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Town Council - May 4, 2009 |
Minutes McClellanville Town Council May 4, 2009 – 7:00 PM McClellanville Town Council held a regular meeting on the above-noted date. Notice of the meeting had been published in the Town newsletter and the Charleston Post and Courier. Mayor Rutledge Leland presided at the meeting; Town Council Members present included Aaron Baldwin, Bob Gannon, and Gussie Humes. Councilman Jim Scott was absent. Others present included Clerk Mary Duke and guests Bud Hill, Bernadette Humphrey, Ed Farnworth, and Steve Wright from SCE&G. Mayor Leland first asked Council to review the minutes from the April 6th meeting. After review, Councilman Humes made a motion to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Councilman Gannon and carried by unanimous vote. The Mayor next recognized McClellanville Arts Council Director Bernadette Humphrey, who had asked to be added to the agenda to present a request to Council. Bernadette said that the Arts Council would like to remove one of the two propane tanks located near the annex building on Pinckney Street that they lease from the Town. The Mayor and Council Members indicated no objection, and approved the request by unanimous consent. Council next considered a report on the results of a recent survey of residents’ satisfaction with the trash collection service in Town. Of the 16 responses submitted by residents, 9 rated the service as “excellent,” 4 rated it “good,” and 3 responses indicated that the service “needs improvement.” Comments included the need for lids to be replaced on trash cans, the need for pick up of recyclables, and the need to educate short-term renters of the requirements for trash collection. Council noted that the survey results showed satisfaction with the trash collection service on the part of most residents. They agreed by unanimous consent to extend the trash collection contract with the current contractor for another year, as allowed under the existing contract. Bernadette Humphrey said that the contractor should be reminded to empty the cans in the public areas more frequently, as they often became overfilled. The Mayor then opened a public hearing on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009/2010. Town Clerk/Administrator Mary Duke told Council that she had made some changes to the proposed budget since the first reading at the April 6th meeting, due to receiving a figure from Charleston County of $194,000 for the fire protection contract next year. She said that the first revised budget that she emailed to Council showed an amount of only $2251.52 transferred from the Boat Landing Fund to offset boat landing administrative expenses and balance the budget. She said that Councilman Bob Gannon had contacted her, however, to suggest that the $7500 amount approved in previous years for transfer from the Boat Landing Fund should be retained in the budget, and the extra funds used for needed improvements or projects. Mary said that the latest revision showed the $7500 transfer from the Boat Landing Fund. Added expenses included $3000 added to the public works budget for drainage improvements and $5034 added to the budget for green space acquisition. Mary said that the $5034 could be used as part of the Town’s match for the County Greenbelt Fund-approved acquisition of property on Cassena Street or other properties that might be approved for future acquisition. Council indicated their approval of the final revision for the budget that the Administrator had submitted. Councilman Bob Gannon then made a motion to approve the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2009/2010. The motion was seconded by Councilman Gussie Humes. The Mayor asked for any discussion or comments. He noted that the Town’s tax millage would remain at 38.5 mils. No further discussion being offered, the Mayor called for the vote on the motion. The motion was carried unanimously by the Members of Council present and voting. The new budget will be effective as of July 1, 2009. Council then reviewed the Action Plan Status Report and 2009 Action Plan for hazard mitigation in McClellanville. Mary said that the plans were required as part of the Town’s participation in Community Rating Systems as well as the Charleston Regional Hazard Mitigation Committee and Plan. She said the plans listed actions that the Town takes in order to mitigate the effects of natural and manmade disasters, along with efforts to educate residents to the risks of these hazards and actions they can take to be prepared and reduce the possibility of loss. Councilman Gannon made a motion, seconded by Councilman Humes, to approve the Action Plan and Action Plan Status Report as submitted. The motion was carried unanimously. Council next considered the letter from resident Ben Graham in which he presented his concerns regarding the danger of wildfire in the Silver Hill/Skippers Point area. Mayor Leland suggested that the Town might coordinate with the US Forest Service and request information on their plan for managing wildfire risk in the area. Bud Hill pointed out that much of the forested land surrounding Silver Hill and Skippers Point had recently been purchased by the Nature Conservancy and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission. Council suggested contacting the owners of the property and advising them of the concerns raised by our citizens. Council said that we should inform the Conservancy, Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Forest Service that the Town would support controlled burns, firebreaks, or whatever wildfire prevention measures they deemed appropriate for the area. Bernadette Humphrey suggested that information be included in the Town newsletter informing residents of the requirement to obtain permits from the fire department before conducting any open burning. Council discussed the possibility of contacting the Fire Department to request their assistance with some public education on outdoor burning safety. Council also pointed out that a Fire Department survey of lots in town to determine any fire safety problems would be helpful. Councilman Gannon suggested that any correspondence to the Forest Service, County Parks and Recreation, etc., should be copied to the Fire Department. Council then considered the letter from Brien Limehouse with the County Transportation Committee, seeking requests for projects to be funded through the CTC’s “C” Fund program. Mayor Leland asked Mary what projects had been requested in the previous year, and Mary said that the three requests included the drafting of a streetscape plan for Pinckney Street, improvements to drainage problems on McClellan Avenue, and creation of a turn lane from Highway 17 at the southern entrance into Town. Council noted that drafting of the streetscape plan was underway. They agreed that there were difficulties in accomplishing drainage improvements on McClellan Avenue, as it was unclear that all of the property owners along McClellan supported this effort. Bob Gannon said that the Town might suggest funding for the proposed boardwalk to connect the newly-acquired green space on Pinckney St. with Kit Hall and Old Cemetery Roads. Mary said that this suggestion had been submitted for ½ cent sales tax funding, but that it could also be included with this request for “C” funds. She said that she might suggest a request for funding of drainage improvements on Oak Street near the waterfront, where problems with sinkholes in the roadway and on adjacent property are becoming persistent. Councilman Aaron Baldwin asked whether Council might study the areas of concern and postpone a decision on which projects to request until the June meeting. Mary confirmed that Council would have time for such consideration before the June 26th deadline for submitting projects. Council agreed to look for suitable projects and make their suggestions at the June 1st Council Meeting. Mayor Leland asked whether any of the Greenbelt funding for the Pinckney Street property had been reserved for clearing the underbrush there. Mary said that she thought some funds may have been reserved for that use, and that she would check with Zoning Administrator Kathryn Basha on the particulars. Mayor Leland said that he would like to see the clearing done to beautify the property as soon as possible. Council then considered the request from the Tree Committee to appoint three new members: Eddie Stroman, Billy McClellan, and Tom Kephart. Council asked whether there was a maximum as to the number of members who could serve on the Tree Committee. Mary said that the Ordinance stated that the Committee must have a minimum of five members, but that no maximum was required. With no objection, Council then agreed by unanimous consent to appoint Mr. Stroman, Mr. McClellan, and Mr. Kephart to the Tree Committee. Council next noted the application from Morgan Baird to fill a vacant seat on the Architectural Review Board/Design Review Board. Mary said that his had been the only response to the recent advertisement for applications. She added that Mr. Baird had a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation and seemed well-qualified for the position. With no objection, Council agreed by unanimous consent to appoint Mr. Baird as a member of the Architectural/Design Review Board. Councilman Bob Gannon told Council that he had attended recent meetings of the School Transition Committee and had heard from the principals at both St. James Santee Elementary and Lincoln High Schools. He said that, as yet, there was little action by the Committee to report. He said that discussion at the meetings indicated that the McClellanville schools have been losing students to other schools in recent years. He said that the Committee would like to see an effort made to improve the local schools and keep students in town. He added that there seems to be anticipation that Lincoln High School may be closed in the near future, and that St. James Santee may serve grades K – 12 or the Middle School might be reused as a high school facility. Council discussed the likelihood of a new high school being located in the Awendaw area, as Wando High in Mt. Pleasant is already experiencing overcrowding. There being no further business, a motion was then made, seconded, and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at 7:46 PM. Mary S. Duke |