Anderson City Council approves annexation, board appointments, sewer change order, budget amendment and land conveyance

Anderson City Council on its final August meeting unanimously approved a second reading annexation and zoning change for 7.53 acres at 3801 Prince Boulevard, confirmed several appointments to city boards including one to the Anderson Housing Authority, authorized a $2,693,541 change order on the Generosity Creek Relief Sewer Project and adopted an ordinance amending the 2024–25 budget. The council also authorized conveyance of city property at Murray Avenue and Franklin Street to a private developer.

The annexation and zoning ordinance (identified on the agenda as the second reading for “ordinance 20 five‑twelve”) covers a 7.53‑acre parcel at 3801 Prince Boulevard. City staff said the parcel is part of an existing shopping center split across parcels, one already inside Anderson City limits and the other proposed for annexation so that the whole center will be inside the city and consistent with the city’s annexation strategy of filling contiguous areas within the city’s service territory. Ms. McKeown presented the item and the council approved it on second and final reading with a unanimous vote.

Why it matters: City staff said annexation allows the city to provide municipal services consistently across the shopping center and aligns with the city’s contiguous‑annexation approach.

Appointments and commissions: Council approved filling several vacancies across boards and commissions. The council appointed Mike Raccoon to fill an unexpired five‑year term on the Anderson Housing Authority through 12/31/2027; his appointment was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. Council also approved multiple appointments to the planning commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals, including Ross Epstein (to replace the council appointee Tony Stewart), Lamar Norris (Dr. Thompson’s appointee to the planning commission), and Todd Pruett, Jacqueline Freeman and Prasanna Parvineni to the Board of Zoning Appeals. Mr. McKenzie, plan development director, told the council that two positions on the Board of Architectural Review remained vacant and that boards cannot act without a quorum.

Generosity Creek Relief Sewer Project change order: The council authorized a change order (alternate 2) in the amount of $2,693,541 to add approximately 4,340 feet of 36‑inch sewer pipe to the Generosity Creek Relief Sewer Project. Staff said the project previously received a $10,000,000 grant from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Grant Authority and that the combined contract (base bid plus selected alternates) with the change order would total $11,648,082.78. Scott Banks (project representative) said the contractor is about 1,000 feet into the first phase and the project was roughly three weeks ahead of schedule; staff noted most construction must be completed by September 2026 to satisfy the grant timeline. Council approved the recommended change order unanimously.

Budget amendment: The council adopted an ordinance amending the 2024–25 annual budget to reflect several grants, prior‑year carryovers, debt and capital lease proceeds and other items. Finance staff, Tamara Lindley, outlined the proposed increases by fund: general fund +$10,500,000; capital replacement fund +$1,400,000; sewer fund +$1,200,000; water fund +$897,591; stormwater fund +$540,784; parks and recreation +$47,876; sanitation +$10,118; tax fund +$455,710; hospitality +$15,200,000; and transit +$58,248. Lindley said the ordinance captures items such as grant awards (including fire PPE, opioid and police grants totaling about $232,700), use of American Rescue Plan funds ($4,400,000), prior‑year fund balance carryover ($2,500,000) for specific equipment and projects, limited obligation bond proceeds of $11,300,000 tied to Lindley Park/Caters Lake work, capital lease proceeds for fire trucks ($1,500,000) and public works equipment ($1,300,000), insurance proceeds and property purchases (including $1,100,000 for Fire Station 4 land). The council passed the budget amendment unanimously.

Property conveyance: The council approved an ordinance authorizing execution of a deed to convey city property at the corner of Murray Avenue and Franklin Street to Presswood Development (listed on the agenda as Presswood Development and its related entities). City staff said the developer is preparing a roughly $40,000,000 project intended for workforce and attainable housing and is approaching permitting and closing under an existing purchase‑and‑sale contract; Sarah Neiman, a developer representative, was present for questions. The ordinance passed unanimously.

Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows unanimous council approval on the following items: second‑reading annexation and zoning for 3801 Prince Boulevard (ordinance described on the agenda as “20 five‑twelve”); appointment of Mike Raccoon to the Anderson Housing Authority (term through 12/31/2027); multiple appointments to the planning commission and Board of Zoning Appeals; approval of a $2,693,541 change order (alternate 2) for the Generosity Creek Relief Sewer Project; adoption of the FY 2024–25 budget amendment ordinance; and authorization to convey property at Murray Avenue and Franklin Street to Presswood Development.

What council members emphasized: Council members and staff repeatedly noted the importance of filling board vacancies so quasi‑judicial and review bodies can obtain quorums. On the sewer project, staff and the project engineer emphasized that the awarded bids included a base bid and alternates, that unit prices for pipe were reviewed by the engineer of record and found reasonable, and that completing the work within the grant deadline was a priority. On the conveyance, staff reiterated that the transaction is proceeding under a purchase‑and‑sale contract with the developer and that the project is intended to deliver workforce/attainable housing.

No executive session or contested votes were recorded on the items presented; the meeting adjourned after the listed business.