Richland County Council meeting October 3, 2006 + 6 pm
By Mike Cox
mwc423@bellsouth.net

Presentations

Neil McLean gave Richland County Council an update on Engenuity. The program is designed to bring several entities together to improve knowledge economy in Richland County. Knowledge economy involves combining innovation, provided by USC, entrepreneurship, taught at Midlands Tech, and capital, provided by local business. McLean asked the county to consider using hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the future, to help with one of the program's projects.

Scott Bennett was honored by Richland County for achieving the title of Master Code Professional. Bennett has 28 different certifications and is the county's first ever Master Code Professional.

RTA

After dispensing of parliamentary issues and moving through the night's agenda, hopefully, the Richland County Council came to a screeching halt showing just how little they communicate among themselves outside the meetings, when the RTA issue came to the forefront.

An ordinance that has been discussed, deferred, and amended since July, continues to provide this council with an opportunity to show how hard it is for them to work together.

Paul Livingston moved for approval for the current ordinance, which adds $16 for each private vehicle and $24 for each commercial vehicle to the existing road use fee. The resulting $2.8 million will be used to fund county bus service for the rest of this year and next year. In addition, contingencies require the transit authority to either find cost savings equivalent to, or raise fares by, 25 cents, request funds from Lexington County to subsidize routes into municipalities there, and notify the county of any financial impact decisions.

Columbia agrees to pay at least $1million a year from its power plant revenue. Columbia and Richland County will fund a study to analyze and evaluate future costs and funding. A commission is also established in the ordinance to study long range transportation needs of the area.

Damon Jeter asked for a friendly amendment to add an inter-government agreement to the ordinance, so the various entities involved would be required to commit to the ordinance. Livingston refused the friendly amendment, saying it wasn't necessary.

Livingston's concern was what would happen to the amendment if someone refused to commit to the IGA. Several friendly and unfriendly amendments later, a motion to defer was defeated. It took three votes and a ruling by the legal department, but the ordinance finally passed, by the slimmest of margins.

Citizens Input

Henry Burke asked the council to approve a parking ordinance for the county. He says his neighborhood has too many cars parked illegally; some haven't moved in five years. Reminding the council Columbia has such an ordinance, Burke said the illegally parked vehicles are a blight to the area. Junk cars need to be in the junk yard.

Eugene Duval thanked the council for establishing a paving ordinance so there will be some order in which roads get paved. He said Sarah Matthews Road has been approved for paving since 1976, and asked the council to do the right thing and pave it.