[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6550519,"mediaKeyId","5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea","parentId",5387774,"title","Votes at a glance: Dorchester County Council approves ordinances, appointments and fee changes; authorizes eminent‑domain preparation","audioSeconds",1171,"startMs",4472000,"endMs",5643000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea&start=4472&end=5643","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea/thumbnail_4472000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6550519/Dorchester-County/South-Carolina/Votes-at-a-glance-Dorchester-County-Council-approves-ordinances-appointments-and-fee-changes-authorizes-eminentdomain-preparation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550519-d67619ac33ec7cd62473f14836e026c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186250&Signature=lUnE~fS5KIBpZ0BCgmsEGGncx5pPOKw-m5BJMsk18NjfgA3smriUMQwSuwdZjJE-99ghszUzTRWn1I5v6LxTcTKYTCamqkOx4cXljR8TKGxJnt~aZ6ANcOrBR-BPQCyCiVX8CJV8IKEgbfTkxi4yqKwX-9JLoh3RjBViD6fjCn5C2p~s-vusE8i86A7uguWc~tW1bGFsyD1ZHwLGJD0NgZdjbRV3-GpltRR2-AF2DxJp92hqeKTT6DbI1A1ZuL1sc8Ve1gNrJqMFNKIMUUMJuA5h~659O2YCZAuQlWCX~qm~80sYlJag3Mfavw0t5-zqFGFh5GVbMKuSw8gwkQj28w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Dorchester County Public Meetings","date","2025-07-14T20:08:45Z","article","Dorchester County Council took multiple formal actions July 14, including ordinance third readings, appointments to boards and commissions, fee schedule changes for emergency medical services and personnel pay adjustments. The actions below are drawn from the council record and reflect motions, outcomes and any noted follow‑up.

Key outcomes

- Ordinance 25‑12 (fee‑in‑lieu of tax agreement): Council held a public hearing and approved third reading, authorizing a fee‑in‑lieu agreement with RW Ashley Phosphate Owner LLC and related matters. The public hearing was opened and closed with no speakers; council approved third reading unanimously.

- Ordinance 25‑13 (multi‑county industrial park amendment): Council held a public hearing and approved third reading to enlarge the Orangeburg‑Dorchester joint industrial park to include property owned by RW Ashley Phosphate Owner LLC. The public hearing drew no speakers; council approved third reading unanimously.

- Emergency Medical Services fee schedule: Council approved an increase in the basic life support (BLS) transport rate from $400 to $447 and raised the mileage rate from $9 to $12 per mile. Staff said payer mix is majority Medicare (about 51%), with insurance and patient pay portions; the change will take effect 30 days after notice (proposed effective date Aug. 15, 2025). Council approval recorded as 7 in favor, none opposed.

- Appointments and pay changes: Council approved multiple appointments to boards and commissions (examples: Donna Perry to the Foster Care Review Board; Shantel Broughton to the Library Board; Wilbert Walker to CT Seaboard; Eric Davis to Board of Zoning Appeals) and approved pay increases for certain appointed county officials (executive director of the library, director of elections and registration, veterans affairs officer). Votes on appointments and pay changes were recorded as unanimous.

- County administrator employment agreement extension: Council voted unanimously in executive session to extend the county administrator's employment agreement. The transcript did not specify the final agreed extension length in the public record; the extension was approved in executive session and announced upon return.

- Eminent‑domain preparation: Council authorized the county administrator to direct staff to obtain necessary information — including soil samples and school plans — from Dorchester School District 2 to prepare for potential use of eminent domain to acquire roughly 35 acres (TMS 151‑00‑00‑099) located in the Ponds development. The motion carried unanimously.

Referral and first‑reading items

- Rezoning and other first readings: Council referred multiple rezoning requests to the Planning, Development & Building (PDB) committee for public hearings, including a request to rezone 15.88 acres on Ridgeville Road (Center Park Group LLC) and other residential rezonings; one rezoning request (Esposito/Center Park Group) was sent to committee without a recommendation so a public hearing can be held.

Administrative and procedural notes

- Council approved the adoption of a compensatory storage/flood‑control code amendment on first reading and referred it to Public Works, Property and Utilities Committee for public hearing and recommendation.

- Council completed a series of board and commission appointments and recognized long‑term employees.

All votes listed in this roundup reflect the council transcript; where numerical specifics were not recorded in the public audio, the summary uses the meeting's stated vote outcome (e.g., \"unanimous\") rather than an attributed roll‑call tally.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Dorchester County Planning, Development & Building Committee & County Council Meeting 07.14.25","oneSentenceSummary","At its July 14 meeting Dorchester County Council approved ordinances expanding industrial‑park boundaries, raised EMS fees, confirmed appointments, extended the county administrator's employment agreement, and directed staff to prepare for potential eminent‑domain acquisition.","taxTitle","Dorchester County, South Carolina","taxId",4553,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550524,"Council delays decision on $350,000 greenbelt contribution for proposed conservation easement near St. George after lengthy debate",2140,1564000,3704000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea&start=1564&end=3704","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea/thumbnail_1564000.jpg","/articles/6550524/Dorchester-County/South-Carolina/Council-delays-decision-on-350000-greenbelt-contribution-for-proposed-conservation-easement-near-St-George-after-lengthy-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550524-8affd0d3fd48fd3d94955213a462d542/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186250&Signature=OEU~9pvF8mJRYEK76-dkTh52pLdPSb9bqLmBcA11NylQk-x7ClCmIuHvhOKKgGqFnJCrQRhageDPNeFclLr~49oLCqU232fcDuW9Kbd43kaAFw-6rt~54aHDWb5tXJU6p4U2kUPlDaF7yU8FMl6eyTFnWcDLv4gG~48bMdau1fA11mT3M4QYKCpFQAOuEaHtTkic~LcX1EH2BIVfy~w7XuFFVPg3UbOeJbTXG-kkL9KiBaNMIws45bnxLmoAnm7qK3mexR24QRn2FCsCKl1li1~Gq3sQMAS3M77ujtOfIaUlvjhJtJE4qYtn7D7t5LytyOEhq9KGPagaWfLtz4hE8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dorchester County Council on July 14 debated a staff request to use $350,000 in Greenbelt funds as the county's contribution toward a conservation easement on four parcels totaling about 296.74 acres near South Parler Avenue in Saint George. Lowcountry Land Trust representatives asked the county to approve the contribution to secure a conservation easement the land trust would hold.

David Ray of the Lowcountry Land Trust said the landowner agreed to include a right of first refusal along with the proposed easement, which would allow the land trust — and potentially the county in partnership with towns — an opportunity to buy portions of the property in the future if the owner later accepted another offer. Ray said the easement would remove substantial development value and that the project had received support from the state's conservation bank.

Councilmembers raised concerns about the absence of guaranteed public access and about how much of the tract is developable versus wetlands, describing uncertainty over the public benefit relative to taxpayer cost. Several councilmembers said they favored projects that provide immediate public use — parks, trails or community gardens — when spending public Greenbelt dollars.

Debate included questions about appraised values. The land trust said the appraisal showed a large drop in fee value after the easement — from roughly $8,000,000 prior to an easement to about $1.1 million afterward — indicating much of the easement value would be donated by the landowner. Ray and councilmembers also noted that where conservation easements are used statewide, they rarely (though sometimes) require affirmative public access by the landowner.

After extended discussion and questions to staff and the Lowcountry Land Trust, councilmembers moved to postpone the vote and directed staff to hold a Greenbelt workshop and return to the council at the county's first meeting in August (meeting date to be determined). The postponement motion passed by unanimous vote.

Councilmembers said the workshop should clarify scoring priorities for projects, explain differences between easements and fee purchases, and outline how the county may encourage public access or partner to secure public use in the future. Lowcountry Land Trust representatives said they would continue to work with the county and towns to preserve options for future public access if acquisition opportunities arise.

No county contribution was approved at this meeting; the matter will return to council after the scheduled workshop.","Dorchester County councilors debated using $350,000 in Greenbelt funds to support a Lowcountry Land Trust conservation easement on roughly 296.74 acres near St. George and voted unanimously to postpone a final decision until after an educational workshop and the county's August meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6550529,"Dorchester County Council classifies childcare centers as separate zoning use, approves amendment",580,34000,614000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea&start=34&end=614","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5387774-57de3d0befce3d15073390e0a98ffaea/thumbnail_34000.jpg","/articles/6550529/Dorchester-County/South-Carolina/Dorchester-County-Council-classifies-childcare-centers-as-separate-zoning-use-approves-amendment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6550529-95217211a38d22ed31b09e6123dcd43c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186250&Signature=P~eWSD2~zGm5wSx1VNiirF-TKqkLSOn8uVoDxgSPCVEuz7WWS1Og2j4U3UKgiD~PVW1t48epexxXiEH2Inx68TaKvQ~BZdjpFtcA-gYtZfJH~FKagYXgHrN7v5rp14BKinb7ugA3Jm6eacpouN1nSxHu0nZjP3mdPOMCx9lOi~GRy6AHkLbvvUfrTpXpzFe8ERYTREOr~j7WZfSRqyCUkjKEtqEFfghGSmwl3BCEfHsPH3lJc5JjN-8zQ-thzG5GtNNGYVOw703W83uzwHJfmVplRdWkM0k6XID2U~7HRCWdeVAMroYg2LqQ-zrwaJWqiZI2J-Jmf9ug5UwsxwfvPQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dorchester County Council on July 14 approved an amendment to the county zoning and land development standards to separate childcare centers into their own use group and to specify which zoning districts may host standalone facilities.

County planning staff told council the change pulls childcare centers out of the existing \"business/personal services\" use group so the county can allow standalone centers in residential and rural districts as well as in certain commercial and mixed‑use zones. \"The purpose of this amendment is to separate childcare centers out as their own use group and establish that use within appropriate zoning districts,\" a staff presentation said.

The move follows a planning commission recommendation for approval. Planning staff said the code previously treated day‑care centers as part of a broader business category that limited their locations and hours; the amendment adds a definition distinguishing standalone childcare centers from in‑home care.

Two members of the public urged approval at the public hearing. Talisha Cheeks, an in‑home child‑care provider seeking to expand into a standalone center, told council that Dorchester County has long waiting lists and that expanding licensed centers would help working families. \"Without childcare, where are they going?\" Cheeks said, adding that waiting lists in the county can stretch nearly a year. Cassandra Luttrell, a mother and local real‑estate agent, said more licensed options would help people relocating to the area and working households.

Council members spoke in support, saying the change would bring child‑care facilities closer to neighborhoods and aid working families. The council adopted the amendment after a motion, with the vote recorded as unanimous.

Planning staff will incorporate the change into the county ordinance language and the amended code will appear on the county docket for the formal ordinance process and any required subsequent readings.

The amendment also updates the county's definitions section to clarify the distinction between an in‑home day‑care provider and a standalone childcare center, and planning staff said they adjusted performance standards for the newly defined use group.","Dorchester County Council voted unanimously July 14 to amend the county zoning code to create a standalone use group for childcare centers, allowing standalone child-care facilities in residential and rural districts and clarifying differences from in‑home day care.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Dorchester County Council approves ordinances, appointments and fee changes; authorizes eminent‑domain preparation

Council delays decision on $350,000 greenbelt contribution for proposed conservation easement near St. George after lengthy debate

Dorchester County Council classifies childcare centers as separate zoning use, approves amendment