Edgefield County Council on Jan. 7 voted unanimously on a slate of routine and project-specific items. The meeting’s formal votes included acceptance of the county audit, a second reading of the comprehensive-plan ordinance, approval to seek an impact-fee study, a memorandum of understanding to expand collections for unpaid government receivables, acceptance of Hurricane Helene after-action findings, and award of a stormwater contract for Barton Road.

Votes and key details

- Acceptance of audited financial statements for fiscal year ended June 30, 2024: Motion to accept the audit as information moved by Mr. Moody and seconded by Miss Ireland; motion passed unanimously. Auditor Grant Davis reported an unmodified (clean) opinion; key figures cited included general-fund revenues of about $21,000,000 and a June 30 general-fund balance of about $11,100,000.

- Ordinance 2425004 — Second reading, five‑year update to Edgefield County comprehensive plan: Motion for second reading moved by Mr. Tauber and seconded by Miss Ireland; motion passed unanimously. County staff reported no changes since the first reading and no public comments at the hearing.

- Resolution 24250004 — Refer impact-fee study to the planning commission: Motion moved by Miss Ireland and seconded by Doctor Kenyon; motion passed unanimously. The resolution directs the planning commission to study whether an impact fee is feasible, what projects it would fund and the geographic area it would cover. Council retains final authority on whether to adopt any fee and whether to hire the required consultant.

- Memorandum of Understanding with the South Carolina Association of Counties (SCAC) to administer government enterprise accounts receivable collections: Motion moved by Mr. Moody and seconded by Mr. Talbot; motion passed unanimously. The MOU supplements the county’s existing setoff-debt program and can add options such as payment plans and wage garnishment; the SCAC serves as an intermediary with the South Carolina Department of Revenue and charges no fee to the county, while the Department of Revenue retains its statutory collection fee (cited as 22%).

- Acceptance of the Hurricane Helene after-action report prepared by the Edgefield County Emergency Management Agency: Motion to accept the after-action report as information moved by Miss Taubert and seconded by Miss Ireland; motion passed unanimously. Staff said the report identifies communications and operational lessons learned and recommended improvements.

- Barton Road stormwater project — award of construction contract to Threlco for $765,660.45: Motion to award moved by Doctor Kenyon and seconded by Mr. Talbot; motion passed unanimously. The project is funded primarily through a grant (reported as $950,000 with an 85% grant/15% local match) from the Rural Infrastructure/bridal infrastructure grant authority; staff and the county’s contracted engineer, Cranston Engineering, recommended the low bidder.

Other routine votes included approval of the consent agenda and the agenda itself, election of chair and vice chair for the council year, and acceptance of the county clerk’s request to defer approval of minutes until February due to staffing circumstances. Most motions passed without recorded roll-call tallies; the meeting record shows unanimous voice/hand votes.

What council approved does not, by itself, implement new taxes or fees. Several actions (notably the impact-fee referral and the EMS funding discussion) will produce follow-on studies or budget proposals that require future votes before any tax or fee is imposed.