REGULAR MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL
ON MONDAY, AUGUST 14,2000 AT 5:30 P.M. AT CITY HALL

Mayor McCollum called the meeting to order and Mr. Walker gave the invocation.   

The agenda was approved as received.

Clerk Watson took the roll with all of Council being present. 

Mayor McCollum opened the meeting to a Public Hearing to receive comments on proposed Ordinance 00-08.  There were no comments.  Mayor McCollum brought the hearing to a close.

Mayor McCollum then opened the meeting to a Public Hearing to receive comments from the public on proposed Ordinance 00-09.  Receiving no comments, Mayor McCollum brought the meeting to a close.

Building Inspector Kirkland thanked Council for providing him with an office that was completley furnished in the Fire Department Building. 

Mr. Bob McCully told Council that he felt the City should provide recreation for all the citizens of Bamberg by having a fulltime athletic director and by implementing programs which charge no fees. He voiced that the present baseball program should be serving a mixture which includes at least 60% black children but that they are being left out due to the fees being charged. Mr. McCully was critical of how the present baseball program is being run with the two volunteer managers. He voiced that they were printing the shirts for the teams and felt this was wrong. 

Mr. McCully voiced that the City is serving county residents as well. He asked Council to look at grants for recreational monies and to consider getting the Police Department involved in sports activities within the community. 

Councilman Sandifer informed Mr. McCully that he served on the County’s Economic Development Board but that the County has done very little to support recreation within the county. 

Councilperson Johnson thanked Mr. McCully for his concerns and voiced that the Ness Complex has been very inconvenient for her area. Saying that she had asked Mr. Sandifer to consider recreational areas in her area before, she voiced that  the Dixie Youth Program controls the baseball program with no monies coming back to the City. She said the City has no control over the Dixie Youth Program. 

Mayor McCollum thanked Mr. McCully for his concerns and asked the Recreation Committee of Mr. Steadman, Mr. Sandifer and Ms. Williams to come back to Council with a recommendation on such a program. 

Councilman Sandifer voicing that he wanted his say, said in 1988 the City saw a need for a recreational program. He said the City acquired the Ness Complex Property , built the facility and dedicated it in 1991. He voiced that the program has grown from 119 youths participating to 565 youths participating with 42% of the youths coming from the city and 58% coming from outside the city. Mr. Sandifer voiced that we have an excellent program which has never turned anyone away. Mr. Sandifer voiced that a basketball goal was placed on Log Branch Road and that the City has tried to acquire the Prince Myers Property on Cox Avenue from the county so that it could be developed into a recreational area. He said the City needs more property in those areas of town in order to provide additional recreational areas. 

Mr. Steadman made the motion to approve the minutes of the July10,2000 meeting. Mrs. Johnson made the second. All agreed. 

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to approve the Budget and Finance Reports as received. Mr. Walker made the second. All agreed. 

Under Commission Reports

Mr. Sandifer informed Council that the room for the Building Inspector in the Fire Department Building has been renovated.

Mrs. Johnson informed Council that business licenses were due on August 1^st. and that a 10% penalty will be charged after September 10^th.

Mrs. Kemmerlin informed Council that Business After Hours will be held on Monday, August 21^st at the Bamberg Nursing Center at 6:30 p.m. She reported that the Chamber had made $560.00 at their booth during the July 4^th Celebration. She said that the Chamber is looking for a new location that will be closer to Highway 78. 

Mr. Walker thanked Mrs. Kemmerlin and the Sanitation Dept. for cutting  a neighbor’s lot. He informed Council that we need to make sure that everyone understands that the $50.00 per hour rate will be charged regardless of whether an hour is utilized or not. He said his neighbor did not understand this and felt she had been misinformed. 

Under New Business 

Council received the recommendation from the Planning Commission recommending that proposed Ordinance 00-08 be adopted. 

Mr. Steadman then made the motion that the first reading of Ordinance 00-08 to rezone the property of Lisa & Douglas Stokes from HC to R2 be approved. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the second. All agreed. 

Council received the recommendation from the planning Commission recommending that proposed Ordinance 00-09 be adopted. Mr. Steadman then made the motion that the first reading of Ordinance 00-09 to rezone the property of Helen Vallentine and Jo Helen Riley from I to R4 be approved. Mrs. Johnson made the second. All agreed. 

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to approve the new contract with the SC Department of Juvenile Justice to house juveniles for the City. Mr. Walker made the second. All agreed. 

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to reappoint Pat Cogburn and John Daniels to the Bamberg Planning Commission with their terms to expire in April of 2004. Ms. Williams made the second. All agreed. 

Mr. Walker made the motion that  the Tax Credit Factor for year 2000 to be set at .001731 and to have the mileage set at 93.25 mills. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the second. All agreed. 

Mr. Walker made the motion to approve the Year 2000  Contract with Bamberg County to provide Fire Service for $40,500.00. Mrs. Johnson made the second. All agreed. 

Under Old Business

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to approve the second reading of Ordinance 00-05. Mr. Walker made the second. All agreed. 

Mrs. Johnson made the motion to approve the second reading of Ordinance 00-07. Mrs. Kemmerlin made the second. All agreed. 

During the announcements, Mrs. Johnson informed the Council that the Richard Carrol Reunion will be held on September 1st through the 4^th and that over 2,000 people are expected to attend.

Mr. Alphonso Crosby asked if additional  paperwork would be needed to build on his property after the rezoning. Clerk Watson explained that he would have to acquire a new zoning permit if he decided to build anything since he is now in a new zoning district. 

Mr. Gregory Bamberg advised Council that as leaders they must be willing to serve the whole community. He suggested that a family center be built and he told Council that he was here to help.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:32 p.m.

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