUCATION, THE LOW COUNTRY AUTISM FOUNDATION RECEIVED A $10,000 GRANT TO SUPPORT 10 CHILDREN IN A PHYSICIAN DESIGNED PROGRAM OF ASSESSING AND TREATING, UH, YOUNG PEOPLE WITH AUTISM IN THE AREA OF FOOD INSECURITY.

THE LOW COUNTRY FOOD BANK RECEIVED AN $8,000 GRANT TO DELIVER 30,000 POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO 120 JASPER COUNTY FAMILIES.

AND LASTLY, IN THE AREA OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT, THE CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION, UM, WE FUNDED OVER $6,000 TO SUPPORT AN AMAZING PROGRAM OF PARENT EDUCATION AND CRIBS FOR 50 BABIES TO SUPPORT SIDS THAT'S AWESOME.

WITHIN OUR COUNTY.

SO FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND YOUR SERVICE TO MY HOME.

AND WE WOULD ALSO JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH YOU TO CONTINUE TO GREAT, DO GREAT WORK, AND TO MAKE THIS COUNTY AN AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE FOR ALL RESIDENTS.

MM-HMM .

THANK YOU.

AND I'M HAPPY TO OFF TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.

COUNCIL, UM, HOW DO YOU JURY THE PROJECTS THAT THAT THAT YOU SUPPORT? I MEAN, IS THERE, DO YOU HAVE AN INTERNAL COMMITTEE THAT, UH, DO YOU ASK THE COMMUNITY TO, TO, UH, FOR THESE OR DO YOU CHOOSE THEM ON YOUR OWN OR? SO WE WORK UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE LOW COUNTRY, AND THEY HELP FACILITATE OUR GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS.

THEY ALSO HELP US TO VET THE APPLICATIONS THAT COME IN.

AND ONCE WE HAVE RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM, WE HAVE AN INTERNAL COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD THAT USES A VERY WELL DEVELOPED RUBRIC TO ASSESS, UH, AND TO RECOMMEND TO THE FULL BOARD THE GRANTS THAT WE MIGHT GIVE OUT.

AND TO BE HONEST, WE WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE GIVEN OUT MORE.

THERE WERE A, A LOT OF AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WOULD'VE LOVED TO FUND IT AS ALONG WITH THESE,

[00:25:01]

SO I'M PROUD OF YOU AND BE VERY PROUD OF EACH OTHER FOR BEING ABLE TO DO THIS.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, THANK YOU.

AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE HAVE AN AMAZING BOARD OF DEDICATED PEOPLE, BUT I WOULD SAY WE HAVE A CARING COMMUNITY AND WE HOPE TO CONTINUE ALONGSIDE YOU TO DO GOOD WORK HERE.

AND UM, AND, AND I THINK OUR GOAL ALSO IS THAT YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND YOU CARRY THE CHARITABLE FUND NAME FORWARD SO THAT IF, IF THERE ARE NEEDS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SHOULD BE APPLYING FOR GRANTS, THAT THERE'RE AWARE OF OUR PROCESS, WHICH IS AN ANNUAL PROCESS.

SO THE ONES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN GRANTS HERE, ARE THEY ALLOWED TO APPLY THE FOLLOWING YEAR? UM, YES AS WELL.

OH, WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE A REQUEST FOR AN ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT THAT'S RECEIVED AT THE END OF THE GRANT YEAR.

AND BASED UPON THAT THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY, UH, WELCOMED TO APPLY AGAIN.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU.

SURE.

THAT'S AWESOME.

I THINK, UM, THE GROWTH OF TO GET TO $42,000 IN YOUR, WHERE YOU STARTED, UH, IS IMPRESSIVE.

AND ALSO THE VARIETY OF THE GRANTS THAT YOU GIVE IS, UM, SPREADS A LOT OF GOOD TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES.

SO, AND IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK AND YOU HAVE SOME VERY DEDICATED PEOPLE AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU'VE RAISED IS VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE.

AND, UH, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD WORK.

THANK YOU.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

NEXT WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2025,

[VII. PRESENTATION & APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2025? THANK YOU.

MOTION.

WE APPROVE THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 4TH.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSIONS BEING NO DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR? A AYE.

ANYONE OPPOSED? MOVING ON TO ALL BUSINESS.

UH, THIS IS

[VIII. OLD BUSINESS]

[A. SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE]

MR. GRU, TAKE IT AWAY.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

UM, THIS ITEM IS BEFORE UNITE ON SECOND READING.

AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES SINCE THIS WAS DISCUSSED.

FIRST READING, AND JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, UM, WHAT THIS ORDINANCE IS DOING IS CHANGING A LANGUAGE THAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE TOWN'S CODE REGARDING HOW WE APPROACH AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.

AND ALL THAT WE'RE DOING IS UPDATING THAT LANGUAGE.

UH, I THINK THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN THE CODE NOW WAS LAST DRAFTED IN 1983.

UM, AND SO IT DOESN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THINGS LIKE CELL PHONES AND THE ABILITY TO MEET VIRTUALLY.

AND SO THIS LANGUAGE IS ESSENTIALLY JUST BEING UPDATED TO REFLECT WHAT OUR CURRENT PRACTICES WOULD BE IN RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY SITUATION.

THANK YOU.

DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? ANY COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL? NO,

[PUBLIC HEARING]

NO, SIR.

I THINK WITH SAFETY BEING SO KEY, THAT'S A GOOD ADJUSTMENT AND IT CREATES SOME QUICKNESS, WHICH I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT AND ALSO BRINGS US UP TO DATE SINCE WE HAVE ALL THE TECHNOLOGY ON JUST MODERNIZES EVERYTH.

OKAY.

SO SINCE THERE'S, WE'VE DONE THE DISCUSSION, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE DISAPPROVAL OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE 2 0 2 5 DASH ZERO NINE DASH ZERO FOUR A? MR. MME. MAY APPROVE.

TIM, UH, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE ON SECOND READING ORDINANCE 2025 DASH OH NINE DASH OH FOUR EIGHT.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE.

THE MOTION PASSES.

WE HAVE A SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE, THE MCDO SECTION 7.2

[B. SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL]

[00:30:01]

ORDINANCE NUMBER 2 0 2 5 DASH ZERO NINE DASH ZERO FOUR B.

MR. GRU? YES, MA'AM.

UM, AS YOU INDICATED, THIS IS SECOND READING.

THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES SINCE WE HAD FIRST READING AT OUR LAST MEETING.

AND FOR THE PUBLIC'S BENEFIT, WHAT THIS ORDINANCE DOES IS IT UPDATES THE LANGUAGE IN OUR MUNICIPAL ZONING CODE THAT BASICALLY TALKS ABOUT HOW WE WILL TRY TO NOTIFY, IMPACTED, AFFECTED, OR ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS ANYTIME THAT THERE'S PROPOSED NEW DEVELOPMENT OR NEW ACTIONS THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME THROUGH OR FORMAL APPROVAL PROCESS.

UM, WE TALKED, UH, FAIRLY LENGTHY LAST TIME ABOUT WHAT THOSE NOTIFICATION STANDARDS WOULD BE CHANGED TO, BUT I THINK I CAN SUMMARIZE THAT TO BY SAYING THAT IF THE COUNCIL MOVES FORWARD WITH ADOPTING THIS TONIGHT, THE CITY OF HARVILLE WILL HAVE SOME OF THE STRONGEST, IF NOT THE STRONGEST NOTIFICATION STANDARDS IN OUR AREA.

MM-HMM .

ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? JUDGE, GO AHEAD, JUDGE.

I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, UH,

[PUBLIC HEARING]

SO COLLECTIVELY IT'S GONNA BE A, A REAL IMPACT FOR PEOPLE THAT NEED TO KNOW.

SO THANK YOU JOSHUA.

THAT YES, SIR.

AND, AND I'LL SAY IT FOR Y'ALL AND AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC, IF THERE IS A BETTER WAY FOR US TO GET NOTIFICATION TO PEOPLE, WE ARE WILLING TO DO IT, UM, THAT IS WHERE WE APPROACH IT FROM.

SO WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED IS AT THIS POINT, WHAT WE THINK IS THE BEST WAY FOR US TO GO ABOUT MAKING THOSE NOTIFICATIONS.

YEAH.

MOVING AWAY FROM THE PAUL REVERE STANDARD.

.

YES, SIR.

I, I'D LIKE TO THANK STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT INTO THIS.

UM, I THINK VALERIE MEMBERS, OUR FIRST THING THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH WAS, UH, FARM ON MAIN, AND THAT'S BACK WHEN WE WERE USING WHAT, EIGHT BY 10 CARDBOARD ON POSTS AROUND PROPERTY.

WE REALIZED THAT THAT WASN'T, UH, THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND YOU HAVE ALL BEEN THE BIGGEST PART OF IT.

YOU'VE DONE THE RESEARCH AND YOU'VE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING, AND I THINK YOU'VE PULLED OUT THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST FOR US TO, TO, TO BE.

I THINK WE ARE GOING TO BE THE MODEL THAT THE OTHER CITIES TO START LOOKING AT FOR THE NOTIFICATION, UH, OF WHAT WE HAVE.

OUR QUICK GROWTH IS DEMANDED IT.

AND YOU ALL STEPPED UP AND YOU PROVIDED US WITH IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND I SECOND THAT MR. CARROLL.

I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, JOSH AND I DEALT WITH SOME ISSUES WITH THAT LAST TIME, BUT, UM, I DON'T KNOW ANY OTHER WAY THAN WE COULD HAVE DONE IT BEFORE, BESIDES PUTTING THOSE SIGN CARDBOARD SIGNS UP AND, AND, UM, CERTIFIED MAILS ONLY WAY, TWO WAYS.

I KNOW MM-HMM .

BECAUSE NOW I GUESS WE CAN, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE EMAIL OR WHATEVER AND, BUT ANYWAY, DEFINITELY WE NEED SOME IMPROVEMENT.

BUT ANYWAY, THERE WAS A LOT OF RESEARCH DONE INTO THAT.

THAT WAS BRAD AND KATIE.

SO THANK YOU.

SAVED US A LOT OF GRIEF .

JOSH, I I WAS JUST CURIOUS AND I, I DON'T SAY THIS, UH, FOR ANY OTHER REASON, BUT DO WE HAVE A WAY OF LOOKING AT BEST PRACTICES FROM OTHER PLACES AND OTHER REGIONS THAT DO THIS? AND I'M, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE DO, BUT I I WOULD SUSPECT WE'D DO SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES IN OUR RESEARCH OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.

YES, SIR.

SO ACTUALLY, WHEN THIS ISSUE WAS FIRST BROUGHT UP, AND IT CAME TO US BY A COUPLE MEMBERS OF OUR PLANNING COMMISSION WHO SAID, HEY, WE THINK THAT THERE COULD BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS, AND WE'RE GONNA CHALLENGE YOU TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

SO I TALKED WITH STAFF AND I ASKED 'EM TO SURVEY NOT ONLY THOSE AREAS THAT ARE KIND OF IN GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY TO US, TO OUR NEIGHBORS, TO THE NORTH, NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH, UM, BUT WE ALSO LOOKED AT OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO US, SO SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE FAST GROWING AND NATURE AND OTHERWISE.

AND SO WHAT THEY BROUGHT BACK WAS AN IDENTIFICATION AND A MATRIX THAT SHOWED WHAT THOSE OTHER COMMUNITIES DID, AND THEN WE SELECTED WHAT WE THOUGHT WERE THE BEST STANDARDS BETWEEN ALL OF THEM AND PUT THEM TOGETHER IN ONE DOCUMENT.

VERY GOOD.

OKAY.

DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE DISAPP APPROVE OR MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE 2 0 25 DASH NINE DASH FOUR B? MAKE A MOTION.

WE APPROVE 2025 DASH NINE DASH FOUR B.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE.

ANYONE OPPOSED? MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS.

WE

[IX. NEW BUSINESS]

[00:35:01]

I HOPE I DIDN'T MURDER THAT.

TO PROVIDE CONSULTING SERVICES TO, TO UPDATE THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER

[A. RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA]

MR. GRU.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

SO TO TEE THIS ITEM UP, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO IMPLEMENT ZONING REGULATIONS ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

AND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS REALLY A DOCUMENT THAT HELPS SET FORTH WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE AS A COMMUNITY 20 YEARS FROM NOW.

IT IS YOUR LONG RANGE PLANNING DOCUMENT THAT STATE LAW ALSO REQUIRES THAT THAT PLAN BE UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS.

AND SO, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, FIVE YEARS FOR US IS DEFINITELY A LONG TIME BECAUSE WE ARE A MUCH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY TODAY THAN WHAT WE WERE FIVE YEARS AGO.

AND SO THIS IS A VERY TIMELY EXERCISE FOR US, NOT ONLY TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW, BUT TO ALSO JUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF THE CHANGING DYNAMICS THAT ARE GOING ON FOR US RIGHT NOW.

SO I KNOW THAT SAF HAS DONE AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH IN TERMS OF CASTING A VERY WIDE NET FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FIRMS. UM, THEY NARROWED THEIR SELECTIONS DOWN TO THREE FINALISTS.

THEY INTERVIEWED ALL THREE FINALISTS.

I CAN TELL YOU I GOT REPORTS AFTER EVERY INTERVIEW AND EVERY INTERVIEW WAS, THAT FIRM WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE.

AND THAT FIRM WAS EVEN BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE, .

AND SO BY THE TIME THEY CAME IN WITH THE FIRM THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT, THEY WERE JUST TERRIBLY EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH THIS GROUP.

AND SO I'VE ASKED THEM TO PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION TONIGHT TO HELP CONVEY TO YOU WHY THEY'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT PARTNERING WITH THIS ORGANIZATION.

OKAY.

TAKE IT AWAY, MS. BRAA.

THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL.

UM, AND YES, KATIE AND I ARE ABOUT AS EXCITED AS I THINK WE'VE EVER BEEN.

WE'VE GOT OUR FULL PLANNER GEEK, UM, HATS GOING ON RIGHT NOW AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

UM, AND ALSO, UM, THROUGH TEAMS IS THE CONSULTANTS.

THE CONSULTANTS ARE JOINING US THIS EVENING.

SO THEY ARE, THEY'RE WITH US AND I WILL INTRODUCE THEM AS WE GO THROUGH JUST SO THEY CAN HEAR.

AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN TRY TO GET THROUGH TO THEM.

UM, SO THIS IS OUR SELECTION PROCESS.

THE RFP WENT OUT IN JUNE, UM, CLOSED.

WE HAD IT OUT FOR 30 DAYS AND IT CLOSED IN JULY 11 RESPONSES.

I WILL HAVE TO TELL YOU FOR OUR LAST UPDATE, WE HAD ONE ONE RESPONSE.

UM, AND SO, UM, OUT OF THOSE REALLY NINE WERE, WERE VIABLE OPTIONS.

AND, UM, WE HAD A FIVE MEMBER SELECTION COMMITTEE OF, OF STAFF MEMBERS AND OUR PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR.

AND, UM, SO WE SCORED AND CAME UP WITH THE CLEAR TOP THREE AND INTERVIEWED THEM.

UM, I'LL HAVE THE, I THINK I INCLUDED THE SCORING MATRIX IN YOUR, UM, PACKETS.

UM, HOW, SO HAS HOUSEHOLD LEVINE WAS THE TOP SCORE RECEIVER FROM ALL MEMBERS OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE? UM, THE FIRM'S RELEVANT EXPERIENCE, SIZE, CAPACITY OF THE FIRM AND INTERVIEW SCORES SET THEM APART FROM, FROM THE OTHERS.

UM, ONE THING WE, WE SAW THAT THEY PUT THEIR CORE PRINCIPLES IN THE, UM, PROPOSAL.

THEY ALSO HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH ESRI, WHICH IS THE GIS FIRM THAT WE ARE NOW MOVING INTO AND HAVE, UM, MOVING INTO WORKING MORE WITH.

UM, THIS PROPOSAL INCORPORATES A LOT OF VISUALS, GRAPHICS, SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, UM, AND TRUE MAPPING TO SHOW NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, NEW ILLUSTRATIONS, UM, AND A LOT OF VISION AND CREATIVITY THAT WE THOUGHT WAS, WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US.

THEY'RE OUT OF CHICAGO, KNOW THIS A LONG WAY AWAY, BUT THEY DONE A LOT OF WORK IN SOUTH CAROLINA RECENTLY AND WANT TO INCREASE THAT.

UM, WE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A OVERALL, A GOOD FIT FOR HARDY AS WE'RE GROWING FASTER AND TO BRING SOME NEW LIFE AND NEW IDEAS INTO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

WE WANT IT TO BE, UM, MORE USER FRIENDLY.

LIKE I MENTIONED THE GRAPHICS.

WE WANT IT TO BE SOMETHING YOU CAN GO IN AND NOT JUST HAVE TO READ PARAGRAPHS ABOUT WHAT USED TO BE IN HARDY.

WE WANT TO SHOW WHERE WE WANT TO GO.

UM, REVISED BUDGET, THEY DID, UM, COME IN HIGHER, THEY DID REDUCE IT AFTER A DISCUSSION.

UM, AND THE NOT TO EXCEED NUMBER IS 1 49 5 20.

SO WE WERE PLEASED WITH THAT AND, UM, WE DID HAVE THE MONEY IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET AND WE'RE ABLE TO TO ACCOMPLISH THAT.

SO, UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE

[00:40:01]

IT'S A 12 YEAR, 12 YEAR, 12 MONTH PROCESS TOO.

THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA .

YEAH.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE FOR COUNCIL.

WHEN DO YOU GET STARTED? UM, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

UM, WE WERE HOPING TO HAVE, UH, EVERYTHING, UM, ACCOMPLISHED BY THE FESTIVAL, BUT IT'S, IT'S GETTING A LITTLE TIME CRUNCH.

YEAH.

BUT, UM, WE ARE GONNA BE DOING A BIG ENGAGEMENT, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT KICKOFF.

THEY'RE GONNA COME SPEND SOME TIME IN THE CITY AS WELL AS DO A VISIONING SESSION.

SO IT'S GONNA BE A, UM, A REALLY BIG KICKOFF AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO WRAPPING ALL THAT IN TOGETHER AND HAVING AS MUCH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VIRTUALLY IN, IN-PERSON EVENTS, REALLY HANDS-ON WITH THE CITIZENS OF HARDY.

ANYONE ELSE? YOU SAID YOU HAD THIS IN YOUR BUDGET.

DID YOU PARTICULARLY HAVE THIS BECAUSE YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING UP? WE, WE DID, YES, SIR.

TO THAT POINT, WE HAD BUDGETED $125,000 AS A PLACEHOLDER THINKING THAT IT WAS GONNA BE SOMEWHERE IN THAT BALLPARK.

AND THEN WHEN WE LOOKED AT, UH, WHAT THE ACTUAL COST WAS GONNA BE, WE SAT DOWN, TALKED WITH BRANDON, TALKED WITH OUR, UH, FINANCE DIRECTOR.

ULTIMATELY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS A VACANCY AT THIS POINT IN TIME AND HAS HAD FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS.

AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO TRANSFER SOME FUNDS FROM PERSONNEL TO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.

SO IT IS STILL WITHIN THE ADOPTED BUDGET OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.

A HUNDRED FORTY FIVE NINE FOR SOMETHING THAT WORKS IS A LOT BETTER THAN 125 FOR SOMETHING THAT MIGHT WORK.

YEP, YEP.

UM, HOW EXPERIENCED ARE THESE FOLKS WITH OUR AREA? UM, THEY'VE DONE SOMERVILLE.

THEY'VE DONE CLEMSON, THE CITY OF CLEMSON, THEY'VE DONE ANDERSON, UM, AND THEY'VE DONE KERSHAW COUNTY, WHICH IS A MUCH RURAL, MORE RURAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

SO THEY, THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO OPEN UP THEIR, UM, EXPERIENCES IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

UM, I, WE, WE REALLY FELT FROM THE INTERVIEW MM-HMM .

AND FROM DISCUSSIONS THAT THEY, THEY LOOKED FOR US.

THEY, THEY HAD HEARD OF HARDY VILLAIN AND THEY, THEY REALLY WANTED TO REACH OUT AND, AND GET IN OUR AREA AND WE THOUGHT THAT WAS GOOD.

WE ALSO, KATIE AND I SAID EACH OTHER WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, WE WON WORK TOWARDS AN AWARD-WINNING PLAN.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SAID IN THEIR INTERVIEW TOO.

WE WANT, WE WON AN AWARD-WINNING PLAN IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

SO, UM, WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD MATCH.

YEAH.

AND I'M NOT SO CERTAIN ABOUT THE LAST ONE WITH KERSHAW COUNTY, BUT THE FIRST THREE THAT YOU MENTIONED ARE ALL THREE VERY FAST GROWING OR HAVE BEEN FAST GROWING COMMUNITIES AT SOME TIME IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT PAST.