[1. CALL TO ORDER ]
[00:00:03]
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE I'D LIKE TO CALL THE CAUCUS MEETING TO ORDER FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 10TH, 2022, WOULD YOU ALL RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE? I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED AND POSTED AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A HYBRID MEETS TIME THAT I CAN RECALL THE PREPONDERANCE OF MEMBERS OF COUNTY COUNCIL ARE ONLINE RATHER THAN IN CHAMBERS.
THE MEMBERS IN CHAMBERS ARE MS. HOWARD, MR. RODMAN, MR. SOMERVILLE AND MYSELF, THE OTHER SIX MEMBERS.
MR. DAWSON, MR. AND MR. GLOVER, MR. , MR. LAWSON AND MR. MCKELLEN ARE ONLINE, BUT WE DO CONSTITUTE A QUORUM TO CONDUCT BUSINESS OF COUNTY COUNCIL.
YOU THINK I MISS TIME SPENDING WITH YOU? COME ON.
OH, YOU KNOW WHY? CAUSE YOU'RE ALL THE WAY UP AT THE TOP AND I STARTED LOWER THAN THAT.
[4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA ]
I HAVE AN APPROVAL OF TONIGHT'S CAUCUS AGENDA PLEASE? SO MOVEMENTS, CHAIRMAN, MR. CUNNINGHAM MADE THE MOTION, MR. RODMAN MADE THE SECOND, UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE CAUCUS MEETING AGENDA WILL BE APPROVED AND I DO NOT SEE ANY OBJECTIONS, THE AGENDA REVIEW.[5. AGENDA REVIEW ]
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE MINOR CHANGE TO THE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE REMOVED AS THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE MINUTES.OTHER THAN THAT, THE AGENDA WILL BE, AS IT IS.
IS THERE ANY CONCERNS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, CHANGES TO THE COUNCIL AGENDA MEETING? I JUST DON'T HAVE A QUESTION FOR MAYBE FOR KURT ON THIS.
UM, WE HAVE AN ITEM ON THERE WHERE WE'RE TAKING MONEY, ALLOCATING MONEY FROM THE CONTINGENCY THAT WE'VE DONE AND WE'RE TO, WE KIND OF SET UP A CONTINUING, WE DO THAT ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND I'M WONDERING WHETHER WE ACTUALLY, SINCE WE'VE ALREADY APPROPRIATED THE MONEY IN THE CONTINGENCY, WHETHER WE WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THREE READINGS EVERY TIME WE DIP INTO THE CONTINGENCY AND WHETHER WE COULD STREAMLINE THAT IN SOME FORM.
I HAVE NOT THOUGHT THAT THROUGH AND LOOKED AT WHAT WE WERE DOING AND WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO.
AND SINCE THE MONEY IN GENERAL CONTINGENCY IS JUST THAT IT'S A LEFTOVER SURPLUS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, TO MAKE IT, TO MAKE A SPECIFIC USE OF IT NEEDS TO BE MADE LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE BY APPROPRIATION.
UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS SEEING NONE? WE
[EXECUTIVE SESSION ]
DO HAVE A SHORT EXECUTIVE SESSION.IT IS OUR INTENTION TO START TONIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING, UH, NO LATER THAN FIVE 30 THIS AFTERNOON.
SO I WOULD ASK FOR A MEMBER OF COUNCIL TO MAKE A MOTION FOR US TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR TWO ITEMS TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE.
UH, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
MAY I HAVE A SECOND PLEASE? UH, SECOND, UH, MR. CUNNINGHAM DOES THE SECOND.
MR. SOMERVILLE DOES THE FIRST.
WE WILL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION NOW WITHOUT OBJECTION.
AND I SEE NO OBJECTIONS AND BE THERE FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME OR RECEIVE A LEGAL ADVICE FOR BOSTIK LANE AND THE OPIOD LITIGATION.
WE ARE BACK FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE DID DISCUSS TWO ITEMS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND ON THE REGULAR AGENDA, THERE ARE MATTERS ARISING OUT OF THE CAUCUS EXECUTIVE SESSION WHERE WE WILL BE TAKING SPECIFIC ACTION.
UM, BEFORE WE ADJOURNED, IS THERE ANY
[6. COUNCIL MEMBER DISCUSSION ]
OTHER ITEMS TO COME BEFORE US AT THE CAUCUS MEETING MR. RODMAN? SINCE WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES, UM, WE GOT, UM, DISCUSSION, I COULD COVER ONE ITEM, THE FEDERAL OTHERWISE COVERED IN THE MEETING, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE, UH, POSSIBILITY OF A REF SALES TAX REFERENDUM FOR TRANSPORTATION.UM, LATER THIS, THIS YEAR, UM, AS A AS BACKGROUND, UM, WE, UH, UM, AS YOU ALL MAY KNOW, THE 18 REFERENDUM, UH, ACQUIRED
[00:05:01]
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IT NEEDED WITHIN THE PERIOD.AND IN FACT, THE PERIOD WAS ACTUALLY TRUNCATED AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT THEY'LL PROBABLY BE ON THE ORDER OF 16 OR 18 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDS, UH, WHICH WE CAN ALLOCATE BACK TO THE THREE PROJECTS THAT WERE INVOLVED.
ONE BEING THE, UH, PATHWAYS, ONE BEING LADY'S ISLAND AND THE OTHER BEING THE 2 78.
SO FOR PUBLIC FACILITIES TO BRING THAT FORWARD, UM, AT OUR PUBLIC FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETINGS COMING UP, UH, WE'VE GOT A LOT ON OUR AGENDA AND IT TURNS OUT WE HAVE A FIFTH MONDAY IN THIS MONTH.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO PUBLIC FACILITIES MEETINGS, UH, ONE WEEK, THIRD, MONDAY, AND ONE WILL BE FIFTH MONDAY.
UM, AND, UH, WE'LL, I THINK THAT THAT'LL BE HELPFUL.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IS THE 22, THE POSSIBILITY OF A 22 REFERENDUM.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT, UH, THERE'S A REAL NEED WITH THE GROWTH IN THE AREA FOR, UH, FOR ROADS.
UM, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO FUND A GOOD CHUNK OF THAT.
AND IN FACT, THE SALES TAX, UH, TRANSPORTATION IS IN FACT THE BEST WAY FOR US TO DO THAT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO START TO, TO WADE INTO THAT, UM, PART OF OUR DISCUSSION WILL BE, DO WE WANT TO GO WITH A SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM AND DISCUSSIONS TO DATE HAVE KIND OF SUGGESTED AS SOME OF THE OTHER COUNTIES IN THE STATE HAVE DONE IS THAT WE, WE MAY WANT TO GO TO A LONGER AN EIGHT OR 10 YEAR TYPE OF THING, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF APPROACH BECAUSE PART OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS HAVE A MECHANISM IN ORDER TO ALLOCATE, UM, HOW WE WOULD SPEND THOSE MONIES.
UH, WHEREAS IF WE DO A SHORT, WE HAVE TYPICALLY JUST TO IDENTIFY THREE OR FOUR PROJECTS, AND IT'S VERY DEFINITIVE AS PART OF THAT.
ONE OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT STAFF IS BRINGING FORWARD, WHICH I THINK MAKES A LOT OF SENSE IS THAT WE WOULD ESTABLISH A CITIZENS COMMITTEE IN ORDER TO, UM, HELP PRIORITIZE THE PROJECTS.
AND IT WOULD NOT BE A ONE-TIME, IT WOULD BE AN ONGOING TYPE OF THING.
AND WE STILL HAVE SOME THINGS TO LEARN FROM OUR NEIGHBOR, UH, SISTER COUNTIES THAT HAVE DONE SOME OF THESE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO START TO TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT AT THE, UH, AT THE FIRST, UM, MEETING, WHICH WOULD BE A WEEK FROM TODAY.
AND THE INITIAL THOUGHT WAS THAT WE MIGHT'VE HAVE EACH OF US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS APPOINT ONE PERSON, AND THEN MAYBE ONE PERSON FROM EACH OF THE , WHICH WOULD GIVE US ABOUT 15, 16 PEOPLE AS A WAY TO DO THAT.
AND THEY CAN ALSO BE A GOOD SOUNDING BOARD.
AND THEN THAT WOULD BE IN PARALLEL WITH THE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY GROUP, WHERE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS HAVE A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN, UH, THE LAST COMMENT I WOULD MAKE, AND THIS IS REALLY TO US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US DISAGREE THAT WE, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO TAKE CARE OF THE ROADS.
AND THE REAL QUESTION, IF WE DO A REFERENDUM IS HOW LONG IS IT? WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THE TERMS? SO I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD COME OUT OF ALL OF THIS EXERCISE, UH, WITH A UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT AMONG COUNCIL AS WHAT IT IS THAT WE WANT TO, UH, WANT THIS TO LOOK LIKE, BECAUSE ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT GETS TO BE DIFFICULT WHEN WE GO OUT TO THE, THE VOTERS.
SO AS PART OF THAT, I THINK A LOT OF OUR DIALOGUE OUGHT TO BE ON GOOD FEEDBACK FROM EACH OF US AS TO WHAT ARE THE ITEMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US.
AND THEN WHAT WE THINK IS NEEDED, UH, TO MAKE THIS A, AN ATTRACTIVE THING TO ALL THE PEOPLE.
SO I HOPE THEY'LL ALL GO INTO THIS THING WITH THAT KIND OF AN ATTITUDE.
AND MR. CHAIRMAN, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE SEEING NOTHING THE CAUCUS MEETING WILL NOW BE ADJOURNED AND WE'LL WAIT TO GEAR UP FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING.
THERE'LL BE ABOUT A COUPLE MINUTES BEFORE WE'RE BACK ONLINE.