* 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. [1. CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:02] THE CAUCUS MEETING TO ORDER FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24TH. WOULD THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? YES, SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER CUNNINGHAM. PRESENT IN PERSON. COUNCIL MEMBER FLEW WELLING. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER DAWSON. COUNCIL MEMBER MCALLEN IS ABSENT. MM-HMM. ? COUNCIL MEMBER LAWSON. COUNCIL MEMBER HOWARD. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RODMAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HARON. COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER. ABSENT. COUNCIL MEMBER SOMERVILLE PRESENT. CHAIRMAN PASS PRESENT. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FINE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR WE NEED SEVEN. SO IF YOU GO INTO, NO, WE NEED SIX TO HAVE A QUORUM. IS IT MORE FOR SUPER MAJORITY FOR US. MISS COUNCIL, WE HAVE AN MEMBER COUNSEL, SO WE NEED SIX TO HAVE A QUORUM. I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN NOW. BELIEVE IT'S SIX. SO WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. UH, PUBLIC NOTICE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, POSTED AND DISTRIBUTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AT [4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA] I WOULD ASK A MEMBER OF COUNSEL TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. SO MOVED. I'LL SECOND. UH, MR. SOMERVILLE, YOU WERE THE MOTION. AND MR. RODMAN, YOU DID THE SECOND MOTIONED AND SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? THE AGENDA WILL BE APPROVED WITHOUT OBJECTION. UH, IS THERE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO, UH, DISCUSS [5. AGENDA REVIEW] ANY ITEM ON THE COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA? IT'S FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE 30 ITEMS ON THE AGENDA, UM, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THAT. WELL, 30 ITEMS PLUS FIVE CONSENT ITEMS. SO THERE'S 35 ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THAT RELATIVELY QUICKLY, I HOPE SEEING NO, UH, JOE? UH, YES SIR, GO AHEAD. I DO HAVE ONE ITEM THAT MIGHT BE EASIER TO DISCUSS HERE RATHER THAN, UH, THERE I THINK WE'VE PROBABLY GOT SOME TIME. UM, AND THAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE BUILDING ON WHAT WE'VE GOT BEFORE US, WHICH IS TO INVEST SOME OF LAST YEAR'S, UM, SURPLUS INTO, UM, DOING THE PLANNING AND THE PERMITTING FOR SOME OF THE ROADS TO GIVE US A LEG UP. SO WE HAVE THAT GOING TO THIRD READING IN THE BUDGET AGENDA. UM, AS WE WERE TALKING THROUGH THAT, UM, WHITNEY SAID ONE OF THE POSSIBLE USES OF THAT MONEY WOULD'VE BEEN TO WOULD BE TO, UM, USE SOME OF THE MONEY THAT WE'RE GONNA USE TO WHATEVER IT IS TO BUY DOWN THE, THE NOTES OF EXISTING DEBT THAT WE HAVE. FE I THINK IS THE NAME OF IT, UM, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A, A GREAT CATCH. UM, AND, AND THE REASON FOR BRINGING IT UP IS WE, WE STILL HAVE THAT BEFORE US TO USE THAT MONEY. I, I'M SORRY WE HAD THAT MONEY IS STILL GOING TO BE SET ASIDE FOR IN CASE WE WANT TO DO IT IN THE FUTURE. HOWEVER, WHEN, UM, STAFF INITIALLY LOOKED AT THE POSSIBILITY OF INVESTING SOME MONEY INTO THE, UM, ROAD PERMITTING, THE, UH, THEY WERE AT ABOUT THE 10 MILLION LEVEL NOW AT THE, ABOUT THE 6 MILLION LEVEL. UM, AND, AND I DON'T HAVE A STRONG FEELING EITHER WAY ABOUT THAT, BUT IT, IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT ONE OF OUR OPTIONS WOULD BE TO NOT SET ASIDE THAT MONEY FOR THE PAY DOWN OF THE BONDS AND ACTUALLY GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL NUMBER THAT THE STAFF HAD FOR DOING THE PRE-ENGINEERING AND THE PRE PERMITTING WORK. THE, THE ARGUMENT KIND OF GOES LIKE THIS. UM, THE, THE CONCEPT BEHIND THAT IS THAT BY SPENDING SOME MONEY ON PERMITTING AND PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING, WE DO TWO THINGS. ONE, WE GET IN [00:05:01] THE BETTER POSITION OURSELVES FOR SHOW READY PROJECTS AND UM, SECONDLY, WE GET OURSELVES TO A POINT WHERE, UH, WE'VE GOT MORE WORK DONE AND IT HELPS FACILITATE, UM, DOING A TRANSPORTATION REFERENDUM WHEN WE GET TO THAT, THAT POINT. SO IT, IT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE A BETTER USE OF THAT MONEY RATHER THAN TO SET IT ASIDE FOR THE BOND REPAYMENT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK AT THIS POINT IN TIME WITH INTEREST RATES RISING THAT THERE'S REALLY ANY CHANCE AT ALL THAT THE, UH, WE WOULD SAVE MONEY BY DOING THAT AND SECONDLY IT, BUT IF WE'RE PUTTING IT INTO THE ROADS AND PERMITTING IT'S MONEY WE HAVE TO SPEND ANYWAY, IT'S A LOT OF THAT CAN BE REIMBURSED AS WE GO FORWARD. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE AN INVESTMENT. SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I, I WOULD JUST BRING UP AT THIRD READING IF WE WANTED TO CHANGE IT UNLESS THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT AGREE WITH THAT. BUT IT DOES SEEM TO ME THAT THAT WOULD BE A BETTER USE OF THAT. I THINK IT'S ROUGHLY $3 MILLION, TWO TO $3 MILLION, UM, TO PUT IT TOWARD THAT, THAT ROAD PIECE THAT IT WOULD BE TO JUST SET IT ASIDE IN CASE WE WANT TO BUY BACK A BOND, WHICH IN MY MIND IS UNLIKELY. WHITNEY, JUNE. YEAH. AND THIS INSTANCE, I BELIEVE THE DEFESENCE IS ACTUALLY GOING TO COME NOT FROM THE GENERAL FUND BUT FROM THE DEBT SERVICE FUND. YEAH. SO THAT'S A DIFFERENT FUND ENTIRELY. IF YOU WANTED TO INCREASE, UM, THE AMOUNT THAT YOU WOULD APPROPRIATE FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY FOR ENGINEERING, THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND. OKAY. UM, I DON'T CARE HOW WE DO IT, IT'S JUST, TO ME IT'S JUST A MATTER WHETHER IT'S A, WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE TO DO IT. UM, I, I WON'T BE HERE AS YOU GO FORWARD WITH IT, BUT I'LL JUST RAISED IT IN CASE IT'S A BETTER USE OF MONEY, HOWEVER WE MOVE THE, THE NICKELS AROUND. OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ANY OTHER, UH, BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE COUNCIL TO DISCUSS, TO BE SERVED SEEING NONE, I WOULD ASK FOR A [EXECUTIVE SESSION] MOTION FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR UH, TWO ITEMS PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA CODE 30 DASH 4 78 2 AND A ONE. UH, THE FIRST DISCUSS NEGOTIATIONS INCIDENT TO PROPOSE CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS AND POTENTIAL SALE OF PROPERTY CALLED KING STREET AND WILMINGTON STREET. AND A DISCUSSION OF EMPLOYMENT OF A PERSON REGULATED BY COUNTY COUNCIL. SO VOTE MR. SOMERVILLE MAKES THE MOTION A SECOND PLEASE. SECOND, MR. HARON MAKES THE SECOND DUALLY MOTIONED IN SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NO DISCUSSION, THIS WILL BE ADOPTED WITHOUT OBJECTION AND I SEE NO OBJECTIONS AND WE WILL BE GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THIS TIME FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION. THERE WILL BE ONE MATTER ARISING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE GET TO THAT. UM, NO FURTHER ACTION BE TAKEN AT THIS MEETING. THE CAUCUS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. CHURCH. * 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.