* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] AND [1. CALL TO ORDER] JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE. MY PLEDGE, ALLEGIANCE, ALLEGIANCE, FLAG OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR. THANK YOU. UM, SEE IF I CAN FIGURE OUT WHO ALL'S HERE, IF WE HAVE A QUORUM. UH, LET'S SEE. WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO CALL THE ROLE? WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU? YES, SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HERON. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER RODMAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HOWARD. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON. MARK LAWSON. ONLINE. COUNCIL MEMBER MCALLEN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER FLOE. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM. WHAT IS THAT IN ONLINE? UH, CHAIRMAN SOMERVILLE. PRESIDENT. AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PASS MINUTE. YEAH, HE'S NOT, YEAH. YES, SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BRENDA. APPRECIATE THAT. UM, WE'VE HAD PUBLIC NOTIFICATION IN THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. UH, NEED A [4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA] MOTION FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. DON'T MOVE, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU MR. MCALLEN. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, WITHOUT OBJECTION. WE WILL APPROVE THE AGENDA FOR TODAY'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS HEARING BARRY? NONE, UH, WILL APPROVE. UH, WE'LL [5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - AUGUST 15, 2022] MOVE TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE AUGUST 15TH, 2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. DO I HAVE A MOTION? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 15TH, 2022. THANK YOU, MA'AM. DO I HAVE A SECOND? A SECOND. THE SECOND. AND SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE WILL APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 15TH 2 22 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE. THE, UH, MINUTES FOR THE AUGUST 15TH, UH, 2022 MEETING ARE APPROVED. UH, THE NEXT SECTION IS, UH, SEE SOME COMMENTS. IS THERE ANYONE WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME? NO, SIR. HEARING NONE. WE MOVE [7. DISCUSSION TO RATIFY AN AMENDMENT TO THE CREATION AGREEMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION TO THE LOWCOUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT BOARD TO INCREASE BEAUFORT COUNTY'S REPRESENTATION - SABRENA GRAHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LCOG ] ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS A DISCUSSION TO RATIFY AN AMENDMENT TO THE CREATION AGREEMENT FOR MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION TO THE LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF OF GOVERNMENT BOARD INCREASED BEAVER COUNTY'S REPRESENTATION. UH, SABRINA GRAHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LOCOG WILL MAKE THAT PRESENTATION IF SHE'S PRESENT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE PURPOSE IS BECAUSE OF THE, UH, REAPPORTION WE'VE DONE IN 2020 THAT OUR, OUR POPULATION IN BUER COUNTY POPULATION INCREASED RELATIVE TO OTHER COUNTIES IN LOW COG, AND WE ARE ENTITLED TO ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION. IS, UH, MS. GRAHAM PRESENT? YES. SHE'S COMING FORWARD. THANK YOU. WELCOME MS. GRAHAM. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME AND SHARE WITH YOU THIS INFORMATION AND SEEK YOUR APPROVAL THEREOF. UM, MR. SUMMERVILLE, YOU, UM, SUMMARIZED WELL, THE REASON WHY WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH AND POPULATION PRIMARILY FOR COUNTY PER THE 2020 CENSUS. THAT GROWTH FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY WAS ABOUT 70%, WHICH WOULD WARRANT A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS ON THE COG BOARD AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE COG BOARD MET AND HAVE PREPARED THIS, UM, PROPOSAL THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE FULL COG BOARD AND NOW HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE FOUR MEMBER COUNTIES. BEAUFORT COUNTY BEING THE SECOND THAT I AM VISITING, UM, SEEKING YOUR APPROVAL. THE PREVIOUS FULL MEMBERSHIP WAS 24 MEMBERS. WHAT'S PROPOSED IS 29 MEMBERS ON THE BOARD. BEAUFORT COUNTY INITIALLY HAD EIGHT MEMBERS, UM, AND BASED ON THE GROWTH AND POPULATION WITH EACH YEAR, UM, HAS COME TO 11 MEMBERS. UM, IF WE WERE TO CONTINUE WITH THE SAME PROPOSAL, UM, BASED ON AN INCREASE IN MEMBERSHIP, UM, PER 20,000 MEMBERS IN POPULATION, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY WOULD HAVE 14 MEMBERS ON THE COG BOARD, WHICH WOULD BE VERY DISPROPORTIONATE TO ALL OF THE OTHER, UM, COUNTIES. SO WHAT IS PROPOSED FOR YOU TODAY IS THAT WE CAP THE [00:05:01] MEMBERSHIP AT THE 11 THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY, HAMPTON, AND COTON COUNTY WOULD REMAIN AT SIX MEMBERS. AND JASPER, WHO CURRENTLY HAS FIVE, WOULD GO TO SIX. SO WE WOULD HAVE A TOTAL OF 29 MEMBERS, AGAIN, 11 FOR BEAUFORD AND SIX FOR, UM, COTON HAMPTON, AND JASPER COUNTIES. THE MEMBERSHIP STILL INCLUDES FOR EACH COUNTY, ONE MINORITY REPRESENTATIVE AND ONE AT LARGE MEMBER. UM, AND ALSO IF YOU HAVE MUNICIPALITIES WITH POPULATIONS OF 1,501, UM, 15, YES, I SAID THAT RIGHT. 1,501 ARE GREATER, THEY ARE ENTITLED TO ONE MEMBER. SO IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, YOU HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CITY OF BEAUFORT, BLUFFTON, PORT ROYAL, AND HILTON HEAD ISLAND. THAT'S A PART OF THAT 11, UM, MEMBERSHIP FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY. AND I'M HAPPY TO GO INTO GREATER DETAIL. I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAD IN YOUR PACKETS THIS INFORMATION, OR CERTAINLY I CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU. MS. GRAHAM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, MS. GRAHAM, BEFORE WE MOVE INTO A MOTION? UH, YEAH, I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, SIR. UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THERE ARE FOUR MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN BEAUFORD COUNTY THAT HAVE REPRESENTATION OUT OF THE 11, IS THAT RIGHT? YES. UH, WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE OTHER COUNTIES, HOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES ARE MEMBERS THERE? IT VARIES BY COUNTY. FOR COTON COUNTY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, UM, CITY OF WALTERBORO HAS A MEMBER, UM, THE TOWN OF EDO HAS AN ADVISORY MEMBER. AND, UM, YEMENI, WHICH SITS IN HALF OF, UM, THE TWO COUNTIES, HAS, UM, AN ADVISORY MEMBER FOR HAMPTON. UM, THERE ARE, I BELIEVE FOUR COUNTIES, FOUR MUNICIPALITIES. I'M SORRY, THAT, UM, HAS A MEMBER, UM, ON THE BOARD. AND WHO AM I LEAVING OUT? JASPER. UM, THEY ALSO, BOTH OF THE MUNICIPALITIES THERE ALSO HAVE A MEMBER ON THE BOARD. SO THERE ARE FOUR MEMBERS, UH, IN HAMPTON, DID YOU SAY? YES, FOUR MUNICIPALITIES OUT OF THE SIX? YES. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND THE OTHER TWO, HARDY IS REPRESENTED AS, AS PART OF JASPER, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. AND THEN, UH, SIMILARLY, UH, GEMY IS REPRESENTED AS PART OF COLTON YEY IS AN ADVISORY MEMBER. THEY SEE, I MEAN HAMPTON, I MEAN HAMPTON, YES. BUT AS AN ADVISORY MEMBER, THEY DO NOT HAVE A BOATING SEAT. GOTCHA. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT COUNCIL BEFORE WE ASK, BEFORE I ASK FOR MOTION? NO, MS. PAUL, COUNCILMAN RODMAN HAS HIS HAND RAISED. YEAH, I I HEARD A VOICE. OKAY, STU SURE, GO AHEAD. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM OF MUSHROOMING POPULATION AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE. UM, BUT IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT IN ALL OTHER REALMS WHEN THAT HAPPENS, YOU GO BACK TO REWARDING THE SEATS BASED ON THE POPULATIONS NOT FREEZING THEM AT SOME POINT IN TIME. SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IN THE PAST WE WERE ABOUT HALF OF, MAYBE WE WERE HALF OF THE POPULATION NOW, OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN THAT. UH, BUT WE WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT BEING, UH, WHATEVER IT IS, A THIRD OF THE REPRESENTATION. SO I'M NOT CLEAR, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THE LOGIC OF NOT BITING THE BULLET, JUST DISTRIBUTING THE SEATS BASED ON POPULATION. I'M NOT SURE IF I FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. IT'S BASED ON POPULATION, BUT CAPPED AT A NUMBER THAT WOULD BE MANAGEABLE AND, UM, I THINK FAIR AND REPRESENTATION OF THE, OF THE FOUR COUNTIES, BUT IT IS STILL BASED ON POPULATION. SO WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION ARE WE, DO YOU THINK? PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION OR PERCENTAGE OF, WELL, THE POPULATION OF THE FOUR COUNTIES, THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE FOUR COUNTIES IS 273,000. AND, UM, ALMOST 70% OF THAT 187 IS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. OKAY. UM, SO WE HAVE WHATEVER THAT PERCENTAGE IS, 70 OR 80%, AND WE WOULD HAVE ABOUT 35 OR 40% OF THE REPRESENTATION. SO I STILL NOT, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME WHY THAT, WHY THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR BEAUFORD COUNTY. I, I CAN CERTAINLY DEFER TO THE COG BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE, UM, ON THE BEAUFORD COUNTY COUNCIL. UM, I BELIEVE THE EFFORT WAS MADE AND THERE WERE SEVERAL MEETINGS IN THE DISCUSSION TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAD, UM, GOOD REPRESENTATION, UM, AND WORKED AGAIN TOGETHER AS A REGION AND, AND THAT THE OTHER COUNTIES ALSO HAD, UM, REPRESENTATION. OKAY. AND THIS HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE COG BOARD, WHICH INCLUDES A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM LOT DIFFERENT AREAS. YEAH. AND TO MS. GRAHAM'S POINT, UM, WHAT STEWART'S GETTING AT IS, IS THAT HE FEELS LIKE BEAVER COUNTY SHOULD DOMINATE THE, THE, UH, THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD, UM, TO, TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED. AND, UH, OUR DISCUSSION THAT THE COG, UH, BOARD, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WE TRIED TO, UH, WE TRIED TO, UM, FORMULATE [00:10:01] THE, THE BOARD SO THAT, UH, EVERYBODY HAS, UH, EQUAL, UH, IT IS NOT EQUAL, BUT, UH, FAIR REPRESENTATION. SO THEREFORE WE CAME UP WITH THE, UH, 11TH FOR BEAUFORD AND SIX FOR THE OTHER FORM, UH, MENTAL MUNICIPALITIES. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT GOT US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. GRAHAM? ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE, UH, I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION TO, UH, TO APPROVE, TO RATIFY THE AMENDMENT, UH, FOR THE CHANGE IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF LOCOG. SO MORE, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND A MOTION, MR. CHAIRMAN. ALL RIGHT. UH, DO WE NEED TO ANY, ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? DO WE NEED TO HAVE A ROLL CALL ON THIS OR CAN WE APPROVE IT WITHOUT CHECK? I'M OKAY WITH IT. OKAY. WITHOUT OBJECTION, THEN. WE'LL, UH, DOES THIS NEED TO GO TO FULL COUNSEL? I THINK IT DOES. YES, SIR. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. OKAY. SO, WE'LL, THE MOTION WOULD BE TO MOVE IT, TO MOVE IT TO COUNSEL FOR FINAL APPROVAL. SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, BUT THEN WE'LL, UH, WE'LL DO EXACTLY THAT. WE'LL APPROVE IT TO MOVE, MOVE FORWARD TO COUNSEL. THANK YOU, MS. GRAHAM. UH, [8. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE VI, DIVISION 3, SECTION 2- 347 OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES ESTABLISHING ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES FOR CERTAIN ELECTED OFFICIALS (EXCLUDING MEMBERS OF COUNTY COUNCIL)] ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, THANK YOU. WHICH IS, UH, RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER TWO, ARTICLE SIX, DIVISION THREE, SECTION TWO DAYS 3 47. THE BEAUFORD COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCE IS ESTABLISHING ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES FOR CERTAIN ELECTED OFFICIALS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF OR EXCLUDING MEMBERS OF COUNTY COUNCIL. LET ME POINT OUT, THIS IS, UH, SCOTT MARSHALL'S GONNA TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. THIS IS A, THIS IS, UH, INFORMATION ONLY. WE'RE NOT GONNA VOTE ON ANYBODY'S SALARY TODAY, BUT WE ARE GONNA GET A BACKGROUND OF THE CONTEXT OF WHAT, WHAT THE CURRENT NUMBERS LOOK LIKE FOR THE SIMILAR COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND WHAT THE CURRENT STARTING SALARIES ARE FOR ENTRY LEVEL FOLKS IN THESE POSITIONS. OTHER WORDS, IF SOMEBODY'S BEEN IN THAT POSITION, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THEM AT ALL. ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN NEWLY ELECTED OR NEWLY APPOINTED TO ONE OF THESE POSITIONS, THIS WHATEVER WE DECIDE ULTIMATELY, NOT TODAY, WHATEVER WE DECIDE ULTIMATELY WOULD BE THERE STARTING SALARY. SO, UH, AFTER WE'VE HAD THE PRESENTATIONS TODAY AND, AND ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE, UH, THEN THE NEXT STEP, WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS THAT WE COME BACK AND WITH RECOMMENDATIONS, HOPEFULLY FROM STAFF ON WHAT THOSE NUMBERS SHOULD LOOK LIKE. AND OF COURSE, IF ANY COUNCIL MEMBER CAN WEIGH IN AT THAT TIME, IF THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM THE STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS. MARSHALL, YOU HAVE THE THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. GOOD AFTERNOON AND GOOD AFTERNOON. MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. UH, THE CHAIRMAN IS CORRECT. THE TITLE OF THAT AGENDA ITEM IS A BIT MISLEADING. WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO, UH, APPROVE AN ORDINANCE OR ARE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF AN ORDINANCE AT THIS TIME. THIS INFORMATION IS PRESENTED TO YOU, UH, AS INFORMATION ONLY AT THE REQUEST OF SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, AND THE INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED WAS TO COMPARE OUR ELECTED OFFICIAL SALARY, UH, THE OFFICES FOR WHOM, UH, YOU SET ENTRY LEVEL PAY PURVIEW FOR COUNTY ORDINANCE TO COMPARE THOSE ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES WITH COUNTIES THAT ARE IN THE TIER ONE, UH, AS DETERMINED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. UM, THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT SETS OF DATA IN HERE. THEY CAN BE CONFUSING IF YOU DON'T READ THE FINE PRINT ON ALL OF THEM. UH, BUT I CAN BOIL THIS DOWN PRETTY QUICKLY. UM, I HAVE A HANDOUT, UM, THAT I'VE PROVIDED TORENNA, AND SHE HAS UP ON YOUR SCREEN NOW, THAT BASICALLY SHOWS WHERE OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS OFFICES, ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES ARE RELATIVE TO THE TIER ONE COUNTIES. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, LET ME PULL MINE OUT HERE. WHAT'S THAT YOU WANT? NO, I'VE GOT 'EM HERE. AND IF, AND IF YOU ALL WOULD LIKE A PAPER HAND OUT THAT ARE HERE, I CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU. YOU DIDN'T HAVE THAT IN THE PACKAGE, DID YOU? WE, WE DID NOT. NO, SIR. OKAY. NO, SIR. BUT IT, UH, IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY A BETTER EXPLANATION THAN ANYTHING WE HAD IN THE PACKET. YEAH. SO, UM, I'LL JUST PASS THESE OUT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE WITH US VIA, UH, WEBEX OR ZOOM, OR WHATEVER THIS IS, SORRY, I'M SORRY. AGAIN, THIS IS PRESENTED AS INFORMATION ONLY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, COUNCIL CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR, UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER, WE ARE, ARE FAIRLY HEALTHY NEAR THE TOP OF THE HEAP WHEN IT COMES TO COMPARING OURSELVES TO TIER ONE COUNTIES. UM, AS FAR AS THE OTHER OFFICES, UH, WE ARE, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM. AND SO THIS IS PRESENTED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. [00:15:01] AGAIN, THIS IS UNDER YOUR AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE WHAT THESE ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES ARE PER BUFORD COUNTY ORDINANCE. AND SO THIS IS PRESENTED FOR YOUR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND, UH, TO GIVE YOU SOME REFERENCE AND TO INFORM YOU OF THE, UH, ISSUE SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO GIVE FURTHER DIRECTION TO STAFF FOR FURTHER STUDY OR TO RECOMMEND A CHANGE TO THE ORDINANCE TO BRING BACK TO YOU, ET CETERA. SO I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE AT THIS TIME OR HELP WITH THE DISCUSSION. LOTS OF HANDS UP. UH, LARRY, LARRY MC AND I SAW YOURS. I SAW YOUR FIRST, AND THEN, UH, LOGAN, I'LL GET YOU SECOND. UM, WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT, UM, HI, SCOTT, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, COUNCIL SHARE, VICE SHARE AND COUNCIL MEMBER, AND YOU HAVE THOSE SALARIES SET UP, UM, I SEE THE OTHER SALARIES IN COMPARISON BY LOOKING AT EACH COUNTY AND THE OTHER MATERIAL YOU PROVIDED. AND YOU'LL RECALL THAT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE ELIMINATED, UM, WE HAD A SALARY THAT HADN'T BEEN ADJUSTED FOR ABOUT A DECADE, AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A STIPEND THAT WAS ADDED TO THE SALARY, BUT THAT STIPEND WAS ELIMINATED, AND NOW WE ONLY HAVE A SALARY. WHEN YOU GATHERED THE INFORMATION ON THE SALARIES OF ALL THE OTHER COUNCILS, DID YOU INCLUDE THE STIPENDS THEY RECEIVED OR JUST REPORT THE SALARIES? THEY REPORTED WE, WE RECORDED SALARIES AND WE OBTAINED THAT INFORMATION FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA ELECTION COMMISSION BASED ON, UH, THE SALARY INFORMATION THAT WAS PROVIDED TO DETERMINE THE FILING FEES FOR THOSE OFFICES. WE FIND THAT INFORMATION TO BE FAR MORE ACCURATE THAN THE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY SALARY SURVEY. YEAH. SO THEN THE ANSWER MAY BE NO, YOU ONLY, YOU ONLY RECEIVE THE INFORMATION ON THEIR SALARIES, NOT THEIR SALARIES PLUS STIPENDS. THAT'S CORRECT. SO THAT THIS MAY NOT BE ACCURATE. I THOUGHT IT IS. WELL, I, I, I BELIEVE IT IS ACCURATE. UH, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE WELL, BECAUSE IT CLAIMS THEIR SALARY. I'M ASKING IF YOU COMBINED THEIR SALARIES AND STIPENDS COME UP WITH A TOTAL, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO, WE HAVE NOT. UNLESS THE INFORMATION THEY PROVIDED, THE ELECTION COMMISSION WAS A, A COMBINED, UH, WHICH, UH, REASONABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN, BECAUSE WHEN THE ELECTION COMMISSION IS DETERMINING FILING FEES, THEY ARE CONSIDERING OVERALL COMPENSATION. OKAY, SURE. IF OKAY. RIGHT. WELL, THEY OKAY. YEAH. I MEAN, LARRY, I TAKE YOUR POINT, BUT WE'RE NOT, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PARTICULAR EXERCISE IS NOT TO, TO ADDRESS THE SALARIES OF THE COUNTY OF US. IT'S ONLY TO ADDRESS THE OTHER NO, I GET, THAT'S, IS A GOOD QUESTION. UH, LOGAN, YOU HAD A QUESTION AND THANKS. YEAH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. AND MINE MIGHT BE SILLY, I MIGHT BE MISINFORMED, BUT AREN'T WE CLASSIFIED AS TIER TWO OR RIGHT ON THE EDGE? UM, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. UH, MR. CUNNINGHAM, I'M, I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED IT. UH, WE ARE SQUARELY IN TIER TWO. WE ARE NOT A TIER ONE COUNTY. NEVER HAVE BEEN AND LIKELY NEVER WILL BE. HOW, HOW IS TIER, HOW IS THAT DEFINED RIGHT NOW? TIER ONE IS, IS DEFINED AS A POPULATION OF 200,000 OR GREATER, AND WE'RE AT ABOUT 187,000. YES, SIR. IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS SENDING ME TWO THINGS. ONE, IF ALL OF THE HOMES THAT ARE PLANT IN BLUFFTON BUILD OUT, WE'RE GONNA DOUBLE OUR POPULATION. SO WE PROBABLY WILL. BUT THERE'S A THING CALLED SERVICE POPULATION, AND WE HAVE A VERY HIGH SERVICE POPULATION COMPARED TO A LOT OF OTHER ONES, TWO AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR, WHATEVER THAT ACCORDING. SO IT, IT, I'VE ALWAYS VIEWED US THAT WE REALLY SHOULD COMPARE OURSELVES TO, TO YOUR ONES. ALL RIGHT. WELL, WHILE, WHILE THAT MAY BE TRUE, AND I, I WOULD NOT ARGUE THAT POINT BECAUSE I DON'T FIND ANYTHING YOU SAY TO BE NOT FACTUAL RIGHT NOW, UH, THE FACT OF THE MATTER REMAINS THAT, THAT THAT TIER RATING IS BASED SOLELY UPON YOUR POPULATION. UNDERSTAND. AND THE, THE COUNTIES ARE GROUPED ACCORDINGLY FOR A REASON. THERE'S A REASON THEY'RE IN FOUR DIFFERENT GROUPS, OR FIVE DIFFERENT GROUPS, HOWEVER MANY WE GROUPED THEM. UM, AND AS SOON AS WE HIT THE 200,000 MARK IN, IN 10 MORE YEARS WITH THE CENSUS, UH, MY MONEY IS ON THE FACT THAT THAT LINE FOR TIER ONE COUNTY IS GONNA MOVE. SURE. AND SO WE, WE LIKELY WILL ALWAYS BE GROUPED WITH, UH, WITH TIER TWO COUNTIES. JASON? YEAH. LET ME JUST MAKE A QUICK COMMENT THERE. THIS, WE, WE HAVE, UH, DEBATED THIS TOPIC AT COUNCIL IN NUMEROUS TIMES. AND THE, UH, THE ARGUMENT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THAT WHILE WE ARE, IF YOU ONLY LOOK AT, AT, UH, AT BED POPULATION, WE ARE AT TWO OR TWO COUNTY. BUT AS THE SHERIFF OFTEN SAYS, WE ARE AT FOR SERVICE POPULATION, WHICH MR. RODMAN MENTIONED THAT WE'RE 250,000 OFF OF 250,000 AND MAYBE EVEN MORE AT CERTAIN TIMES. AND SO THE QUESTION BECOMES WHAT'S REALLY REFLECTIVE OF THE, OF THE NEEDS OF THIS COUNTY? IS IT AS A SERVICE [00:20:01] POPULATION OR IS IT ACTUAL POPUL? WE'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE THAT ISSUE TODAY. I'M JUST SIMPLY SAYING THAT THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS TIMES. AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE AIRED ON THE SIDE OF SERVICE POPULATIONS. SO YOU CAN DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. YES, SIR. LOGAN, GO AHEAD. I'M FINE WITH, YOU KNOW, US TAKING THE NUMBERS ON TIER ONE. UM, I'VE TALKED TO YOU GUYS BEFORE IN DEBATES ABOUT WHERE I THINK WE SHOULD BE FOR PAY FOR EVERYONE ACROSS THE COUNTY. TO BE HONEST, I DIDN'T REALLY CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE PAYING IN OTHER COUNTIES. I JUST THINK WE SHOULD BE FAIRLY COMPENSATING OUR AREA. WE KNOW WHAT OUR COST OF LIVING IS AND THE AREAS WE NEED TO IMPROVE ON. UM, IT REALLY MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME WHAT CHARLESTON OR GREENVILLE OR COLUMBIA, ANY OF THEM DO. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMPARABLE TO BE ABLE TO GET THE BEST TALENT. CAUSE F 11 HAVE ONE JOB, AND THAT'S TO GET THE BEST TALENT HERE IN BUFORD COUNTY FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND I DON'T KNOW WHO THESE HIGH NUMBERS ARE. I WISH MAYBE ON THE BLUE NUMBERS FOR THE HIGH, IF WE COULD HAVE FIGURED OUT WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE. BUT IF WE'RE GONNA COMPETE, WE GOTTA PUT A BETTER PRODUCT OUT THERE. IF WE WANNA KEEP THE BEST TALENT, OUR, OUR HOMEGROWN TALENT, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE COMPENSATED. AND IT'S PRETTY CLEAR BASED ON THESE NUMBERS, WE ARE PRETTY LOW. UM, TIER ONE, TIER TWO, CALL IT WHATEVER YOU WANT. BUT THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECT THERE. THIS WOULD BE, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. UH, MR. C, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. UM, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD TIME FOR ANY OF US WHO HAS, UH, SOME CONCERNS TO, UH, TO LET STAFF KNOW WHAT TYPES OF QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS WE'RE GONNA HAVE WHEN IT, WHEN IT COMES FORWARD WITH AN ACTUAL RECOMMENDATION IN EACH ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES. ONE OF THESE ELECTED OFFICIALS MAY, AND, AND WHAT YOU SUGGESTED IS VERY INTERESTING, BECAUSE MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. SO THINK ABOUT THAT BEFORE WE, BEFORE WE MOVE ON FROM THIS ITEM, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S SPECIFIC THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE OR HEAR FROM, UH, FROM STAFF WHEN, WHEN THEY COME FORWARD WITH, WITH FILL IN THE BLANKS, WE THINK THAT THE, UM, CLERK COURT SHOULD MAKE X NUMBER OF DOLLARS CAN BE FOR COUNTY. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, AND THAT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO, TO RAISE THEM SO WE CAN PREPARE STAFF TO PUT THIS TOGETHER FOR THEM. I HAVE A QUESTION, MR. CHAIRMAN. YES, SIR. I REMEMBER GOING OVER THIS, UH, RECENTLY. UM, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WHAT I'M SEEING IS ACCURATE. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY, WHO WERE RAISES GIVEN, UH, BACK IN 2020, AND I THINK THE SHERIFF AND THE CLERK AND THE TREASURER ARE ALL, ARE THE GREEN NUMBERS WHAT WE THINK PEOPLE ARE MAKING HERE? NO, I, HERE'S WHAT I THINK IS GOING ON HERE. WELL, ASSUMING, BUT I ASK SCOTT, ARE THE GREEN NUMBERS WHAT WE THINK PEOPLE ARE? YEAH, LET ME JUST BE CLEAR ABOUT ONE THING, AND THAT MIGHT HELP FREE UP A LOT OF CONFUSION. UM, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT SALARIES OF ANYONE WHO IS CURRENTLY IN AN ELECTED POSITION. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ENTRY LEVEL SALARIES FOR THOSE POSITIONS, FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NEWLY ELECTED. THOSE ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THINGS. SO IF WE HAVE GIVEN RAISES TO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN AN ELECTIVE OFFICE, THAT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC OF CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW. UH, MR. MR. CUNNINGHAM, UH, I HEARD YOU, UH, MENTION, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FOLLOW UP JUST FOR A MOMENT BEFORE YOU JUMP BACK TO MR. CUNNINGHAM. SURE, GO AHEAD. UM, THAT $183,000 IS A STARTING SALARY FOR THE SHERIFF AND A COUNTY SOMEWHERE. YES. THAT'S THE STARTING SALARY. YES. AND THE OTHER 200, 3000 FOR A JUDGE IS THE STARTING SALARY. YES. IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE 15 OF YOUR PACKET, THE BACK, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING TO, TO ANSWER MR. CUNNINGHAM'S, UH, CONCERN. PAGE 15 OF YOUR PACKET HAS THE BACKUP INFORMATION FOR THOSE FIGURES, AND IT SHOWS EACH COUNTY AND, AND WHAT THAT OFFICE'S ENTRY LEVEL SALARY IS. DON'T, ISN'T THE PROBATE JUDGE CONTROLLED BY STATE STATUTE? I'M SORRY, SAY THAT AGAIN? PROBATE JUDGE IS SALARY, IS THAT NOT CONTROLLED BY STATE STATUTE? THE, THE PROBATE JUDGE'S SALARY, I BELIEVE IS SET IN YOUR ORDINANCE. THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STIPEND THAT THE STATE PROVIDES. BUT THAT WASN'T MY QUESTION. MY QUESTION IS, ISN'T THE PROBATE JUDGE'S SALARY SET BY STATE STATUTE? UH, AND, AND LET ME TAKE A LOOK QUICKLY AT YOUR ORDINANCE IN THE PACKET. THE PROBATE JUDGE'S SALARY IS SET BY COUNTY COUNCIL. THE ENTRY LEVEL SALARY, THERE ARE STIPENDS THAT ARE PROVIDED BY THE STATE, BUT COUNTY COUNCIL SETS THE ENTRY LEVEL SALARY FOR THAT POSITION. SO THAT MASTER EQUITY, THE MAGISTRATES, THE CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES, THE APPEAL COURT AND THE SUPREME COURT [00:25:01] ARE ALL SET BY STATE STATUTE, BUT THE PROBATE JUDGE IS SET BY BEAUFORD COUNTY. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT, YES, SIR. I THINK WHAT'S CONFUSING IS IT IS WE HAVE DEALT OVER THE YEARS THE SALARIES OF EXISTING MEMBER EXISTING ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM. THIS IS JUST IF SOMEBODY IS ELECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME OR APPOINTED FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT THEIR SALARY WOULD BE. THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH. MR. CHAIRMAN, LET ME MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND. UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE FINAL, UM, FUTURE SENT OUT. YES, SIR. SO I KNOW THAT WAY WE HAVE BEAUFORD COUNTY SHERIFF, I'M GONNA USE THE SHERIFF FOR OKAY. THAT, UM, THE BASE SALARY FOR THE SHERIFF IS 112. THAT'S THE STARTING SALARY GOING FORWARD. IF I BECAME SHERIFF TODAY, THAT'S WHERE MY SALARY WILL BE. UM, THE CURRENT SHERIFF IS MAKING MORE THAN THAT. AND I, AND I SEE THAT. YES. UM, 183 FOR RICHLAND. THAT'S THE BASE SALARY. YES, SIR. SO THE SHERIFF IN RICHLAND COUNTY MAY BE MAKING MORE THAN 183. IS THAT, THAT'S, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE UNDERSTAND YOU'RE READING THAT CORRECTLY. YES, SIR. OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR. YES. MR. O ONE OTHER QUESTION. UM, WHEN, UM, WHEN WE INCREASE THE STARTING SALARY FOR INDIVIDUALS, DOES THAT TRIGGER AN ADJUSTMENT UP THE LINE BASED ON YEARS OF SERVICE, OR IS THAT TOTALLY INDEPENDENT OF THAT? WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU ESTABLISH A NEW BASED SALARY IN YOUR ORDINANCE, THAT'S INDEPENDENT. INDEPENDENT. SO IT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGER NO. OKAY. BASED ON, UNLESS, UNLESS YOU WANT TO WRITE THE ORDINANCE IN THAT FASHION. CURRENTLY THE ORDINANCE IS NOT WRITTEN THAT WAY. OKAY. YOU HAVE THAT DEROGATIVE. YOU DO THAT IF YOU WANT. . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR ANY MORE INFORMATION I CAN PROVIDE? AGAIN, THIS IS PRESENTED TO YOU FOR INFORMATION, UH, STAFF IS GLAD TO TAKE YOUR DIRECTION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR ADDITIONAL STUDY OR TO COME BACK WITH A REVISED ORDINANCE AS YOU PLEASE. YES, SIR. THAT MAY BE A QUESTION FOR ERIC, UH, OR BOTH OF YOU. UM, IN TERMS OF PUTTING TOGETHER A RECOMMENDATION, GIVEN THAT IT'S ELECTED OFFICIALS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT STAFF NEEDS TO DO? OR IS THAT BETTER DONE BY A SMALL GROUP OF COUNCIL MEMBERS SINCE WE'RE DEALING WITH, WELL, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A HYBRID OF SOME SORT. AND WE CAN DO IT ANY NUMBER OF WAYS. I MEAN, IF YOU START WITH STAFF, THEN, UH, WHEN IT COMES BACK TO US, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GONNA HAVE AN OPINION ON IT. SO WHAT DO YOU SUGGESTING BEFORE THAT HAPPENS? OH, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHETHER, I WAS JUST WONDERING, WE DON'T WANNA PUT ERIC IN, IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION OF MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS OF ABOUT ELECTED OFFICIALS. MAYBE THEY'RE OKAY WITH THAT, BUT I'M JUST RAISING THAT AS A, WHETHER THAT'S A CONCERN. YEAH. WE, WE WERE PROVIDING, WE WANTED YOU ALL TO BE AWARE OF THE SITUATION. YOU HAVE, UH, YOU HAVE ONE NEW ELECTED, AT LEAST THE PROBATE JUDGE, UH, TWO, TWO NEW ELECTED POSITIONS COMING IN. MM-HMM. , UH, THE AUDITOR AND PROBATE JUDGE, UH, THAT WILL BE COMING IN. WE WANTED YOU ALL TO KNOW WHERE, UH, THEY WOULD COME IN AT VERSUS WHAT THE, UH, MARKET IS DOING IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS. UH, SO YOU OUGHT HAVE THE INFORMATION, AND WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE A POSITION ON EITHER WAY. THINK OF SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH. YEAH. SO, YEAH. SO THE PAUL SEEMS TO ME AT THE END OF THE DAY, PAUL, THERE'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO DECIDE HOW WE WANT TO COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION. ARE YOU SUGGESTING, AND I DON'T THINK, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA, UH, TO, UM, TO HAVE A, A COMMIT A SUBCOMMITTEE, IF YOU WILL, OF, UH, OF THIS, OF THIS COUNCIL TO WORK WITH STAFF TO COME UP WITH SOME NUMBERS. I'LL LEAVE THAT TO YOU AND JILL. BUT ARE YOU VOLUNTEERING ? I'VE ALWAYS HAPPY TO DO ANYTHING YOU WANT. THE THE ONLY THING WE WOULD REQUEST IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DO THIS BEFORE JANUARY. SURE. SO WE HAVE TO DO IT THAT WAY. YES. AND THAT, I THINK THAT'S GONNA TAKE TO CHANGE THE ORDINANCE IS GONNA TAKE THREE READINGS, SO TIME'S SHORT. HOW MANY PEOPLE PRESENT WITHIN THE SOUND OF MY VOICE WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE ON A SUBCOMMITTEE TO DO THAT? NOT EVERYBODY AT ONCE. COME ON NOW. I WOULD. WHO SAID THAT? THAT'S CHRIS HAN. CHRIS. OKAY. WHO ELSE? I THINK COUNCILMAN RODMAN RAISED HIS HAND. YEAH. I'M HAPPY TO DO, ROBIN, ARE YOU, UH, YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO DO IT. ARE YOU STILL PUTTING YOUR NAME OUT THERE? YEAH. I THOUGHT I'D ALREADY SAID. OKAY. . OKAY, SO WE GOT TWO SO FAR WE, WE, WE TWO WOULD WORK. THREE WOULD PROBABLY BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER. SO IS THERE A THIRD PERSON THAT'S WILLING, WHAT, WHAT'S THE COMMITTEE GONNA DO, PAUL? THEY'RE GONNA WORK WITH STAFF TO COME UP WITH SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STARTING SALARIES FOR THESE WHAT, SEVEN OR EIGHT ELECTED OFFICIAL POSITIONS. THEY ONLY, YOU ONLY NEED TWO THOUGH, RIGHT? AT THE MOMENT. BUT WE ONLY NEED TO, I'M SEEING THREE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER. I DON'T MEAN THAT THERE'S ONLY TWO PEOPLE THAT ARE STARTING. SO YOU NEED TO DO SEVEN, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? NO, [00:30:01] NO, NO, NO, NO. I'M JUST, I'M JUST COMPOSING A SUBCOMMITTEE AND I'VE GOT, SO FAR, I HAVE TWO VOLUNTEERS AND I'M SUGGESTING THAT THE THIRD VOLUNTEER WOULD BE NICE. OKAY. LEMME ASK THE QUESTION A DIFFERENT WAY. HOW MANY STARTING SALARIES WOULD YOU BE WORKING ON? I DON'T KNOW. COUNT. LIST TWO. WE LOOK AT ALL NEW EMPLOYEES. THERE ARE SEVEN IN THE ORDINANCE. YEAH, I UNDERST. OKAY. OKAY. GOT IT. BUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THERE, UH, ARE YOU, ARE YOU VOLUNTEERING TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE? SOUNDS A LITTLE TOO CONFUSING FOR ME. I'LL HAVE TO ABSTAIN FROM THAT COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NO OTHER HANDS GOING UP THERE. SOUNDS LIKE MR. HER AND MR. RODMAN JUST, I'LL APOLOGIZE THAT A COUPLE FEATHER SENT YOU TO IT. I DO IT. ALICE WILL, I, THERE'S A THIRD PERSON. OKAY. YEAH. WELL, BUT I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA USE MY, UH, AUTHORITY HERE AS A CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO APPOINT A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO WORK WITH STAFF, I E MR. MARSHALL, AND ANYONE ELSE ON STAFF WHO WISHES TO PARTICIPATE, UH, TO COME UP WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS TO, TO BRING BEFORE US. LET'S SEE. IT'S NOW WHAT? OCTOBER 10TH. UH, HOW ABOUT NOVEMBER? BY NOVEMBER? IS THAT REASONABLE? UH, YOU NEED THREE READINGS GETS, YOU WON'T GET THREE READINGS FOR JANUARY. THAT, THAT'S FINE. MEAN WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WHENEVER WE DO IT AND MAKE IT RETROACTIVE FROM, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ONE OF THE POSITIONS. CAUSE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN UNTIL JUNE. THE AUDITOR TAKES OFF IN JUNE. SO IT ONLY, IT'LL ONLY POTENTIALLY AFFECT THE PROBATE DOSE DOLLAR. AND WE CAN, IF WE'RE A MONTH BEHIND, THEN WE CAN MAKE IT RETRO. YEAH. OKAY. I DIDN'T HEAR ALL, I DIDN'T HEAR THOSE COMMENTS. IT SOUNDED SOMETHING LIKE IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL IF WE DON'T GET IT BY JANUARY 1ST OR IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. IT ONLY AFFECTS ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL. SO IF WE FINISH THE NEW BASE SALARIES IN JANUARY, THEN THAT WOULD AFFECT THE POTENTIAL SALARY OF THE INCOME AND PROBATE JUDGE, BECAUSE THE AUDITOR DOES NOT TAKE A OFFICE UNTIL JUNE, UH, OF 23. SO WE CAN GET THIS DONE. AND IF IT'S DONE AFTER THE PROBATE JUDGE TAKES HER OFFICE OR TAKES OFFICE, THEN THEY WILL, WE CAN MAKE IT RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY ONE. IT WORKS FOR ME. SO TAKE YOUR TIME. START, BRING FULL THE RECOMMENDATION ON NOVEMBER THE 10TH OR WHATEVER THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING IS, NOVEMBER. DOES THAT WORK? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR, UH, MR. MARSHALL? THANK YOU MR. MARSHALL. THAT BEFORE YOU GO, GO. UH, YOU, YOU MENTIONED SEVEN OFFICE, WELL, THERE THERE'S SIX THAT COUNTY COUNCIL SETS SALARIES FOR AND ONE AND ONE THAT'S LISTED IS SET BY STATE STATUTE. GOTCHA. OKAY. THAT WOULD BE MASTER EQUITY. YOU WELCOME MR. CHAIRMAN BY CHAIRMAN SUMMERDALE. CAN YOU, UH, ASK FOR A MOTION TO ESTABLISH THE SUBCOMMITTEE AND BRING BACK A RECOMMENDATION IN NOVEMBER? I CERTAINLY CAN. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ESTABLISH A SUBCOMMITTEE CONSISTING OF, OF MR. UH, HERON, MR. RODMAN AND MS. HOWARD, UH, TO, UH, TO WORK WITH STAFF SPECIFICALLY, MR. MARSHALL, UH, TO COME BACK TO PUBLIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THESE, OR SIX, OR IS IT SIX OR SEVEN? SCOTT? SIX. SIX. SIX. I WILL MAKE THAT MOTION AT OUR OCTOBER, AT OUR NOVEMBER, UH, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. UH, DID YOU MAKE THE MOTION? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. A SECOND. A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A SECOND WITHOUT OBJECTION. WE CAN APPROVE THAT MOTION. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE. THE MOTION TO CREATE THE SUBCOMMITTEE IS APPROVED, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE REPORT ON OUR NOVEMBER OBJECTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. THANK YOU, MR. MARSHALL. YOU'RE WELCOME, MR. CHAIRMAN. NEXT [9. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE ARPA-FUNDED SIGN-ON BONUS POLICY (FISCAL IMPACT: $500,000.00 from ARPA funds appropriated under Ordinance 2022/16)] ITEM IS, UM, ITEM NUMBER NINE. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE APA FUNDED SIGN ON BONUS POLICY FISCAL IMPACT $500,000 FROM HARPER FUNDS APPROPRIATED UNDER ORDINANCE TWO, TWO A. EXCUSE ME. UH, DOES THAT NEED TO BE PRESENTED? AND IF SO, BY WHOM? UM, I'M, I'M AVAILABLE TO DO THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF YOU LIKE, I CAN RUN THROUGH THE PARTICULARS OF THE PROGRAM OR IF, UH, COUNCIL WANTS TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON IT. IT'S YOUR CALL. I'M HERE FOR YOU. PLEASE, PLEASE. UH, SO ORDINANCE 22 20 22 16, UH, WAS PASSED THIRD TO FINAL READING ON MARCH 28TH, AND PART OF THAT ORDINANCE SPECIFIED THE USE OF OUR FINES AND DESIGNATED $500,000 TOWARD RECRUITMENT INCENTIVES FOR PUBLIC SAFETY POSITIONS. UH, WHAT STAFF IS ASKING IS YOUR CONSIDERATION OF THE RESOLUTION IN YOUR PACKET. EXHIBIT A OF THAT RESOLUTION IS A HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY DOCUMENT, WHICH DEFINES A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES INCENTIVES USING THE $500,000 IN OUR FUNDS. THE PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE A SIGN ON BONUS OF $5,000 FOR NEW EMPLOYEES IN EMS, [00:35:01] THE DETENTION CENTER, AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NARRATIVE ON PAGE 18 OF YOUR PACKET SPECIFIES A TOTAL OF 2,500 FOR SIGN ON BONUS. AND THAT IS INCORRECT. IT IS A $5,000 SIGN ON BONUS SPECIFIED IN THE POLICY. THIS POLICY WOULD ALSO PROVIDE A RELOCATION ASSISTANCE STIPEND OF $2,500 FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE RELOCATING TO BEAUFORD COUNTY FROM OUTSIDE A 30 MILE RADIUS. THE, UH, PROGRAM COMPONENTS ARE THE EMPLOYEE MUST REMAIN EMPLOYED WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY AT LEAST ONE YEAR. UH, THERE ARE PROVISIONS THAT PREVENT DOUBLE DIPPING, MEANING AN EMPLOYEE CAN ONLY RECEIVE THIS BONUS AND THIS RELOCATION STIPEND ONE TIME DURING THE WHOLE LIFE OF THE PROGRAM. CURRENT EMPLOYEES WHO SEPARATE AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PROGRAM ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR A SIGN ON BONUS EARLIER THAN ONE YEAR FOLLOWING THEIR SEPARATION OF EMPLOYMENT. NOW, THAT'S TO KEEP, UH, IF I'M AN EMPLOYEE IN EMS AND I HEAR WE HAVE THIS PROGRAM, OH, I'M GONNA QUIT AND I'M GONNA COME BACK IN SIX WEEKS, I'M GONNA GET MY FIVE GRAND. THAT'S, THAT'S, THIS IS TO PREVENT THAT, UH, THE PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH FOLLOWING COUNCIL'S APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION. AND THE PROGRAM WILL TERMINATE WHEN WE'VE EXPENDED ALL OF THE $500,000 IN APA FUNDS. OR DECEMBER 31ST, 2024, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. I FULLY ANTICIPATE WE WILL GO THROUGH THE FUNDS WAY BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ON THIS PROGRAM, THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN. SECOND? YES, MR. CAN WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND BEFORE WE GET INTO DISCUSSION? I'LL MOVE MR. CHAIRMAN, I'LL SECOND THE MOTION. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. UM, WE'RE NOW IN DISCUSSION. QUESTIONS FOR MR. MARSHALL OR ANYBODY ELSE? I JUST, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF I JUST GOT ONE QUICK QUESTION. UM, UH, A RADIUS OF 30 MILES. YES. FROM HEADQUARTERS HERE? YES. UM, IF I LOOK AT NORTH, WOULD THAT PUT ME, UM, OH, YOU GOT A MAP. PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND. . . THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. OKAY. I'M FINE. MR. CHAIRMAN. GO AHEAD, MR. CHAIRMAN. I HAD ANYBODY ELSE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. MARSHALL? I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. MAYBE IN HERE AND I MISSED IT. OKAY. I COME HERE AND GET ON WITH THE DETENTION IS A DETENTION CENTER. THEN I GO WORK FOR THE SHERIFF. NO, YOU DON'T WORK. WHAT'S THAT? I WORK FOR THE DETENTION CENTER AND THEN SIX MONTHS LATER I GO WORK FOR THE SHERIFF. YOU'RE, YOU'RE STILL IN THE EMPLOYEE OF THE COUNTY? WHAT IF I GO WORK FOR THE CITY OF BEAUFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT? WELL, THEN, THEN YOU'RE GONNA OWE US MONEY. OKAY. IF YOU LEAVE BEFORE YOUR YEAR UP. OKAY. THERE'S A, THERE'S A CLAWBACK PROVISION IN THE PROGRAM AS WELL. THAT'S A CALLBACK. OKAY. YES. GOT IT. COOL. WHEN WE APPROVE, LET'S SAY, LET'S JUST SAY, BECOMES EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST, UM, AND PEOPLE ARE BEING HIRED ALL THE TIME. IF SOMEONE WAS HIRED ON JUNE 30TH, THEY DON'T QUALIFY CURRENTLY THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN. NO. WE, I MEAN, IF WE WANNA WRITE A GRACE PERIOD IN THERE, I'M SURE WE CAN DO THAT. BUT THE, THE POINT IS WE'VE GOTTA, WE'VE GOTTA DRAW A LINE SOMEWHERE AT SOME POINT. YEAH, I KNOW. OKAY. AND, UM, 30 MILES, UH, FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF MOVING COSTS, UH, MORE THAN 30, MORE THAN 30 MILES. THAT SEEMS REASONABLE. OKAY. RIGHT. UH, JUST JUST TO CLARIFY, IT'S NOT REIMBURSEMENT OF MOVING COSTS. IT'S A, IT'S A SINGLE PAYMENT STIPEND OF $2,500. OH, NO SUBMISSION OF, UH, OF, UH, RECEIPTS. NO, BUT YOU DO HAVE TO, UH, PROVIDE PROOF OF RESIDENCY. SO IF THEY MOVE HERE FROM 40 MILES AWAY AND THEY HIRE A U-HAUL TRUCK AND COST THEM 500, WE'RE GONNA GIVE 'EM 2,500 ACCORDING TO THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN NOW. I SEE. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE FOR MR. MARSHALL? IF I MIGHT, PAUL? YES, SIR. YEAH. I TO, TO TAKE YOU BACK OFF OF LARRY'S CONCERN. I WAS, I WAS CONTEMPLATING THE SAME THING. WE, WE HAVE A CLAWBACK ON THE REQUIRING THEM TO, UM, AFTER THEY GET THE SIGN IN BONUSES ON THE REQUIREMENT, REQUIRING THEM TO STAY A YEAR. IF THEY, IF THEY TURN A LEAVE BEFORE THE YEAR, THEN THE CALLBACK GOES INTO EFFECT. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. YES, SIR. BUT TO WHERE IT'S WRITTEN, IF THEY STAY THERE ONE YEAR TO GET ALL THE, THE BONUSES THAT WE ARE OFFERING, AND THEN AFTER THAT ONE YEAR, THEY CAN LEAVE. YES. TO ME, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. YEAH. AT ALL. AND AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS A DRAFT POLICY. WE CAN MAKE WHATEVER, UH, REVISIONS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE BEFORE WE BRING IT TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A CUTOFF ON EVERYTHING. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE YEAR, WHAT DO YOU, LIKE, A YEAR AND A HALF? OR MAYBE IT'S TOO LONG, TOO SHORT. YOU CAN MAKE THAT AS A, AS A MOTION TO AMEND AT [00:40:01] SOME POINT ALONG THE WAY. RIGHT. SO I DO, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR APPROVE THE RESOLUTION AS THAT'S CURRENTLY WRITTEN. UH, SO I'M, I'M GONNA CALL A QUESTION ON THAT. UNLESS SOMEBODY WANTS TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT, THIS WILL REQUIRE THREE READING GOES SINGLE READING, IT'S A RESOLUTION THAT'S, LET'S, LET'S HAVE A ROLL CALL. THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. SPEAK. NOW ONE READING OF FULL COUNSEL. YEAH. YOU ARE JUST MAKING A RECOMMENDATION. RIGHT. AND IF YOU ALL HAVE FEEDBACK FOR US, WE'LL BE GLAD TO MAKE CHANGES INTO RECOMMENDATIONS AND YOU ALL CAN MOVE IT ON TO COUNCIL. SO IF, IF YOU PREFER TWO YEARS, UH, FOR THE CLAW BACK, THEN I THINK THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS DO. AND, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, WHATEVER CHANGES YOU ALL WANNA MAKE. YEAH. TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S THE WHOLE VALUE OF BRINGING IT TO COMMITTEE FIRST, SO WE CAN FINE TUNE IT. THAT MOTION TO MAKE THAT PROGRAM BE TWO YEARS FROM ONE YEAR TO TWO YEARS. YES, SIR. BEFORE WE SEND IT TO COUNCIL TO DISCUSS MORE, BUT I'D LIKE TO IT THAT WAY TO COUNCIL AHEAD OF TIME. LET ME MAKE SURE. I THINK OUR, OUR JOB IS TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY, NOT JUST GET 'EM HERE. AND IF WE WANT TO KEEP THEM THERE, WE GOTTA PUT OUT THE BEST PRODUCT POSSIBLE AND TWO YEARS A TIME FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, SHOW THEM EXACTLY WHAT COUNTY'S ABOUT AND FIXING THAT ENTIRE ENVIRONMENT. THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A SECOND ON THAT? UH, MOTION TO AMEND? I'LL SECOND THAT. OKAY. HAVE A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. LET'S, LET'S VOTE ON THE MOTION TO AMEND. MAY, MAY I ASK, I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST A CHANGE. UM, I THINK THAT THE RELOCATION BONUS IS GOOD, BUT I THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO, UM, RECEIVE IT SHOULD SUBMIT, UH, RECEIPTS FOR PAYMENT UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $2,500 RATHER THAN JUST A BLANKET RANT OF $2,500 TO MOVE. WELL, THE PURPOSE OF IT IS TO ATTRACT PEOPLE, NOT TO REQUIRE THEM TO GET INTO IT WITH THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. I MEAN, I MEAN, YOU CAN DO THAT, LARRY MM-HMM. , BUT IT'S, IT'S, I THINK IT'S GONNA DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF IT. WELL, WE SHOULD JUST GIVE EVERYBODY A RELOCATION BENEFIT. THERE WE ARE. ESSENTIALLY, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH TRACKING THE RECEIPTS. IF THAT WILL MAKE THE PROGRAM LAST LONGER, LARRY, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SPLIT IT? ISN'T IT 5,000 LITTLE? WHAT, WHAT IF WE DID 2,500 ON RECEIPTS AND THE OTHER 2,500 AS A BONUS? ALL I'M ASKING PEOPLE TO DO IS GIVE US RECEIPTS FOR THE MOVE. YEAH. SO TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT EXERCISE, YOU GET REIMBURSED FOR WHAT YOUR EXPENDITURES WERE. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE BONUS. ALL I'M SAYING IS YOU, YOU CAN'T JUST COME IN AND SAY, I WANT $2,500 TO MOVE, NOT COSTING ME ANYTHING. YOU CAN'T DO THAT. RIGHT? THAT'S A LOT OF COMPANIES. NO, YOU COULD DO THAT, BUT I WOULD TO APPROVE THAT. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. ALL RIGHT. SO YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE A, A BONUS, BUT WHICH IS WHAT IT IS, ESSENTIALLY. I MEAN, IT COULD BE ACTUALLY EXPENSES, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE. SO YOU WANNA CHANGE IT FOR WHAT EXPENSES ONLY? NO, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE BONUS. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE, SORRY, $2,500 MOVE. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. RIGHT. AND I'M SAYING, SO YOU WANT IT TO BE EXPENSES ONLY, NOT A BONUS. YEAH. ACTUAL, ACTUAL EXPENSES FOR THE MOVE. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. WELL, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A, WE HAVE AN AMENDMENT ON THE FLOOR TO REDUCE, TO INCREASE THE TIME PERIOD TO RETAIN IT FROM ONE YEAR TO TWO YEARS. OKAY. LET'S KNOCK THAT ONE OUT AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO YES, SIR. CHRIS, IF I MIGHT, YEAH. IN NORMAL TIMES, I WOULD 100% AGREE WITH MRN ON THIS. I'D BE, I'D BE ALL FOR THE RECEIPTS AND ALL, AND ALL OF THAT. HOWEVER, IN A PERIOD WHERE REMOTE WORK IS BECOMING MORE THAN NORM THAN NOT, AND IF WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY COME TO THE COUNTY, I WOULD, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF JUST DOING THE FLAT $2,500. UH, UH, THANK YOU, CHRIS. WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT IN JUST A MINUTE. UH, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IS ONE YEAR VERSUS TWO YEARS. CAN I CALL THE QUESTION ON THAT ONE? LET'S CALL THE QUESTION ON THE AMENDMENT. I THINK IT WAS LOGAN'S AMENDMENT INITIAL. CORRECT. LOGAN, PAUL. PAUL, BEFORE YOU CALL THE QUESTION YEAH. IF I MIGHT. SURE. I, I'M, I'M WRESTLING WITH THIS BECAUSE HERE WE ARE, WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, ESTABLISH AN ORDINANCE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN. WE, WE, WE'RE TRYING, WE'RE ACTUALLY DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF RETENTION AS WELL AS RECRUITMENT. AND FOR US TO, UH, GIVE THE, UH, OR INITIATE THE SIGN IN BONUSES THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING AND ONLY THE PLAT, AND ONLY LIMIT THEM TO A TWO YEAR, UH, UH, COMMITMENT. UM, I, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. I I THINK WE SHOULD, IT SHOULD BE MORE THAN A TWO YEAR. WHAT'S, [00:45:01] WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF US GIVEN THE SIGN IN BONUS, ONLY ASKING THEM TO STAY ONE YEAR OR TWO YEAR, AND THEN AFTER TWO YEAR, I CAN MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. ALL, ALL THAT SIGN IN BONUS IS JUST GONE. THE WASTE. WELL, YOU CAN, YOU DIDN'T, YOU DIDN'T, YOU DIDN'T REALLY, YOU DIDN'T REALLY, YOU DIDN'T REALLY RETAIN OR, OR YOU DIDN'T REALLY ACCOMPLISH THE, THE, THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH YOU WERE GIVEN THE BONUSES. RIGHT. AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, VOTE AGAINST IT. AND IF IT GOES DOWN, THEN YOU CAN MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO MAKE IT THREE YEARS OR FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE. THAT I WILL. OKAY. I WANNA CALL A QUESTION ON TWO VERSUS ONE. NOW, MR. CHAIRMAN, AND BEFORE YOU VOTE, UM, I'M NOT, I, I'M READY TO VOTE, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, WE ARE SAYING THAT THE SECOND 2,500 WOULD COME THE SECOND YEAR, OR THEY RECEIVED THAT THE FIRST YEAR, BUT THEY HAVE TO STAY FOR TWO YEARS THERE. IS THAT THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE FLOOR? NO, NOT, NOT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE MOTION IS ON THE FLOOR, IS JUST WITH REGARD TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU HAVE TO STAY IN THE EMPLOYEE OF THE COUNTY BEFORE YOU HAVE TO PAY BACK ANY OF YOUR BONUS. RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT THE POLICY IS DRAFTED IS THAT YOU WOULD GET $2,500 UPON HIGHER AND THEN 20 IN THE REMAINING $2,500 OF YOUR SIGN ON BONUS AT THE COMPLETION OF YOUR PROBATIONARY PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT. GOTCHA. AND THAT'LL BE THE SAME, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO STAY TWO YEARS OR YOU HAVE TO PAY IT BACK. SO THE, ALRIGHT, SO IF, YEAH, AGAIN, I WANNA CALL A QUESTION, BUT EVERYBODY'S CLEAR. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE TWO YEARS, MR. UH, DAWSON SUGGESTED HE DOESN'T LIKE THE TWO YEARS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE TWO YEARS, THEN VOTE AGAINST THIS. AND IF IT FAILS, THEN YOU CAN, WE CAN COME BACK AND HAVE ANOTHER MOTION FOR THREE YEARS OR FOUR YEARS, OR FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER THESE BODY LIKES. LET ME CALL MR. CHAIRMAN BEFORE I VOTE. CAN I ASK A QUESTION? YEAH. UM, THIS MIGHT BE FOR ERIC. HOW OFTEN DO WE HIRE WITHIN THE COUNTY TO MOVE EMPLOYEES TO A DIFFERENT, UM, I MEAN WE, WE SECTION WE HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT MOVE AROUND, BUT THIS WOULD NOT APPLY TO EXISTING COUNTY EMPLOYEES. THIS IS AGAIN, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM. RIGHT? WELL, MY QUESTION IS, I I'LL SAVE YOU CAUSE I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY. UM, WHAT MY QUESTION IS THOUGH, IF WE'RE ABOUT RETENTION AND RETAINING TWO YEARS IS JUST FOR THEIR BONUS THAT THEY HAVE TO STAY IN THAT SPECIFIC POSITION. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY CAN'T TRANSFER TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT AFTER THOSE TWO YEARS. AND THAT'S STILL A FORM OF RETENTION FOR US IN BEAVER COUNTY. THAT'S CORRECT. I I BELIEVE IF THEY TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT THAT IS NOT ONE OF THE ORIGINAL DEPARTMENTS THAT WAS ELIGIBLE FOR THE BONUS, UH, THE SPIRIT OF THE PROGRAM, I BELIEVE WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO PAY BACK THAT MONEY. IN OTHER WORDS, I AGREE WITH THAT. IF THEY COME TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND DECIDE ON AS A DEPUTY AND THEY WANNA MOVE THE VOTER REGISTRATION, THEN, THEN THEY'RE NOT REALLY ELIGIBLE FOR THAT, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY SIGN ON BONUS ANYMORE. COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT. MINE IS MORE JUST LOGIC OF RETENTION ITSELF, MONEY OUTSIDE OF IT. PAYBACK PROGRAM OUTSIDE OF JUST RETENTION FOR BAUER COUNTY IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM. THAT'S CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. SO, SO IF THEY MOVE AROUND IN THE COUNTY, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT BACK. IF THEY MOVE AROUND BETWEEN THE, UH, OFFICES THAT ARE SPECIFIED IN THE POLICY, WHICH IS EMS DETENTION CENTER AND SHERIFF'S OFFICE, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE INTENT OF THIS IS TO CREATE A POLICY THAT FULFILLS YOUR ORDINANCE THAT YOU ALREADY APPROVED, THAT SETS ASIDE $500,000 TO GET OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FUNCTIONS HEALTHY, MANY WISE. OKAY. THANK YOU. DO I NEED TO CALL THE ROLE ON THIS TWO VERSUS ONE? YES. THINK SO? YES. OKAY. I ASKED THE CLERK TO CALL THE ROLE ON THIS, PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER MCGALL? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER HERION? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER RODMAN? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER HOWARD? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON HERE. HE OH, MARK LAWSON? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON? NO. I HAVE FOUR. OH, COUNCIL MEMBER. SOME ARE REAL. SORRY. YES. SO I HAVE FIVE, FOUR. OKAY. SO IT GOES FROM ONE TO TWO. NOW WHAT WAS THE OTHER, UM, AMENDMENT THAT SOMEBODY SUGGESTED THEY WANTED TO MAKE? OR DID I MISS UP BEFORE WE MOVE BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION COUNT? LARRY, THAT WAS YOURS. YEAH, THAT WAS THE, UH, RECEIPTS ON THE, UH, $2,500 REIMBURSEMENT ON THE MOVING EXPENSES. BUT THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A MOTION TO THAT EFFECT IN A SECOND BEFORE WE CAN ACT ON IT. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION THAT RECEIPT SHOULD BE, UH, PROVIDED FOR, UH, THE RELOCATION BONUS, UH, [00:50:01] FOR MAXIMUM OF $2,500. I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION. WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A MOTION A SECOND TO REQUIRE RECEIPTS FOR RECEIPT OF UP TO 2,500. AND THAT LEAVES, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, 2,500 THAT THEY RECEIVED WITH NO CONDITIONS ON IT. OH, NO, NO, NO. IT'S A $5,000 SIGNON BONUS AND A $2,500 RELOCATION BONUS. RIGHT, RIGHT. THE $2,500 RELOCATION BONUS, AS I UNDERSTAND, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE $5,000 SALARY. CORRECT. OKAY. SO MY MIND 500 REQUIRE, THAT WAS CONFUSED. THE, UM, RELOCATION UP TO $2,500. OKAY. ALL. SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO REQUIRE RECEIPTS UP TO THE $2,500 RELOCATION REIMBURSEMENT AND LEAVING THE $5,000 RETENTION FEE AS IT STANDS. RIGHT? THAT SOUND RIGHT, MR. OKAY. UM, ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? AMEND THAT MOTION TO AMEND GARY, THEN I'LL CALL A QUESTION. DO WE NEED TO CALL, DO WE NEED A ROLL CALL ON THIS ONE? I THINK YOU DO. WHO SAID THAT? ERIC? ERIC, YOU'RE NOT VOTING . ANYBODY WHO'S VOTING WANT US TO HAVE A ROLL CALL? I DO PAUL. YOU DO. PAUL. PAUL, I'M LISTENING. ARE ARE WE CONSIDERING A CLAWBACK IN, IN THIS MOTION? THERE WILL BE NO CLAWBACK IN THIS CAUSE WHEN THEY, THEY'RE GONNA INCUR THE EXPENSE OF MOVING. OH, OKAY. OKAY. REGARDLESS. AND THE MOTION IS TO REQUIRE RECEIPTS. MOTION IS A REQUIRED RECEIPT FOR REIMBURSEMENT UP TO $2,500. AND THE ONLY REASON I SAID THAT YOU PROBABLY NEED TO DO A ROAD CAUSE, CAUSE OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HER ON EXPRESSING THAT HE WOULD VOTE AGAINST THE MOTION. WELL, LET ME, LET ME MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON ONE THING. YOU CAN'T, YOU DON'T NEED ALAW BACK. IF YOU REQUIRE RECEIPTS, YOU, YOU PUSH TURN THE RECEIPT, YOU GET THE REIMBURSEMENT. THERE'S NO NEED FOR A CLAWBACK. WE'RE NOT GONNA GIVE HIM 2,500 AND THEN SAY, OH BY THE WAY, YOU DIDN'T GIVE US RECEIPTS. YOU OWE US 1400 BUCKS. WHATEVER THE DIFFERENCE TURNS OUT TO BE. YES SIR. SOMEBODY KNOWS SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW HERE. NO, YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT'S GOOD. OKAY. RIGHT. YEAH. THERE'S NO CONFUSION ABOUT THAT MOTION TO AMEND TO REQUIRE RECEIPTS FOR THE 25 HUN UP TO $2,500 IN REIMBURSEMENT FOR MOVING EXPENSES. THAT'S RIGHT. FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE MORE THAN 30 MILES AWAY. RIGHT. SO, UH, I'M GONNA SAY THIS IS APPROVED WITHOUT OBJECTION, UNLESS THERE'S AN OBJECTION. I GOT A COMMENT, MR. CHAIRMAN. OKAY, GO AHEAD. A SEPARATE VOTE IF YOU WOULD. UM, ACTUALLY WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GO AND MOVE, UM, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF OTHER EXPENSES AND THINGS THAT HIT YOU THAT YOU MAY NOT NECESSARILY HAVE RECEIPTS FOR. UM, AND, UH, ANYBODY WHO'S GONNA RELOCATE IS PROBABLY GONNA HIT CLOSE TO THIS NUMBER ANYWAY. SO TO ME, I I, I, I DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH GOING THROUGH THE HASSLE OF GETTING THE RECEIPTS. I THINK IT BETTER OFF JUST TO PAY 'EM AND BE DONE WITH IT ONCE THEY PROVE THEIR RESIDENCY. IF, IF I, IF I COULD, UM, THERE IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE COST ATTACHED TO TRACKING THE EXPENSES UP TO AND INCLUDING THE $2,500. THERE ARE MANY EXPENSES, UH, THAT, THAT AN EMPLOYEE MAY INCUR THAT AREN'T EVIDENT RIGHT AWAY. BUT THEY MIGHT KNOW, HEY, I HAVEN'T USED ALL MY $2,500. I STILL HAVE A STORAGE SPACE IN STATESVILLE, GEORGIA, SO I'D LIKE TO CLAIM MY STORAGE SPACE. AND SO WE'D HAVE TO BE REALLY CLEAR WITH, UM, HOW WE ALLOW THEM TO REIMBURSE AND WHAT THE TIME LIMIT IS ON, ON SUBMITTING ALL REIMBURSEMENTS. AND, UH, I WOULD MAINTAIN THAT GIVEN THE RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT, $2,500 PER PER EMPLOYEE TO RELOCATE HERE. THE ADMINISTRATIVE COST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT MAY NOT MAKE IT WORTH IT. THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS WORTH. I'LL BE QUIET NOW CUZ I WASN'T ASKED FOR THAT. MR. CHAIRMAN, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT TOO. UM, YEAH, PLEASE. I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN RODMAN BECAUSE YOU, YOU MOVE, YOU'VE GOT EXPENSES SUCH AS DEPOSITS FOR, FOR YOUR ELECTRIC, DEPOSITS FOR THIS, DEPOSITS FOR THAT. THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET REIMBURSED. UH, YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO EAT IT. UM, OR PAY IT, I GUESS . AND, UM, I AGREE. I THINK THIS IS, UM, KIND OF THE MINIMUM AMOUNT AND TO REQUIRE THE RECEIPTS IS, UM, KIND OF EXTREME. SO THANK YOU. I, I I HAPPEN TO SHARE THAT VIEW. UH, THAT'S WHY WE'RE GONNA CALL THE ROLL ON THIS ONE. AND IF YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT THEY SHOULD PROVIDE RECEIPTS AND YOU GO YES. IF YOU THINK THEY SHOULDN'T VOTE, NO. AND WE'LL SEE WHERE IT GOES. UH, YES SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER MC? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM? [00:55:02] YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER? UH, NO. COUNCIL MEMBER. HAR ON. I CAN COME BACK TO HIM. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER RODMAN? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER HOWARD? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON. MARK LAWSON? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER SOMERVILLE? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER HERAN WITHOUT HIS VOTE. IT'S FIVE THREE. IT FAILS THAT WE COULDN'T CHANGE THE OUTCOME ANYWAY. YEAH. OKAY. LET'S MOVE BACK TO THE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER AMENDMENTS? I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY THIS, SO WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE MAIN MOTION ITEM NUMBER NINE AS AMENDED. I'M SORRY. AS AMENDED WITH THE TWO YEARS VERSUS THE ONE YEAR. OKAY. WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS. I'M GONNA CALL A QUESTION ON THE MAIN MOTION ITEM NUMBER NINE, WHICH IS TO RECOMMEND A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE SIGN ON BONUS AS AMENDED. DO WE NEED TO CALL A ROLL ON THAT ONE? CAN, CAN I AMEND THE AMENDMENT? LET'S MAKE ANOTHER AMENDMENT. I HEARD. OKAY. I DON'T GET NUANCE IN SUBTLETY WITH THE ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION. DID, DID YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, YOU SAID, CAN YOU AMEND IT? YEAH. CAN I AMEND THE AMENDMENT? THE AMENDMENT ALREADY PASSED YOU. YEAH, WE HAVE, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A MAIN MOTION. ANOTHER AMENDMENT YOU CAN OFFER ANOTHER AMEND, RIGHT? YOU CAN OFFER ANOTHER AMENDMENT. YEAH, SURE. I, I MOVE TO AMEND THE MOTION THAT THE, UH, CLAWBACK, UH, CLAUSE REQUIRE A FIVE YEAR STAY BEFORE, UM, THAT THEY HAVE TO, UH, REIMBURSE THE COUNTY FIVE YEARS. OKAY. SO WE GO YOUR MOTION, OR SORRY, YOUR AMENDMENT IS TO GO FROM TWO YEARS TO FIVE YEARS FOR CALLBACK. RIGHT? RIGHT. CAUSE WE'RE CURRENTLY A TWO. OKAY, FINE. UM, ANYBODY WANNA COMMENT ON THAT? OR, OR DO, AND GO AHEAD AND LET ME GO AHEAD AND CALL A QUESTION ON IT. EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS IT. I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR A LONG TIME. UM, CAN I DO THIS WITHOUT OBJECTION OR, UM, THERE HASN'T BEEN A SECOND MOTION. OH, DON'T HAVE A SECOND. IS THERE A SECOND? TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK. ALL RIGHT. THE, THE AMENDMENT DIES FOR LACK OF A SECOND. NOW WE'RE BACK TO THE MAIN MOTION, WHICH IS TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION TO APPROVE OUR FUNDED SIGN ON BONUS AS AMENDED FROM TWO ONE YEAR TO TWO YEARS. AND IT'S A MOTION. IT'S BEEN MOTIONED AND SECONDED. ASK THE CLERK TO PLEASE CALL. DO I NEED TO CALL A ROLL ON THIS ONE? YES. OKAY. CLERK, PLEASE CALL A ROLL ON THIS. YES, SIR. UH, COUNCILMAN RODMAN? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER HOWARD? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON. MARK LAWSON. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER MCGALL? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER HARK. COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER? YES. COUNCILMAN? UH, SUMMERVILLE? YES. IT, SEVEN ONE WITHOUT COUNCILMAN HARK. MM-HMM. THAT TAKES CARE OF ITEM NUMBER [10. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF DARWIN CLEVELAND, OWNER OF ADVANCED FIBER OPTIC TECHNOLOGY AS THE BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY ON THE LOWCOUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2025] [11. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF COLONEL QUANDARA GRANT, DIRECTOR OF THE BEAUFORT COUNTY DETENTION CENTER, TO SERVE AS THE LABOR REPRESENTATIVE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY ON THE LOWCOUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD FOR A THREE-YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2025] [12. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE REAPPOINTMENT OF STEVE FOBES TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR A FOUR-YEAR TERM WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE OF 2026.] NINE. ITEM NUMBER 10 IS RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF DARWIN CLEVELAND, OWNER OF ADVANCED FIBER OPTIC TECHNOLOGY AS THE BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE OF BUFORD COUNTY ON THE LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS FOR A THREE YEAR TERM EXPIRING 2025. THE MOTION CHAIRMAN, WE, WE'D LIKE TO DO ALL THREE OF THEM TOGETHER. APPOINTMENTS. OH, OKAY. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT 12, 10, 11, AND 12? CORRECT. OKAY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET ME, LET ME REPHRASE THAT. I LIKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, ITEM 10, WHICH IS, UH, DARWIN CLEVELAND, ITEM 11, WHICH IS, UH, APPOINTMENT OF COLONEL GRANT, UH, ALSO TO LOCOG. AND, UH, THE THIRD ONE IS STEVE FS TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. COULD I HAVE A MOTION ON THAT PLEASE? SO MOVE MR. CHAIRMAN A SECOND. OKAY. CAN I APPROVE THAT? WITHOUT EXCEPTION. JUST ONE QUESTION ON STEVE FS. YEP. IS, DO I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THAT HE'S THE TOWN OF HILTON HEADS APPOINTMENT TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS OPPOSED TO OURS? I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE TO APPROVE IT THOUGH. YEAH, WE HAVE TO APPROVE. BUT I THINK THAT'S THE WHAT IT IS. THAT SLOT. THAT'S THE SLOT WHO, YEAH. SO WE NEED TO VERIFY WITH THE TOWN THAT THEY'RE [01:00:01] NOMINATING, I GUESS I'M ASSUMING THAT THE CLERK, UM, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THOSE. THAT'S THE CLERK, THE COUNCIL'S OFFICE. SO WE'LL, WE'LL VERIFY THAT PRIOR TO THE COUNCIL MEETING. OKAY. THANK YOU. I SUBJECT TO THAT VERIFICATION THAT'S A GOOD POINTS TOO. I MEAN, I ASSUME THAT COUNTY BUILDING HAD APPOINTED AND WERE REAPPOINTED HIM, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, WE CAN CONFIRM THAT. SO WE, NOW I HAVE A MOTION TO, UH, REPOINT OR APPOINT ALL THESE THREE OF THESE FOLKS. IT'S SECONDED. CAN I PROVE THAT WITHOUT OBJECTION. SUBJECT TO THE CONFIRMATION OF, OF, UH, STEVE FOLKS. IS THAT A YES. THOSE THREE ARE APPROVED WITHOUT, WITHOUT EXCEPTION. UH, SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION OF STEVE'S APPOINTMENT REAPPOINTMENT BY THE TOWN HILTON HEAD. AND THAT CONCLUDES ALL MATTERS ON OUR AGENDA. UH, WE ARE MS. CHAIRMAN. YES, SIR. BEFORE YOU CLOSE, UM, WHERE'D YOU JUST, UH, APPOINTED REAPPOINTED STEVE FOLTZ TO THE BU COUNTY, UM, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD? YES, SIR. WHERE ARE WE WITH THE REAPPOINTMENT OF, UH, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS MIKE ASCO FOR THE, UM, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA, UM, ALLIANCE BOARD. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. WE'LL HAVE TO FIND, WE'LL HAVE TO FIGURE THAT AND GET TO YOU AS QUICK AS WE CAN. ALL RIGHT. WOULD, WOULD YOU PUT IT ON THE NEXT AGENDA FOR THE, UH, FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE? I THINK, I THINK WE CAN GET YOU, I THINK WE CAN GET YOU AN ANSWER BEFORE THE NEXT AGENDA. ALRIGHT. IF, IF, IF WE HADN'T, IF WE HADN'T DONE THAT REAPPOINTMENT, THEN WOULD YOU PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR THE NEXT, UH, EXECUTIVE BOARD? WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, IF IT HASN'T BEEN DONE, HE GETS APPOINTED BY, HE GETS APPOINTED BY US. RIGHT, RIGHT. OKAY. SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN, AND, AND I'M ASKING YOU TO PUT IT ON YOUR NEXT EXECUTIVE, UH, COMMITTEE AGENDA IF, IF IT HADN'T BEEN DONE ALREADY. I DUNNO HOW TO ANSWER THAT, JILL. CAUSE I THINK SOMEBODY HAS TO MAKE THE MOTION TO DO THAT. WELL. WE'LL, WE WILL, WE NEED TO CHECK WITH THE SCA TO MAKE SURE THAT, IF YOU RECALL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THERE WAS AN ATTENDANCE ISSUE AS REPORTED BY THE SCA SOUTHERN CAROLINA ALLIANCE. SO LET US VERIFY THAT WITH THE CLERK COUNCIL'S OFFICE, UH, IF THAT ISSUE HAS BEEN CORRECTED, UH, SO THAT WE, AND WE'LL MAKE SURE, I'LL WORK WITH THE CLERK COUNCIL'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE IT GETS ADDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OR AN APPROPRIATE COMMITTEE IN NOVEMBER TO TAKE, BE TAKEN CARE OF. ALL RIGHT. GOOD ENOUGH. ALL RIGHT. ALL MATTERS HAVEN'T BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE THIS BODY. WE ARE DISMISSED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.