Public commenter urges help for employees; administrators report Halloween visitor surge and stormwater grants

CONWAY, S.C. — A public commenter asked the Conway City Council on Oct. 20 to address city employee insurance affordability, while city staff reported record visitor activity related to Halloween events and outlined traffic and stormwater responses.

During public input, Jimmy Hammond told the council he has "learned how city council works" after attending for 137 days and urged action on employee benefits. "Please look into it, y'all. Help our city employees," he said, telling council members that some employees could not afford insurance and would face long waits for care.

In the city administrator’s report, staff said the mayor’s youth council met and elected Skyler Platt as junior mayor. Brandon Harrelson in Public Works reported that visitor counts for Halloween weekend were up 46.2% year‑over‑year and that the city expected at least 30,000 people by the close of the event. Harrelson and council discussed short‑term traffic measures — including limiting left turns on Main Street on peak days, temporarily closing selected blocks and reallocating parking — and longer‑term goals like exploring control of traffic signals on state roads and off‑site shuttle/trolley options.

Public Works also listed multiple stormwater and capital projects that are moving forward, saying crews have completed inspections and are preparing pipe installations and outfall work expected to start in November. Staff said the city received a Rural Infrastructure Authority grant for Laurel Street improvements and other stormwater funds to address problem locations.

Council accepted the reports; no formal actions were taken on employee health at the meeting. The council moved into executive session late in the agenda to consider three contractual/economic development matters.