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Richland County Council approves bond issuance, development agreements and county settlements; multiple land and appointment items decided
Summary
At its July 15 regular session the Richland County Council approved a $70 million authorization for general obligation bonds, expanded an industrial park, authorized participation in a nationwide opioid settlement, approved several property sales and cooperative agreements, and took additional personnel and grievance actions.
Richland County Council on July 15 approved a series of motions including authority to issue up to $70 million in general obligation bonds, a public infrastructure credit agreement for the I‑77 Corridor Regional Industrial Park, and county participation in a proposed nationwide settlement with Purdue and certain Sackler affiliates related to opioid claims.
The council also approved local administrative actions including the sale of five wetland mitigation credits, execution of a cooperative agreement to permit the Town of Blythewood to participate in HUD urban county programs for fiscal years 2026–2028, several real‑estate deeds, and an appointment to the Department of Animal Services. Several conservation‑easement items were debated and were either denied or deferred as recorded in the meeting minutes.
Why this matters: the bond authorization and related infrastructure actions allow the county to fund capital projects; the opioid settlement participation is a county decision to join a larger national effort addressing alleged misconduct by certain manufacturers. Property sales, credit sales and cooperative agreements have immediate local budget and land‑use implications.
Key actions and outcomes
- Bond authorization (ordinance authorizing general obligation bonds up to $70,000,000): Motion approved. The council opened and closed the related public hearing before voting to authorize the administrator to finalize issuance details and the sale of bonds to fund capital projects.
- I‑77 Corridor Regional Industrial Park expansion and public infrastructure credit agreement (Project Momentum / CH Columbia Health District LLC & Cambridge Columbia LP): Motion approved to expand the park boundaries and execute a public infrastructure credit agreement.
- Sale of five wetland mitigation credits to XPO Logistics Freight: Staff recommended selling five wetland credits at $20,000 per credit (total $100,000). The council approved the sale; transcript records that $94,000 will be returned to the transportation penny fund and $6,000 will be paid to Capital LLC as a management fee.
- HUD cooperative agreement with the Town of Blythewood: Motion approved to execute a cooperative agreement allowing Blythewood to access the county’s CDBG, HOME and ESG programs beginning Oct. 1, 2026. Staff stated the arrangement imposes no new tax burden on Richland County taxpayers.
- Property deed sales and real estate contracts (multiple items at second/third reading): Council approved the sale of a county parcel at 120 Clemson Road (TMS R25608‑01‑38) to Cason Development Group LLC (recusal noted by a council member who owns adjacent property), and approved other real‑estate items at second reading.
- Conservation easement actions: The council took multiple votes on conservation easement terminations and related items; several motions to table, defer or deny were offered and the transcript shows a mixture of denials and approvals to defer depending on the parcel and motion.
- Appointment: Xavier Philip Romeo Howell was appointed and commissioned as a code enforcement officer for the Department of Animal Services.
- Grievance committee recommendations: After executive session the council moved to approve the grievance committee’s recommendations in matters recorded as CPD0618 and DET1294.
- Opioid settlement participation: The council voted to authorize Richland County to participate in a proposed nationwide settlement with Purdue and certain affiliates and the Sackler family concerning alleged misconduct related to opioids. The vote followed executive session discussion and was recorded as approved.
- Employee oversight action: The council authorized the chair to share midyear performance reviews as discussed in executive session.
Meeting procedure and executive session: The council added an executive‑session item (legal update: Nehemiah v. Richland County) to the agenda before adopting it. Items including personnel matters and an opioid update were discussed in executive session; the council stated no action was taken in executive session, then returned to open session and recorded motions based on those discussions.
What the record shows and what it does not: The transcript records the motions, roll‑call confirmations and several recusal statements; it does not provide detailed voting tallies for every motion in a single consolidated list. Where a recusal was entered (for example on the 120 Clemson Road deed), the transcript notes that the member recused because they own adjacent property. The transcript also shows that several motions to reconsider failed when brought after the initial votes.
Next steps: For items that allocate bond proceeds or require contract execution, staff will proceed with the administrative steps authorized by the council. The HUD cooperative agreement becomes effective Oct. 1, 2026, if executed. Participation in the opioid settlement will follow the terms of the nationwide agreement when finalized.
Votes at a glance: The transcript shows each item carried by motion as recorded; the meeting minutes in the county clerk’s office provide the official roll call and formal tally for each measure.
