Latest / Saluda County Unplugged / July 13, 2026 County Council Recap
Transcript
- Josh Morton: The meeting is over. The Capital Project sales tax is headed to the voters. Flight training is coming to the county airport. Hangar rent may be going up. The coroner's office can begin shopping for a replacement vehicle. And the building permit fee schedule? That one is going back to the drawing board. Let's recap the July 13th, Saluda County Council meeting. All this week on Saluda County Unplugged. Welcome back to Saluda County Unplugged, where we shine a light on Saluda County government. I'm Rachel. And I'm Josh. This week we're looking back at the County Council meeting held Monday, July 13th. It was a relatively short meeting, but council took action on several items that will affect the county in the months ahead. The biggest decision involved the Capital Project Sales Tax. Council completed the ordinance process needed to place the proposed reimposition of that tax before voters in November. There was also quite a bit of airport business, including final approval of a lease with Aiken pilot training, the first vote on higher tea hangar rental rates, and the selection of an engineering and planning consultant. Council also honored the retirement of a longtime magistrate judge. Postponed a proposed building permit fee schedule, transferred money to cover an emergency air conditioning replacement, and approved a search for a replacement vehicle for the coroner's office. We'll walk through what happened, what council approved, and what still has more steps ahead. But first, we want to begin with the Capital Project Sales Tax community meetings that will be held around the county over the next several weeks. As we mentioned last week. Saluda County will hold seven community information meetings about the proposed capital project sales tax referendum. These meetings are informational only. No votes will take place and no official action will be taken. The purpose is to explain how the Capitol Project Sales Tax works, review the proposed projects, show residents how the referendum will appear on the ballot, and give people an opportunity to ask questions before election day. All seven meetings begin at six PM. The schedule is Monday august seventeenth at Old Town Fire Department, Tuesday, august eighteenth at Trinity Community Center, Tuesday, august twenty fifth at Circle Fire Department, Monday, august thirty first at Hollywood Fire Department, Tuesday, september first at Sardis Community Center. Tuesday, September 8th at Ridge Spring Fire Department, and Monday, September 21st in the Saluda County Council Chambers. The September 21st meeting will also be live streamed. You only need to attend the meeting that is most convenient for you. Each one will cover the same general information and provide an opportunity for questions. We'll continue sharing these dates through September twenty first because we want residents to have plenty of opportunities to learn about the referendum before voting in November. Now, let's turn to what happened in Monday night's council meeting. The meeting began with a little improvisation behind the scenes. A power outage shortly before the meeting disrupted the county's normal live stream equipment. Chairman Jim Moore announced that the meeting would instead be live streamed from my cell phone, so if you watched the meeting online, you may have noticed it looked a little different. It may not have been our usual setup, but we wanted to make sure the meeting was still available to viewers online. During council member comments, members recognized Saluda County's recreation teams and the time and work those young athletes have put into their seasons. Council members also thanked County employees and highlighted the work of the Saluda County Library and the Coroner's Office. Chairman Moore then announced the CPST community meetings that we just reviewed. No one signed up for the general public comment period, so council moved directly into the three scheduled public hearings. The first public hearing was on ordinance 126, which would amend and restate the Saluda County comprehensive plan. As we explained in previous episodes, the comprehensive plan is the county's long range planning document. It examines subjects such as land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, natural resources, and community facilities. It is not the same thing as a zoning ordinance and it does not immediately change how individual properties may be used. Instead, it provides a framework for future decisions. Nicole Robinson spoke during the public hearing on behalf of the Manufactured Housing Institute of South Carolina. Robinson thanked the county for the work that went into the plan and said the draft recognizes the need for housing variety, affordability, infrastructure planning and responsible growth while still respecting Saluda County's rural character. She asked the county to add one clarification by specifically recognizing modern HUD code manufactured homes as part of its housing strategy. Robinson said that nearly one in five South Carolina families live in a manufactured home. She also said modern manufactured housing can provide safe, high-quality home ownership at a lower cost than comparable site-built construction. Her request was that manufactured homes be considered alongside other housing types as the county makes future decisions about zoning, land use, design standards, infrastructure, and development. We should also note that this portion of the meeting was a public hearing only and council did not vote on the comprehensive plan during this meeting. The second public hearing was on Ordinance 5-26, the Capital Project Sales Tax Ordinance. No one signed up to speak during that hearing. Later, under Old Business, Council did consider third and final reading of the ordinance. The calls for a countywide referendum on whether to reimpose the 1 % Capital Project Sales Tax. It establishes the projects that would be funded, the order in which those projects would receive funding. the maximum amount of money to be raised and the wording that would appear on the November ballot. It also allows the county to issue bonds supported by the sales tax revenue with the total amount of those bonds capped at 18 million dollars. And here's the most important distinction. Council's vote did not reimpose the tax. Council approved the ordinance that sends the question to the voters. The voters of Saluda County will make the final decision in November. Council approved third reading without opposition. That completes the ordinance process at the council level and allows the referendum to move forward. Between now and election day, the county will use the seven community meetings to provide factual information about the proposal and answer any questions that the residents may have. The third public hearing involved ordinance 6-26, which authorizes Saluda County to enter into a lease agreement with Aiken Pilot Training. No one signed up to speak during the hearing. Council then considered third and final reading of this ordinance under Old Business. Airport manager Jill Warren explained that the agreement will bring a flight training school to the Saluda County Airport. The instructor already has a student who lives in Saluda County and is ready to begin training now that the agreement has been approved. Jill said that other residents have asked about flight instruction over the years, but the airport previously had to refer them elsewhere. Under the agreement, the flight school will lease a T-hanger and pay an additional amount for access to space in the airport building, including the conference room and restrooms. This gives local residents an option for flight training without having to travel to another airport and it adds another aviation related service at the county facility. Council approved third reading without opposition completing the ordinance process for the lease. Council also gave first reading to another airport related ordinance. Ordinance 7-26 would update the county's tea hanger lease agreement and increase monthly hanger rents by $20. Jill Warren said that the Saluda County Airport Commission recommended this increase during its April meeting. She also explained that the lease agreement needs several wording changes to clarify its terms. Council approved first reading without opposition. Because this was the first reading, the rent increase is not yet through the full ordinance process. It will return to council for additional readings before receiving final approval. The airport came up once more under new business when council considered an award for engineering and planning services. Jill Warren, who did not sit down very much during the entire meeting as she was one of the few people that spoke, explained that the Federal Aviation Administration requires the county to request qualifications for these services every five years. This gives the airport an opportunity to review potential firms and determine which one is best qualified to assist with future planning and federally funded projects. The county has used Holt Consulting and Engineering during the previous five-year period. Jill said that Holt is already overseeing projects that remain underway and the Airport Commission recommended continuing with the firm after reviewing the qualifications that were submitted. She also noted that an engineering consultant is required when the airport accepts certain federal aviation administration grants. Council approved the award to Holt Consulting and Engineering without opposition. The Council then paused its regular business to recognize the retirement of Magistrate Judge Joyce B. Schultz. The Council ratified a resolution honoring Judge Schultz for more than 54 years of service to Saluda County. Judge Schultz served with the Saluda County Sheriff's Office from 1971 until 1992. She was appointed as a magistrate in September of 1992 and continued serving the county until her retirement on June 2026. The resolution recognized Judge Schultz for her patience, dedication, thoughtfulness, cooperation, and outstanding service to the public. approved the resolution, Chairman Moore invited her forward and presented her with a gift of appreciation. More than five decades of public service is a remarkable career and we congratulate Judge Schultz on her retirement. Next, Council was scheduled to consider adopting a new building permit fee schedule, but when the item came up, Chairman Moore said he had questions about some of the proposed fees and wanted the appropriate staff member present to answer them. There was also a discussion about whether changes to the fee schedule should be adopted through an ordinance rather than by a single motion. Instead of moving forward without those answers, Council voted to postpone the item until further notice. So despite what appeared on the agenda, Council did not adopt a new building permit fee schedule at this meeting. The existing schedule remains in place unless and until Council takes action at a future meeting. When this item returns, we'll explain any proposed changes and the process Council will use to consider them. Council also approved a $6,200 transfer from the Public Repair Reserve account to the Building Maintenance account. The money covers the cost of replacing an air conditioning unit at the First Steps building. Chairman Moore explained that the unit had to be replaced immediately because of the summer heat. The expense had already been paid from the Building Maintenance account, so this transfer moves money from the Reserve account to reimburse the account that covered the unexpected repair. The work had already been completed because the building could not reasonably wait for air conditioning during the middle of July. Council approved the transfer without opposition. involved a replacement vehicle for the Saluda County Coroner's Office. Council authorized the office to search for and purchase a used vehicle at a cost of no more than $16,000. The purchase will be paid from the county's vehicle reserve account. Coroner Angie Rita explained that the office's current 2014 Ford Explorer has about 200,000 miles on it and is losing its paint. The county considered repainting the vehicle to improve its appearance but determined that the in a vehicle of that age and mileage. Angie emphasized that the office is not asking for a new vehicle. The goal is to find a used vehicle that looks professional and can better meet the office's operational needs. In particular, the coroner's office wants a vehicle that can occasionally be used to transfer a decedent from a scene to the county morgue. Angie said that that need can arise because of severe weather, the location of a scene, or delays in the arrival of the county's transportation service. The vehicle could also be used to transport a decedent from the county morgue to an autopsy in Newbury when staff are able to handle that trip. Angie said that having this capability could help the office respond more quickly to the needs of decedents and their families. It could also reduce some outside transportation expenses over time. The office has been working with Saluda County EMS to obtain a stretcher that EMS has taken out of service. Reusing that equipment would allow the vehicle to be outfitted without an additional stretcher purchase. The initial plan is to carry one stretcher, although she said the office may eventually be able to equip the vehicle with two. Council approved the request without opposition, giving the coroner's office permission to begin searching for a suitable used vehicle within the $16,000 limit. So, to recap the major decisions from July 13th, Council gave final approval to the Capital Project Sales Tax Ordinance, which sends the referendum to Saluda County voters in November. They approved the lease with Aiken pilot training, allowing flight instruction to begin at the Saluda County Airport. Council also gave first reading to a $20 monthly increase in tea hangar rents and selected Holt Consulting and Engineering to continue providing airport engineering and planning services. Council honored the retirement of Magistrate Judge Joyce B. Schultz, postponed action on a new building permit fee schedule, transferred $6,200 to cover the emergency air conditioning replacement at the first steps building. And authorize up to $16,000 for a used coroner's office vehicle. And remember that the first Capital Project Sales Tax Community Information Meeting will be held on Monday, August 17th at 6 p.m. at Old Town Fire Department. We'll continue sharing the full schedule in upcoming episodes. And that's a wrap on the July 13th meeting. Have questions or an idea for an upcoming episode? Email us at public infosolutacounty.sc.gov. And as Tim Gunn would say, make it work. Thanks to a cell phone, we did. We'll see you next week.