Latest / Saluda County Unplugged / October 12, 2026 County Council Recap
Transcript
- Josh Morton: The library renovation has a bid award and Project Big Show has cleared first reading. But the proposed building permit fee update failed at second reading. Council also changed where public records request goes and heard about the completed transit study. Plus, a tourism update connected visitors with local businesses. Let's walk through what happened Monday night. This week on Saluda County Unplugged. Welcome back to Saluda County Unplugged, where we shine a light on Saluda County government. I'm Josh. And I'm Rachel. This is our recap of the County Council meeting held Monday, October twelfth, twenty twenty six. Before we get into the business, we want to acknowledge the loss of Councilman Jack Atkinson, who passed away Monday morning. Council opened the meeting with a moment of silence, and Councilman Anderson's invocation remembered Mr. Jack and his family. Throughout the evening, council members and speakers offered their condolences. Councilman Bedenbow noted that mister Jack attended council meetings long before he was elected, sitting on the front row and paying attention to the work of the county. Chairman Moore described him as a mentor and a good friend, someone he relied on. Those memories say something about the place mister Jack held among the people who served alongside him. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and everyone grieving his loss. Council continued with the county's business that evening. We'll focus on the decisions, the explanations behind them, and the items that still have more steps ahead. Let's start with the library renovation. Council approved awarding the renovation bid to W. E. Baker and Sons of Whitmire for $949,190. The funding discussed was $750,000 from a community development block grant called a CDBG, with the balance coming from the library reserve account. Based on that grant amount and the bid total, the reserve portion is one hundred ninety nine thousand one hundred and ninety dollars. The initial motion was presented as pending South Carolina Department of Commerce approval. Later, after executive session, council returned to open session and voted again to correct the wording of the award, specifying the contractor, the amount, and the two funding sources. That corrected motion passed. It concerned the same renovation award, not a second project or an additional funding. There was some useful history behind this decision. The Saluda County purchasing coordinator Penny Clary explained that this was the third time the project had been put out to bid. Earlier bids had come in above the projected amount. This time, the recommended low bid came in below it. The project architect in Upper Savannah supported the recommendation. That gave council a bid it could consider within the amount planned for the work. Chairman Moore also separated this renovation funding from the earlier building purchase. He said the 2018 Capital Project Sales Tax had allocated $125,000 to buy the building. The renovation is the next phase with different funding sources. That context is really helpful because buying a building and renovating it are two separate projects. The earlier sales tax allocation bought the building. The award approved Monday pays for the renovation of that building through the grant and money that had already been set aside in the library reserve. During the discussion, council was told that no additional taxpayer money was being requested for this project. We didn't get a construction start date, but it is very exciting to see this project finally moving forward. Council also approved first reading of ordinance nine dash twenty six concerning a fee in lieu of tax and incentive agreement for the company currently identified as Project Big Show. You may hear that arrangement called a FELO, which stands for fee in lieu of taxes. As we explained in the preview, this was first reading by title only. It was a step in the ordinance process, not final adoption of the ordinance. The title also referred to multi-county industrial or business park benefits and special source revenue credits connected with the project. those are additional components of the proposed incentive package. Council also approved a related inducement resolution. That was a separate action from the ordinance reading, but both concern Project Big Show. The resolution describes plans to establish or expand facilities at one or more locations in Saluda County. If those plans proceed as expected, the project anticipates at least $28 million in investment and 200 new full-time jobs during the compliance period. Chairman Moore addressed the question surrounding the company's identity. He said that the company had asked that its name not yet be disclosed and explained that in accordance with what's permitted under state law, the code name was being used while negotiations continued. He also stated that this project is neither a data center nor a solar farm and said more details would be shared as the process moves forward. During public comments, Regina Sanders asked council to disclose as much information as it could before a final agreement. She specifically requested the project's industry classification so residents could understand the type of business without necessarily knowing its name. Ms. Sanders' comments put a clear question before the council. What can the public learn about the proposed project as it moves through the remaining steps? Monday's meeting gave us the code name, the anticipated investment and employment figures, and the chairman's clarification about the type of project that it is not. It's important to remember, however, that this FILO agreement is not finalized and still has to go through two more readings and a public hearing. As the process moves forward, more details will become available. the proposed building permit fee update returned under old business for second reading of ordinance eight twenty six. The motion for second reading failed. Council did not adopt the proposed fee update at this meeting. This time council did have a motion in a second, heard an explanation of the proposal, and then voted. That's different from what happened in the September meeting where the proposal failed for lack of a motion. Josh Thomas explained that the purpose of the fee increase was to cover the cost of operating the building department. He described the work involved, including permit administration, inspections, plan review, and building official duties. He reported that the department issued fifty-seven permits in September, covering about one point eight million dollars in project valuations with approximately twenty three thousand dollars in permit revenue. He also reported two hundred and sixty six active permits at the time of the meeting. Project valuation is the value of the work being permitted. It isn't money the county receives. The permit revenue is the separate amount collected through the fees. Josh Thomas also explained a distinction in the proposed schedule that matters to residents doing smaller jobs. Standard electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits would be separated from the new development portion of the schedule. He gave examples such as installing a generator, changing an electrical meter, or doing plumbing work. He said separating those categories would keep those jobs from being charged under the proposed new development schedule. The discussion included a proposed increase from fifty dollars to one hundred twenty five dollars at the bottom of the new development schedule. But that example shouldn't be applied to every repair permit. His explanation was that the categories would be treated differently. Chairman Moore added that when the county previously operated its own building codes department, expenses exceeded collections by about ninety six thousand dollars. He used that comparison to explain why he viewed the contracted agreement as less costly than returning to an in house department. Those comments help explain the reason offered for the proposal, covering the work of the department while considering how fees would affect different kinds of projects. The vote did not move the proposed ordinance forward at second reading. No new fee schedule was adopted Monday night. Council did approve an updated Freedom of Information policy. The practical change described at the meeting is straightforward. All Freedom of Information requests now go to the county's public information officer unless otherwise directed by the county administrator or county attorney. If you're requesting public records, that's the destination identified in the updated policy. The discussion focused on who receives the request rather than announcing a new fee schedule or a change in which records are available. A policy title can sound like something that only matters inside an office. This one has direct effect on residents. Knowing where to send requests helps you get it into the right hands. Council also indicated that copies of the updated policy were available. If you're planning a request, the policy is the place to check the county's process. Rick Green from Upper Savannah Council of Governments presented the completed public transit feasibility study. He said the study was completed through a grant at no cost to Saluta County and with no obligation for the county to start a service. His main message was that the county now has a study it can use if it decides to pursue transportation options. He explained that having a feasibility study is one of the early requirements the state transportation agency asks about when a county explores public transit. Rick outlined three broad approaches. Saluda County could build its own system from the ground up, work with a neighboring county that already provides service, or explore a volunteer driver model. For the partnership approach, he pointed to McCormick County providing service in part of Greenwood County. He also mentioned transit options through senior centers in Newberry and Edgefield counties. For the volunteer approach, he described a nonprofit effort being explored in Abbeyville. Based on a neighbor to neighbor program that currently operates in the Myrtle Beach area. That model uses volunteers to drive people individually, with a focus on medical appointments and a small charge for the service. Those are different ways to approach the same practical problem. How does someone get where they need to go when they don't have reliable transportation? Council's discussion acknowledged the need while also recognizing the cost of vehicles, drivers, and ongoing operations. Chairman Moore asked whether the study could help the county approach another organization about providing a service rather than operating one itself. Rick said it could. That was the useful takeaway from the presentation. The study gives the county a starting point for conversations about a service, a partnership, or another model. Council did not approve a transit system, purchase vehicles, establish routes, or commit any operating funds at this meeting. Rick offered to return, answer questions, or speak with groups as the county considers its options. Council also heard a presentation from Vicki Davis of Capital City Lake Murray Country. This presentation was an addition to the items that we covered in the preview. She explained how the Regional Tourism Organization promotes Saluda County through advertising, visitor resources, travel stories, events, and online information. One of her central points was that visitors plan around experiences rather than county lines. Someone coming to the region for fishing or a lake visit may also eat in Ridge Spring, visit a historic site in Saluda, or spend money with another Saluda County business. She gave some local examples. The Saluda Young Farmer Truck and Tractor Pool has been promoted on an Interstate seventy seven billboard outside of Richburg. A regional podcast featured Saluda County's Revolutionary War history with Amy Potts of the Saluda County Historical Society. She also described a planned visit by the South Carolina Welcome Center employees to local attractions including the Bottom House, the Historical Museum, and Ridge Spring. The idea was to give the people helping the travelers first hand knowledge of the places they recommend. That connects promotion with a practical result. A visitor may hear about an event or attraction somewhere else and then come here and become a customer at a local business. Miss Davis shared figures from the short-term rental report that her organization uses. Reported short-term rental revenue in Saluda County rose from about $1.76 million in 2023 to about $2.32 million in 2025. That is short-term rental revenue, not the amount of tax collected by the county. She also discussed the importance of accommodations tax collections. She did raise a concern that some rentals may not be paying the accommodation taxes that they should. And said she could provide a Department of Revenue contact if the county wanted to follow up on that. Looking ahead, she discussed new photos and video of Saluda County attractions, continued promotion of local history through SC-250, and the region's plans for Lake Murray's 100th anniversary in 2027. The discussion also touched on the facilities needed to host larger fishing events and possible improvements at Drear Island. Those were ideas and regional planning discussions, not Saluda County construction projects approved that evening. For this recap, the practical point is the connection between regional promotion and local business. The presentation described work intended to bring visitors to Saluda County and encourage them to stay, explore, and spend here. It did not include a new county funding vote. Along with Project Big Show comments, counsel heard from Sharon C. Springs about maintenance of Zor Road. She described drainage problems, debris washing into her yard, and roadside growth that limited visibility around a curve. Miss Springs also spoke about delays in maintenance and said that she had been told equipment problems affected the work. Her concerns focused on routine maintenance and safety, along with her desire to see the road paved. in the meeting during council reports, Chairman Moore thanked the Saluda Commission of Public Works for restoring the administration building parking lot after waterline work. He also discussed a regional economic development meeting and the importance of being prepared when companies consider potential locations. He addressed questions about oversight of the Capitol Project sales tax projects, citing competitive purchasing procedures and the county staff project experience. He also expressed concern about the cost of hiring a separate construction project manager. Council entered executive session to discuss personnel matters in the Assessor's Office and public buildings contracts. After returning to open session, Chairman Moore said that the earlier library award motion needed corrected wording. Councilman Anderson made the corrected motion awarding the renovation to W. E. Baker and Sons for $949,190, paid from the CDBG and Library Reserve account. Council approved it in public session. That was the only action taken after counsel returned. There was no additional public action on the Assessor's Office personnel discussion before adjournment. The Library Renovation received its bid award. Project Big Show moved through first reading with a related resolution describing the anticipated investments and jobs. Public records requests now go to the public information officer, me. And the transit study is ready for the county to use as it considers options. The building permit fee proposal did not advance at second reading. The tourism presentation and public comments also gave council information to consider in the work ahead. And we close this week's episode with the same people we began with. Mr. Jack Atkinson's family, his friends, and those who served alongside him. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers as our community remembers his service. Have questions or an idea for an upcoming episode? Email us at publicinfo at salutacounty.sc.gov. And thanks for spending a little bit of time with us this week. We'll see you next time on Saluda County Unplug.