Blythewood council ranks holistic master plan, new revenue as top goals in strategic session

Mayor Sloane Griffin and the Blythewood Town Council, meeting with members of the Planning Commission on March 2025, held a facilitated strategic goal-setting session and ranked a townwide master plan and new revenue as the council’s top priorities.

The session, led by Charlie Barrineau, field services manager for the Municipal Association of South Carolina, produced an ordered list of near-term priorities the council will use to guide the upcoming budget. Barrineau described the meeting as “a kickoff meeting right for your budgeting process,” and outlined a simple ranking method so council members could indicate top goals that staff would later turn into budgeted actions.

Why it matters: the priorities set at the session will be used to shape the town’s budget and staffing choices in the coming year. Council members emphasized that Blythewood’s limited staff and revenue structure mean the town must prioritize projects that are realistic, fundable and, where appropriate, pursued with county or private partners.

Most important outcomes

The council used a 3-2-1 marks method (each member assigned 3 points to a top goal, 2 to a second choice, 1 to a third) to rank initiatives. The group’s top-scored items were a holistic town master plan and new revenue sources, followed by review of forms of government, annexation, retail/restaurant recruitment and a set of civic-engagement and recreation items.

Council members and staff repeatedly returned to several recurring themes: the need for a single, townwide master plan covering infrastructure, housing, recreation and annexation; the exploration of sustainable revenue sources (including grants and other fees); coordination with Richland County Recreation on sports and facilities; and targeted retail recruitment backed by a market assessment.

Discussion and supporting details

Charlie Barrineau urged the council to focus at a policy level and to “plant seeds” that staff can translate into budgeted tasks, measurements and assignments. He said the association typically produces a draft document or resolution recapping the session that the council can adopt and use to inform the budget process.

Council members discussed a range of specifics that would feed into a master plan: the McLean property and Doko/Dogo Meadows park concepts, possible sports-complex needs, preservation of green space and wetlands studies, and “gateway” or beautification projects at three major town exits. Several members recommended pursuing grant-ready “shovel-ready” items that can be matched to funding opportunities.

On annexation, the council referenced an annexation policy/manual that the town previously adapted from Bluffton and said the manual (and related application materials) is available on the town website. Council members noted annexation is legally and procedurally complex and may require legal support, and they discussed using training and public workshops to educate the council and planning commissioners about annexation options.

Council members also raised operational issues: access to county and town GIS data (the town has MOAs for GIS support), the need for a market assessment to guide retail and restaurant recruitment, and partnerships such as fundraising arms connected to county recreation to expand programming without duplicative capital outlays.

Town administration and process

Several speakers said that finding a stable town administrator is critical to executing the council’s priorities. The council agreed the administrator search and short-term staffing needs should be managed deliberately rather than rushed.

The Municipal Association said it can help with forms-of-government education and with drafting a resolution that recaps the session for council adoption. Barrineau noted the association also facilitates goal-setting sessions for other municipalities and can return for further work during the budget calendar.

Executive session and next steps

The council voted to move into an executive session under South Carolina law to discuss the employment, appointment and compensation of an interim town administrator and the retention of a consultant for a professional executive search. The motion was made, seconded and approved by voice; no individual roll-call votes were recorded in the public transcript. After the executive session and a brief recess the council reconvened in open session and reported there were no items requiring a vote following the executive session.

Staff and the Municipal Association will prepare a written recap of the session, including the ranked goals and recommended next steps, and circulate it to council members. The council indicated it will pursue a standing, annual strategic goal session (the mayor said the council will make it an ordinance in the first quarter of each year) and use the document in its upcoming budget process.

Ending

Chairman Moseley of the Planning Commission recommended using public workshops to provide continuing education for commissioners and to increase transparency; council members agreed. The council closed by asking Barrineau to finalize and return the session document so staff can distribute it and begin turning the goals into budgeted action items.