Berkeley County Council approves grants, Volvo agreement update and multiple contracts; reads water-loan ordinance

Berkeley County Council on Monday approved a package of grants, contract awards and budget/financing items, including a $10 million Camp Hall infrastructure grant, an amendment to the Volvo memorandum of agreement increasing its local commitment to $700,000,000 and 3,000 jobs, and acceptance of several state grant awards for solid-waste, waste-tire and used-oil programs.

The council’s finance and standing committees presented items earlier in the evening and the full council voted to accept grants and authorize contracts. The actions included accepting a $500,000 EPA Brownfields assessment grant, approving a Tri Solutions contract to coat three sections of the county’s new jail floor, and approving a change order to add a right-turn lane on U.S. 176 Phase 1.

Together, the adopted measures provide funding for county environmental programs, recognize a major private employer’s revised investment and book a series of mostly noncontroversial operational contracts. Council members said the Volvo amendment provides stability for a local manufacturing plant, while committee chairs noted that many of the grants carry no required local match.

Most votes were taken by voice and recorded as “motion carries” in the minutes; no roll-call tallies were read into the public record for these items. The council also read several bills into the record by title only for referral to committees, including an ordinance authorizing borrowing from the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund not to exceed $25,000,000 (Bill 25-46). Council members emphasized that many first-reading items will return for committee review and later votes.

Key actions at a glance

- Camp Hall Industrial Corridor (Camp Hall Infrastructure Fund grant): acceptance of a $10,000,000 grant (motion passed by voice vote).

- Amendment to Volvo memorandum of agreement: approved amendment adjusting Volvo’s commitment to approximately $700,000,000 and a target of about 3,000 jobs (motion passed by voice vote). County staff described the change as repurposing an existing production line for the XC60 model with associated investment.

- Fiscal-year grants accepted (motions passed by voice votes): solid-waste grant ($15,750; no match required), waste-tire grant ($220,722; no match required), used-oil grant ($28,569; no match required), and EPA Brownfields grant ($500,000; no match required).

- CDBG allocations: committee reported awarding funding to 27 nonprofits that met HUD requirements in a total amount reported as $1,011,268 (committee report presented to council; motion to accept passed by voice vote).

- Tri Solutions contract (IFB 331013-01-25/26): authorized contract award of $204,770.51 to apply industrial-strength floor coatings in three sections of the new jail (motion passed by voice vote).

- US 176 Phase 1 change order No. 9: approved addition of a right-turn lane into a private development near Marshall Acres; the developer paid design and construction fees and the change order extends the completion date for that turn lane by 24 days while leaving mainline substantial completion at Nov. 14 (motion passed by voice vote). The committee later recorded the change order cost as $14,566.96 for the added right-turn-lane work.

- Fee discretionary allocation: approved up to $20,000 to iPlay Learning Center for a back-to-school event (motion passed by voice vote).

- Loan/financing ordinance (Bill 25-46): read by title for first/second reading (ordinance authorizes borrowing not to exceed $25,000,000 from the State Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund pursuant to Title 48, Chapter 5, Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976). Council voted to move the ordinance forward; further committee review and final adoption steps remain.

Procedural notes and next steps

Several items were advanced by title only and will return to committees for further consideration. Councilman Philip Ovi reminded speakers that many bills on first reading are not voted on for substance at this meeting and that second-reading votes will come later. Council members recorded motions and voice votes for the items above; the public minutes do not list roll-call tallies for these approvals.

The council announced its next regular meeting will be Monday, Aug. 25, following public hearings and committee meetings.