Aiken City Council adopts consent-agenda option, approves multiple first‑reading ordinances and joins opioid settlement

Aiken City Council on Aug. 11 approved a change to the city code to allow the use of a consent agenda and took first‑reading action on a slate of annexations, a zoning change and other measures, and voted to participate in the national opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family.

The consent‑agenda ordinance (amending section 2‑64, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Aiken City Code) was presented for second reading and passed. Council members discussed a public outreach plan, an online form and procedures that would allow the public to request removal of an item from a consent agenda before the meeting or during the meeting before the gavel falls. City staff said items involving funding or concept‑plan rezoning would generally not be placed on a consent agenda.

Why this matters: a consent agenda is intended to speed council meetings by bundling routine, noncontroversial items (for example, unanimous annexations) into a single vote while preserving a public mechanism to remove items for separate discussion.

Major votes and actions at a glance

- Ordinance to allow consent agendas (second reading): approved (motion passed). City staff described an online removal form available when the agenda posts and an on‑the‑night option for audience members to request removal before gavel. (Discussion and vote recorded during second‑reading section of the agenda.)

- Ordinance (first reading) waiving the city’s right of first refusal for three parcels in Vereen’s Industrial Park owned by Avera Management Services LLC to permit sale discussions with Nicotine Plus LLC: approved on first reading. The applicant’s local counsel said the buyer, Nicotine Plus LLC, is a Maryland‑based nicotine/tobacco manufacturer and that prior uses at the facility were similar; specifics about employee counts were not provided. Several council members said they approved first reading but wanted more detail before second reading. (First‑reading discussion and vote on the industrial‑park item are recorded in new business.)

- Multiple annexation and zoning ordinances (first reading): council granted first reading to several small annexations and RS‑15 residential zoning requests and one general‑business request; the planning commission had recommended approval for each item. Staff said items that pass unanimously on first reading would be placed on a consent agenda for the Aug. 25 meeting.

- Signage waiver (first reading) for a shopping center at Village Green and Silver Bluff: approved on first reading with conditions recommended by the planning commission, including approval by the village architectural review board before permits issue.

- Business license ordinance update (first reading): council approved a first reading to update NAICS classifications per Act A176 (02/2020) and to recommend a minor rate adjustment (a proposed increase by $0.05 per $1,000 of gross receipts in the model presented) intended to offset a projected revenue shortfall tied to the NAICS reclassification. One council member was temporarily out of the room for the vote; staff framed the change as required by state law and described the specific exhibit updates in the packet.

- Intergovernmental agreement (first reading) with Aiken County for limited planning functions related to the Powder House Connector project: approved on first reading. County officials have agreed to delegate limited planning functions within the road right‑of‑way for phase two to help meet federally funded project timelines.

- Resolution authorizing participation in the national opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family: approved. Staff said the city must execute documentation by 09/30/2025 to participate; the exact payment amounts the city will receive are unknown because allocations depend on how many jurisdictions participate. The city attorney explained the funds must be used for opioid‑related mitigation and abatement strategies per state guidance.

Council procedure and next steps: for items approved on first reading, staff said unanimous first‑reading approvals will be placed on a consent agenda for the Aug. 25 meeting unless a council member or member of the public requests removal. Several council members signaled support for the items on first reading while reserving final judgment for second reading when additional detail may be available.

Votes and formal motions are recorded in the meeting minutes for each ordinance and resolution; the packet and staff memos note which items will transfer to the consent agenda if they receive unanimous first‑reading approval.