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Columbia City Council meets June 6, 2007
Roll call Columbia City Council met Wednesday, June 6, 2007, beginning at 4 pm in City Hall. Following at 6 was a public hearing on water and sewer rates and on the city budget. All members of city council were present: Daniel Rickenmann, Sam Davis, E.W. Cromartie, Mayor Bob Coble, Anne Sinclair, Tameika Isaac Devine, and Kirkman Finlay III.
Delegation from China At 3:30 pm in council's work room on the second floor in City Hall, council members met with officials from Yibin City, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. There was a signing ceremony to establish a friendly cooperative relationship between the two governmental entities regarding economic development, business, trade, science, and technology. Mayor Guanglei Wu of Yibin City and Columbia's Mayor Coble exchanged gifts. About 30 minutes later, Dana Turner , the city's assistant manager for commerce and development, introduced the delegation from Yibin City to the council meeting audience.
Homeownership Eric Cassell , city housing administrator, and Rick Semon , director for Community Development, declared June as "Homeownership Month" and the next Saturday, June 9, as "Super Saturday," part of the Columbia Community Development Department's "Community Development Week 2007."
Three Rivers Greenway Dave Zunker , vice president of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, described recent developments along the Saluda, the Broad, and the Congaree. James Smith , Three Rivers Greenway, listed the points of progress working with SCANA and gaining long-term leases for an extension connecting the zoo and continuing up the Saluda. Smith observed that maybe only two other American cities have a trout stream running through downtown.
Thomas Fitzsimmons , CPA, Webster Rogers LLP, presented himself and two of his partners, Michael Grady and Bud Addison , as the respondent team for the city's audit. Rickenmann and Finlay shared their fears in working with the only respondent to the city's request for proposals sent out to accounting firms to audit the city's books. With only one respondent, there is only one price, and the absence of competition lends an absence of market discipline. On the other hand, as Addison pointed out, the Webster Rogers proposal was essentially a bid with a price, and that price was put forward in an assumed competitive context. No one at Webster Rogers could know theirs was the only proposal and theirs was the only price.
Energy conservation Council's Energy Conservation Committee recommended both Johnson Controls and Ameresco as the two highest ranking companies responding to the city's RFP for an energy conservation program. The Energy Conservation Committee considered three options: an audit of all city buildings to determine ways of cutting energy costs and usage; an electric and gas utility bill audit; and a Guaranteed energy Savings Performance Plan (as allowed by S.C. Code Ann. 48-52670. Kim Smith of Johnson Controls presented her company's proposal to conserve energy in all the city's buildings. Larry Landry did the same for his company, Ameresco.
Sheraton Attorney Michael Tighe sat in representation of the new Sheraton, the conversion of the old Palmetto Building at the corner of Washington and Main. Council approved the Sheraton's request for a three- car capacity at its valet parking lane on the north side of Washington Street.
Next meeting City council meets on Wednesday, June 20, for its regular meeting at 9 am. The meeting will be held in council chambers, third floor, City Hall, corner of Laurel and Main.
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